Routines Are Good (Despite What You May Hear!)

"The less routine, the more life.” – Amos Bronson Alcott

 “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine – it is lethal.” – Paulo Coelho

To listen to some social observers, you’d think we’re all mindless drones.

Get up at the same time each day? Go to work at the same time? Come home at the same time? “Boring,” you’re told.

Keep a routine? Do things at specified times? Follow a list of to-dos? “Mind numbing,” you hear.

Listen enough, and you start to wonder about all the hidden, exciting times you’re supposedly missing. What’s wrong with you?

Here’s the answer: nothing.

This advice to break out of a routine is misguided. It’s certainly not preached by anyone who has to make a sales quota.

In fact, this “break out of your routine” mantra is diametrically opposite to achieving sales success. It’s another of my “Top 10 Sales Myths.”

A routine doesn’t have to be dull. Its self-imposed discipline, though, is critical to productivity. Why?

The easiest thing in the world to do is waste time. Doing so often hides behind the misnomer of “being busy.”

In the challenging world of sales, time is your most valuable asset. Every moment wasted is one fewer prospect contacted, or one less follow-up call made. A smart sales approach isn’t all about numbers … yet the more targeted outreach you make, the better your odds.

A routine regulates how you use time. Often it keeps you from wasting time.

Doing things on a daily schedule – waking up, eating breakfast, relaxing after work, going to bed – maintains your mental faculties. Don’t believe me? Read how I nearly killed myself while living a routine-free existence.

Now, understand there’s a difference between “routine” and “comfort zone.” If your routine is getting mundane, change its activities!

Maybe you respond to e-mails daily from 8 to 9 a.m. How about a fresh message, something other than “I hope you’re doing well?” How about changing your e-mail signature from “Account Executive” to “Sultan of Sales?”

Perhaps you make cold calls from 9 to 11 a.m. Maybe you could try a new script? Or at least change the introduction?

If you employ social media for marketing, what alternative strategies could you try? A new channel? New topics to write about (or speak on, if using video)?

Following a routine makes you realize something else: Your “free time” isn’t free. It’s invaluable. We Americans work a lot. Time spent with family and friends, away from work, is limited and precious.

See, a routine is about more than being productive. Having one makes you value your non-routine time even more. You, and your loved ones, benefit. That’s not boring or mind-numbing – on the contrary, it’s as exciting and empowering as life gets.

Paul M. Neuberger is President of The Starr Group, as well as the Founder/CEO of The Cold Call Coach. Struggling with cold calling in your sales outreach? Consider Cold Calling for Success or Cold Call University. Contact Paul at 414-313-8338 or via e-mail at pneuberger@starrgroup.com or coldcallcoachllc@gmail.com.