High achievers often find themselves wishing they could slow down. When sales are coming in, they work harder. When sales slump, they work even harder! Somehow we think that going faster means we get more done. Yet nothing could be farther from the truth!
Hurry creates more problems that it solves. We can even feel like we are getting somewhere, when all we're doing is spinning our wheels. Solomon, king of Israel, penned these words, "To be over hasty is to sin and miss the mark." In other words, when we are in hurry, we don't hit our target!
Here are some ways that slowing down helps us make more money.
We become more mindful.
Mindfulness is not really new. The art of being focused in the moment is lost in the busyness of Western culture, but it provides the power of focus. Paying attention to what is happening right now helps us slow down, be present with our customer or coworker. When we are more mindful, we will hear what others are saying to us, and we may learn something we need to know that hurry kept us from hearing.
We are more present.
This really goes with being mindful. When we are in a hurry, it can be difficult to focus on the person we are with. Our mind is racing to the next thing on our To Do List. If we're conscious about slowing down, we'll find that we can really stay tuned with the person we are with. Ironically, slowing down helps the other person calm down and feel valued, creating an atmosphere where we can build trust. Since people buy from people they like and trust, we are more likely to close the sale than if we hurried through it.
We think more clearly.
How many times have we stopped working because we simply couldn't think anymore? Slowing down allows us to reflect on our circumstances, and our live. Reflection then leads to creativity, better decisions, and better planning. We might even see solutions that were right under our noses, simply because we slowed down and started thinking instead of reacting.
We are more calm
Do you know what the #1 cause of disease in the United States is? Stress! Those stress hormones really wreak havoc with our bodies, but they also affect how we think. The word anxiety comes from a root word meaning to choke or squeeze! No wonder we can't think clearly! Slowing down helps us calm down, which causes our body to release more of the feel good hormone, dopamine. When we feel better, we work better. Seem counterintuitive? I know! Try it. See how it works!
Catch more details
Jim Rohn says, "The devil's in the details." Two products may appear to have the same quality, but closer examination reveals details that distinguish the good from the great. When we are in a hurry, we often overlook small items in our offer that detract from the quality we want to provide. Slowing down provides the space to pay attention to those details that make our offer the best.
Helps you get perspective
Speed leads to overload. An overabundance of tasks and meetings fills our calendar to the point that there's no white space left for us to just think! When we feel overload, we get overwhelmed, and then we shut down. We can no longer decide what is important and what is a waste of time. Slowing down puts some distance between us and the whirlwind of activity that we find ourselves in. This distance helps us get some perspective, so we can determine what is the most productive use of our time.
Get more done
Harvard Business Review studies show that hurry and back to back activity REDUCES productivity. Fewer mistakes are made and our work is more efficient. Think of a child who rushes through homework to play their favorite video game. What happens? When they receive their paper back, it's full of red marks. And we all know this is because our student didn't take time to do the work right. If we want to be more productive, we need to slow down so that our work is efficient, and we can move on to other productive tasks.
Slowing down seems counterintuitive, yet it is one of the most powerful ways to get the results you are working so hard for. One of the things I love to do is help people achieve the success they are looking for! If 2016 was not what you had hoped, or you had a good year, and want to make 2017 better, click here for a FREE 30 min Sales Breakthrough Session. Let's make 2017 your best year yet!