Page 44 - GS170101
P. 44
Education
Why do you work? There are 168 hours in a seven-day week. Considering that
at least one day a week is spent not doing work activities
Why? (necessary errands, doctor's appointments, various family
and community obligations, for example) that leaves 144
By Jeff Fortney hours in the six remaining days. If you sleep a minimum
Clearent LLC of 7 hours on each of those days (and I know that is being
conservative) that leaves 102 hours for work, rest, relaxation
W e all ask ourselves some form of the ques- or simply enjoying life. Of those 102 hours, if you work 60
tion, "Why do I work?" more often than we hours, you are left with only 42 hours per week, or seven
might think. In almost every case, it's when hours a day for rest, relaxation or enjoying life.
we're faced with a negative situation, and
it's almost always rhetorical in nature. Here are a few Picturing the why
examples:
You may truly love your job, and it is true the sales
• When getting screamed at by a merchant because profession is one that directly rewards your hard work.
a transaction was declined, you ask yourself, But, even so, if work were always fun, it would be called
"Why do I do this?" play. There is a way to make working easier, or at least
eliminate the rhetorical questioning. You need a Why I
• When sitting in the parking lot preparing for the Work binder.
15th call of the day, and all 14 previous calls have
been worthless, you ask yourself, "Do I really need This binder is not a goals binder. You are not tracking how
to do this?" many calls you make a day, or how many merchants you
sign. This binder is a visual reminder of why you make
• When sitting at your desk at 8 p.m. catching up on that extra call, or meet with that upset merchant. It is a
paperwork, you ask yourself, "Is this really worth reminder of why you push through for one more call after
it?" failing on the past 15.
"Why do you work?" is a simple question I ask salespeople Identifying wants
often. Although their replies may vary, their answers are
what I expect: "I've got bills to pay" or "If I didn't work We all have those wants – wanting a new car, getting out
I would lose everything," for example. These statements of debt, traveling to exotic countries or even learning to
– and their variations – are the most common responses. play an instrument. Some of these things come with added
However, what most people fail to realize is that these costs, while others require you to have extra time. In all
responses make working harder. cases, these are the desires we put off for various reasons.
Working the hours away
But, if sales is a profession that rewards you for extra
Consider why this question is so important. We think of effort, why not have a personal goal or group of goals that
a typical work week as 40 hours, yet a study of the sales will help motivate you to make that extra effort, power
profession conducted a few years ago stated that the through the negative, and price merchants profitably?
average salesperson commits 45 hours a week, minimum,
to the job. I am sure many put in as many as 60 hours Start by listing those wants. Just remember, they must be
weekly, a huge investment of time compared with time tangible. Getting $1 million isn't tangible, but traveling to
invested in other activities. Europe is tangible. After listing your wants, narrow the
list to a maximum of four or 5 to begin. Try to include at
least one non-monetary goal, such as learning to play the
trumpet, or attending a class on woodworking.
Using the binder
Get a flexible binder with clear page sleeves and blank
pages. You will also need a glue stick if you do this the way
I do it, but others may decide to just use their computers.
The first step is to obtain multiple images and words from
various magazines or web pages that remind you of that
want. They should not be generic statements like "Get new
car," but instead should be a picture of a specific car you
want, along with words about the joys of a convertible
(if that is your wish) and additional pictures of happy
people driving that car. Don't skip the pictures that convey
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