I’m Not a Morning Person (and 9 Other Lame Excuses)

Recently, I was a guest at a networking meeting that meets every Tuesday morning at 7:00. When the meeting began, three people surrounding me started complaining that it was way too early. “I’m not a morning person” suddenly sounded like a chant. I was shocked! I wondered to myself if they wished they were still in bed, or if they just weren’t willing to meet people early in the morning to grow their business.

I often ask sales professionals I meet how business is going. When things are going badly, the news is typically accompanied with excuses. And all too often, those excuses are just a front for the little negative things you say throughout the day.

Here are 10 lame excuses I hear from salespeople all the time:

1. I just never got back on my feet after the recession.
2. I used to track my activities, but I’m too busy to do that now.
3. This month/quarter/year is a lost cause; I’m just going to sandbag this deal for later.
4. That sounds like a book that I need to read, but I’m not a reader.
5. I hate Mondays (or even worse – TGIF!).
6. I only work from 9 to 5.
7. I can’t function until I’ve had my first cup of coffee.
8. I don’t have time to exercise.
9. I can’t afford to hire an assistant.
10. And my biggest pet peeve of all: I’m just not a morning person.

Now, some of these excuses may not seem to be business related, but all of them affect your business negatively in some way. You have to recognize every one of them for the lame excuses they are and eliminate them from your vocabulary.

I could write about each of these (and I probably will over time), but since the “not a morning person” excuse is so common, let’s start by digging into that one.

I coach new sales professionals that make $40,000 a year and seasoned sales professionals that make upwards of $500,000 a year, but I have never heard any of my clients who make upwards of $250,000 a year say that they aren’t morning people – you know why? Because top producers are ALWAYS on! They look for new business around every corner and will do what it takes to close the next deal (even going to 7:00 am networking meetings). That’s why morning people actually make more money.

Not a morning person?

If you’re not a morning person, the first step to change is realizing you are making a choice. You have the power. You can choose to change how you approach each day.

Become a morning person in 8 steps:

1. When you’re alarm goes off, don’t hit snooze. Turn on the light and get up!
2. Take the dark curtains off your windows and let the morning light in.
3. Start telling people you’re a morning person. The mind is a powerful thing, and you will start believing it.
4. Enjoy a cup of coffee, but don’t let it define you. No one else needs to know whether you need to drink caffeine or not. You are strong; project it.
5. Change your evening routines if you need to change your sleep patterns. If you want to get up earlier, staying up past midnight is not a good idea.
6. Establish a new morning routine (see my morning routine here).
7. Exercise regularly. It’s the best way to get you energized.
8. Commit to these new routines for 30 days. A recent study showed you’re 76% more likely stick to your goals if you stick with it for 30 days.

So, do you wanna be a sales rock star? Are you someone who wants to live among the sales professionals making more than $250,000 a year – every single year? Then listen to what you say – not what I say, but what YOU say. What you tell yourself matters. Don’t let your habits from yesterday carry you into tomorrow.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!