Why you need to get outside your comfort zone

There’s definitely some turbulence out there. It’s like when the captain comes on and says “Fasten your seat belt.”

We’re in a state of constant change — now more than ever.  Reading about what’s going on in your industry is one good step, what  else can you do to keep pace with that change?

You can attend conferences, workshops and seminars – events where you have access to those little gold nuggets of information that help you keep pace.

You can constantly sharpen your ax. Look to get outside your comfort zone, maybe see if you can speak at these industry conferences. Do a break out session and add some value – that’s a breakthrough change if you’re not used it.

Join Toastmasters if you’re not good at it. Learn how to get up in front of people and speak on different topics.

Attack networking opportunities like tradeshows and Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce. Don’t go in like everybody else and hang out with who you know already. Get outside your comfort zone. Have a plan, a strategy, and attack it.

How to take a proactive stance toward change

As a sales professional, you must be proactive in the way you manage change.

If you manage change as an event-driven activity or a reactive process, then it’s typically going to start long after the need to do so arises. It’s got to be a forward-looking activity, driven by your unique experience of your market.

For instance, several years ago I weighed 260 pounds, smoked cigarettes, and was heading, probably, towards my first cardiac arrest.

Fast forward 36 months and I’m flying back from Nashville, where I ran my first marathon. Why? Because there was a change in my outlook after we had a child a couple of years ago.