What are you doing to challenge yourself other than work?
This summer, I chose to do something different and push my self out of my typical comfort zone of half-marathon running. With great summer weather and warm lake temperatures – I was challenged to test my abilities to conquer a triathlon to work through the mental challenges of COVID. At first, I didn’t even know what their qualifications were, other than it was a combination of a swim, bike, and run. After some research, I discovered there are several different levels. The “sprint” level of 20km biking, 5km running, and a 750 metre swim was exactly the mental and physical challenge that I needed to help me conquer the challenges of COVID, and we could create our own social triathlon with no official races offered.
Here was the mental and physical challenge for us; my challenge-partner Monika has not been on a bike for several years, and I had not swam for almost 40 years. Even though we love boating – I rarely get off the boat and into the water to actually swim – so this was the biggest challenge for me.
For as much as I procrastinated swimming, I actually enjoyed it and found it invigorating to get fully immersed in the water and just swim. Its very similar to prospecting – most people hate it and procrastinate, but once you get in the water and start swimming – you actually like it – just like making those calls! You can’t just dip your toe into the water – the best strategy is to just jump in and do it!
You can’t just dip your toe into the water – the best strategy is to just jump in and do it! Share on X
Here’s what I learned about training and completing this triathlon, that is similar to sales during COVID.
1. A thrilling goal and challenge will help you get out of the mundane and push yourself out of your comfort zone.
A thrilling goal and challenge will help you get out of the mundane and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Share on X
2. Swimming is like prospecting, its hard to get started – but once you start, its invigorating and worth the effort!
3. When you transition from the bike to the run – your legs feel heavy and its hard to get going. You just need to persevere, and your determination will get you through the run and this fall selling season.
4. A great coach can provide you with strategies and tips to improve your endurance!
5. It’s more fun to do with others! My cottage-buddy and fellow female business owner were needing the extra challenge and reason to meet every Saturday morning to train for the disciplines.
6. Add in the fun! We enjoyed a coffee after each bike ride and did the same during the triathlon. We don’t take enough time for coffee breaks in between our sales calls during the day.
7. Celebrate! We high-fived after each discipline as well as when we finished the triathlon. We later enjoyed an incredible Celebration Dinner at the cottage by toasting with prosecco and my favourite Okanagan wine. Make sure to celebrate your sales achievements!
What’s next? We both agreed, we will definitely do this again next summer with even more training to improve our times. We also realized the importance of having a physical personal goal – especially during COVID to re-fuel and strengthen our mental and physical well being.
What will you do this fall to create your own personal COVID challenge?
Lisa is driven by the mantra – Be Strategic. Be Pro-active. Be Brave. – and has been successfully training and coaching sales leaders and their teams to do the same for over 15 years. As the President of Teneo Results since 2003, she has trained thousands of sales professionals at more than 250 companies across North America. She transitions salespeople away from the standard “product & price” approach to having purposeful business conversations with their customers that drive results.