Quick Benefits of Not Drinking for Salespeople

First let’s level Set: Why is drinking so common for sales professionals?

·      To cope with pressure. The expectation to consistently produce results can generate extreme levels of stress. It can be our bosses, our paycheck, the exhausting amount of time it takes to do the work, and sometimes it’s the guilt we feel from not having the energy to engage with our family.

·      It’s fun! Most of us enjoy a good time and the initial effects of drinking can inhibit inhibitions and lubricate the social environment.

·      It’s always around, especially in Foodservice Sales. Whether it be wining & dining a client, company functions, or happy hour at the end of a long day- drinking is encouraged and readily available.

·      It becomes a habit. The regular use of alcohol has the same effect of any other addictive substance, the more often you drink, the more alcohol it takes to achieve the same feeling of short-term relaxation.

Without really understanding the longer-term challenges that alcohol will encourage, it’s easy to get caught up in the perceived short-term escape, especially for us hard-working sales men & women.

Switching gears, here’s some benefits of NOT drinking that are worth considering:

·      More Energy- Alcohol is a depressant. This may cause some confusion, but without getting too scientific, our body fights for equilibrium and offers natural stimulants to combat the depressant impact of alcohol. The natural stimulant wears off in the mind as the alcohol effects wear off, but the effect drinking has on the body last well into the night, the next day, and takes severe physical toll over time. Removing this depressant allows us to get better rest and mitigates the unnecessary toll it takes on our mind & body. It’s likely you’ll be surprised how much more energy you have after just a few days of not drinking. In addition- you won’t have to deal with the obvious pain of being hungover.

Benefit to Sales- the amount of work we can accomplish and ability to efficiently manage tasks increase greatly when we have more energy.

·      Clearer Thinking- It’s no secret we’re not as sharp when we have a buzz, and I’ve never known anyone to consistently say they think clearer when they’re hungover. Removing alcohol from the mix allows us opportunity to make smarter choices. The list of decisions that suffer can span from something as light as making poor diet choices to whether we’re good to drive and more. To add, it seems like most of us have had an argument or gotten in a fight that would have never occurred if drinking wasn’t involved. Finally, when we’re in a work-related environment, we must not fool ourselves, people are always watching…and there will be consequences. There’s a huge advantage in keeping our wits.

Benefit to Sales- we remove the risk and improve the quality of our work when our head is clear, and our mind is sharp.

·      Look Better- it’s not hard to tell if someone is a regular drinker or not. Whether we like it or not, there are some shallow aesthetics tied to sales. We might be able to get away with it when we’re young and invincible, but just about all of us older than 35 wish we would have been a little more responsible when it came to sunscreen, flossing, and how much we drank. It takes a toll. To make matters worse, those of us that either sit in an office or drive in a car for many hours a day are constantly reminded of the size of our gut. Alcohol is a lot of empty calories. Give the bloated, red-faced, baggy-eyed appearance a break. It’s not a good look.

Benefit to Sales- potential clients’ first few impressions of us include our appearance, let’s put our best foot forward.

To reference an analogy from William Porter’s book Alcohol Explained- drinking alcohol is like borrowing money from a greedy loan shark; however, this loan shark deals in feelings. It advances you short-term good feelings, but you pay it back with more intense bad feelings & unhappiness. Like any good loan shark, it will always take much more than it gives.

Call to action: go alcohol free for a month. Give it time to clear your system and see how you feel. Find ways to cope and have fun without the sauce.

If this message sounds familiar don’t hesitate to contact me directly- I’ve been there.