Steve Findley is a guest of The Career Cue (check out his episode here) and he's taken a little time out from his adventures to share what a typical day looks like in the life of a Modern Remote Salesman.
Background
Many people could successfully argue that no day is really typical for me - traveling and working remotely means I’m rarely in the same location for more than a couple of months. However, despite some of the self-inflicted chaos around me, my working day often follows some semblance.
Kicking the day off with the right priorities
I’m usually up around 7.30am. With no commute to contend with, I can eat breakfast, catch up on the news, message friends, and be working by 8.30am. I like to check my tasks for the day based on a note I make at the end of the prior day and see where I want to prioritize my efforts. I tackle the tasks that are directly related to success in my role. For someone who sells B2B remotely, this is often customer outreach and contact, by phone and email. In addition to this I automate some of my contact strategy so making sure this is working is a feature of my morning.
A bite to eat and then some "me" time
I’ll usually work until lunchtime with a mid-morning coffee thrown in to break up the time in front of my screen. For my afternoons, I usually like to try and take advantage of my location, whether that’s exploring a new city or heading to the beach, doing a workout or running some errands.
Rounding out the day
Then, usually after dinner, I’ll get back to work for a few more hours. This helps me if I’m working with clients across multiple time zones. I also get more done by working for two sessions as opposed to trying to crank out a 10 hour day from 8.30am. You might think that going back to work after dinner is difficult but with the separation created in the afternoon it really isn’t a problem.
My workday might not end until 10pm, 11pm, or later but if I can grab some time back, I’ll usually relax and watch a movie. Once you remove a commute, talks in the kitchen, pointless meetings, and some of the distractions of being office based you can achieve so much more with your time. It’s been great to have the option and work with forward thinking companies that support my working life and trust me to deliver results. Remote working is the future and I’m a huge advocate of this lifestyle.
It's not always a day at the beach
I would imagine my struggles are very similar to anyone who works online a great deal. I always have too many tabs and systems open on my laptop which can make task concentration difficult. I like to be quite entrepreneurial as well so I can sometimes get caught working across a small handful of initiatives rather than going into laser focus on one task.
Keeping your eye on the prize
As far as tips and advice for a work day go, I’d recommend concentrating on the tasks that are most important to being successful at your role. The other work can just become a distraction and take you away from what you’re trying to achieve. In sales, I have a great CRM that manages my work and personal life in addition to some automation tools to help me get in front of more people. Technology does bring some interruption with instant notifications and distractions but, once you work past some of that, it can be a great enabler to boost your productivity. The online world is definitely changing how we sell so I embrace technology and use it to my advantage.
Connect with Steve and learn more about The Modern Remote Salesman on LinkedIn.
Photo by Dane Deaner on Unsplash.