How Great Salespeople Avoid the Distraction of Cell Phones
We all have stories about cell phones, and how they can get us in trouble if they ring when we’re with our clients. That’s why shutting them off during client meetings should be second nature to us all.
In fact, research suggests if you are distracted by a text or phone call, it can take you as much as 15 minutes or even more to return to the level of concentration and attentiveness you had prior to the distraction. Think about that. If you tune out, it can take a while to tune back in.
So on that note, today we want to share some advice about shutting off your cell phone that you may not have heard before. It comes from a participant in one of our courses last year. He told the group:
“I turn off my cell phone 15 minutes before every client meeting. When I meet with clients, everything is on the line. The last thing I want to happen is to be distracted. A call from a client, or my boss, or one of my golfing partners could undermine what I want to accomplish. If I am preoccupied with something else, I won’t be as effective on the call. I won’t let that happen. So 15 minutes before every sales call, I turn off my cell phone.”
That is a huge statement. For this individual, liberating himself from his cell phone in advance enabled him to enter his client meetings with a clear mind, ready to give both the client and the situation 110% attention without any interruptions. It worked for him; it may work for you.
Clients want you to be present, and all the time. Don’t let distractions work against you. Stay focused. Turn off your electronic devices 15 minutes before the meeting, like that successful course participant we referenced earlier. That will ensure that you are present, focused, free of distractions and that you will simply do better work. Your clients will appreciate it and you will see the results.
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Can you think of a time when somebody (not necessarily yourself) forgot to turn off their cell phone and it disrupted an important meeting? Leave a comment below and tell us what happened.
