Why aren't You Sleeping?

A saleswoman I know has been watching a lot of late night TV. I don’t mean David Letterman, but the movies that are on at 3 in the morning. Why? She’s really worried that her Mr. Big – her largest client – is about to jump ship. In these uncertain economic times, she knows that every client is re-evaluating every single move and dollar.

Perhaps her big client will figure out that they don’t really need what she’s selling. Maybe she won't be able to make her month. Maybe she will get fired. Maybe she will lose her house! Maybe, maybe, maybe!

I know many salespeople in the same boat and they’re equally worried and pacing the floors at night. But before you go into another weekend of fretting, I want you to consider one thing: You’re the one in control and you don’t necessarily need your Mr. Big. Of course, it’s great to have one big client who takes care of a big chunk of your month. But here’s a new way to calm your nerves: When Mr. Big goes away you can find two Mr. Okays to replace the business while you look for another Mr. Big.

In other words, life doesn’t revolve around your one big client because there are other options. Or as the saying goes: Whatever you're going through...you will get through it.

You really need to re-frame this sense of loss in your mind because I’m pretty sure it’s paralyzing to you.

Worry has a way of clouding everything we do and it keeps us stuck in quicksand. If you can’t move then you can’t work on solving the problem. If you operate from fear then you won’t make rational decisions. (And a lack of sleep is never good for your health, life or business. Even one or two nights of sleep loss can impair your judgment, according to recent studies).

By the way, you don’t necessarily have to lose your Mr. Big if he’s waffling about staying in business with you. You can always try a re-activation strategy to get your client moving again. As someone who is smart, you’ve felt that your relationship with this client is in danger and you know ahead of time that there is a problem. Things don’t just happen. Perhaps you haven’t been paying attention along the way to their needs, their bottom line or the simple fact that things just aren’t that great. Occasionally, a company will go out of business and it will be surprising, but usually that’s not the case.

Ignoring the issues along the way isn’t wise. You should be operating from a heightened sense of awareness. You can re-activate several ways including exploring a more limited sales plan or a few month recovery plan. There are always options if you stay on top of what’s actually happening.

On Monday, I’ll offer other re-activation strategies because I always say that it’s much more advantageous to keep existing clients (and cheaper) then pound the pavement for new ones.

The point on Friday is to go into the weekend by taking a deep breath. All isn’t lost and there are options to find new business. Remember that sometimes life's twists and turns can take you someplace amazing.

And, by the way, get some sleep and DVR those late, late night movies!