How good Account Managers and Reps stay motivated and productive
CONTENTS
Intro
For anyone that hasn’t held such a role, a job where the majority of your work is completed from home can sound like a pretty sweet deal; however, there are some challenges that many find difficult to overcome long-term.
Working from home can be isolating and lack the team support that comes with working around others. It can be hard to motivate yourself and stick to schedules and there are often many distractions that slow down your productivity and focus.
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance can also be difficult as the line between work and play can become a fuzzy one.
1. Create a ‘Work Area’
It’s important to create a dedicated work area that’s located away from your typical relaxation areas. Even just segregating a small section in a spare room. Doing this helps separate work from home life and allows you to step away from the area and leave work behind.
If you spend a lot of time behind a keyboard then it’s worth investing in good equipment that’s reliable such as the below. A comfortable area containing equipment and resources that support your workload will reduce stress and frustration.
✔ A comfortable chair that you can sit on for several hours without any discomfort ✔ A printer/scanner that produces good quality, fast printing. ✔ Extra lighting if the room isn’t well lit. Maybe brighter ceiling bulbs or a lamp for example. ✔ A $5 foam weather-seal strip for the door can help reduce noise coming in and also reduce noise going out, such as a confidential phone call. ✔ Consider upgrading your internet if you have a slow connection. Nothing frustrates me more than a slow internet connection. ✔ Have a back-up of the stationary you use. ✔ A way to adjust the room temperature if relevant. A heater, fan, or something similar. ✔ If your laptop isn’t suitable for all-day use then it might be help to setup a docking station and monitor, which essentially turns your laptop into a desktop PC that can be easily connected and disconnected when required. ✔ Use software to manage your time and client base if relevant and sync your devices to make it easier to access information while on the road.
2. Stick to a Routine
Have a routine that you can stick to and plan your meetings in advance. Having a routine (or a pre-planned timetable) means that you can be productive from the start of the day and not waste the first couple of hours planning what you’re going to do first.
Start working at the same time each day, take a break around the same time, and finish on time as often as you can. If your working day just blends into your evenings and weekends you’re going to lose interest and motivation.
While sitting on the lounge eating dinner and watching TV it’s often tempting to rip out the laptop and continue with random tasks. Sometimes you have no choice but it eventually becomes a regular habit and your mind never actually leaves the workplace. This can have a negative affect your time-management skills as you start telling yourself that you have all-night to finish that report off so why rush it throughout the day. This will eventually increase stress levels, affect your mood, and reduce your ability to relax during down times.
Pre-Plan the following week by the end of the previous week and stick to it. It’ll help reduce your stress over the weekend knowing that you’re organised, and you’ll be able to start Monday morning without any delays or spending half the day planning out the week.
And simply for your own professional development, occasionally keep track of timelines for completing tasks too. If you don’t have a boss staring over your shoulder all day then it’s possible that some tasks start taking longer to do and can happen over time without any intention and not realising it.
3. Do the Housework on Your Day Off
Stay on top of household chores during your off time. Doing the dishes at 11pm isn’t going to appeal to many people at all but when you’re faced with a challenging situation the following day, those dishes are going to be the excuse you were looking for to avoid the workload you’re supposed to be completing. The same goes for the ironing, the shopping, and the vacuuming.
4. Manage Non-Related Tasks
Don’t keep anything running in the background that isn’t relevant. Every notification that pops up will distract you from what you need to be doing and will end up wasting a lot of your time. If this is really difficult for you to do then start by setting some limits. For example, log out of accounts or switch off other devices for an hour and half then give yourself a 10 minute break to check non-related accounts. Otherwise there are app’s that can restrict your time and access that some users find helpful.
5. Stand Out in Your Meetings
Much like having an organised workspace, if you’re often holding or attending video conferences then it’s important to have an area ready to go, or one that can be easily set-up, that’s been pre-tested. The environment that you take the call in can have a positive or negative effect on the outcome even before you have a chance to say anything.
You want an area that you can connect to power if required, maintain a steady network connection, is well lit, free from distractions, and blocks any interfering noise.
Be mindful of how you sound and the angle of the camera. An empty room can cause an echo or other factors can interfere with clarity. You may not hear it yourself but it may be noticeable on the receiving end. You also want the camera to be level and centrally showing your shoulders and head.
Don’t forget about the background directly behind you either. A blank wall can seem like a fail proof choice but having something behind you can enhance your presentation. It could be as simple as a subtle abstract picture or your company’s logo on the wall.
Even a large board can be used to lean against the wall before the call to either hide anything unsightly or to enhance a plain wall.
It’s worth doing a test call with someone before taking an important business-related one.
6. Prospecting and Cold Calling
I know some people, and they're certainly not the only ones, who have the habit of lining up twenty or so calls and set half an hour aside each day to smash through them. It may sound impressive when they mention they've contacted 100 new potential customers during the week, however the conversion rate into leads and opportunities are usually very minimal.
Some people get caught up on the numbers and lose touch with the reason they’re making the call. They’re expecting a ‘no’ from the customer before they’ve even answered the phone, and when it comes, the conversation comes to an abrupt end and it’s straight onto the next one.
If you’re one of these people then it may be worth checking your conversion rate. If it’s good then well done and keep it up, however, if it’s quite low it may be worth slowing it down a bit.
Focus on three or four instead then research the company, customise the call for them, and try and get some useful information out of the call; at least a reason to follow up with them at some point. Three or four well-crafted conversations or emails are far more valuable than the twenty rushed ones that you’ll never hear back from again.
There are plenty of others that could be added to this list too. I believe building a good envronment and organising your time and resources well to begin with will reduce a lot of unneccessary stress and anxiety allowing you to focus more on the important things, like your customers.
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