It’s got to be the BEST night of the year
When New Year’s Eve approaches restaurants, pubs and clubs bombard you to book tables or buy tickets early to avoid disappointment.
Friends start asking in September: “What are you doing for New Year’s Eve?” You’re worried about accepting an invitation in case a better one comes along the next day. Is anyone having a party this year or is it our turn to host? What if it’s not as good as last years. Aaaargh – the FOMO, the pressure.
But it’s just another night, 31st December in fact.
And that’s why we have the New Year’s Eve Hater’s Dinner. There’s not many of us – and that’s good. A few good friends who share the same phobias of Big Ben chimes and Auld Lang Syne.
We don’t mind if they go before midnight or after midnight. But if they stay until after midnight, we all know the rules: No Countdown, No Kissing, No Enforced Jollity. With the pressure off, we always seem to have a splendid evening.
Poor old New Year’s Eve – so much pressure on it to deliver.
Similarly, there is massive pressure put on salespeople at year end (or quarter end) to achieve targets. But this can be counter-productive. Every experienced salesperson knows that the more attached you are to deals the harder they seem to win and close. Whereas the more detached and relaxed you are, deals just seem to roll in with ease. It’s as if customers really can smell your desperation and FOMO!
As my good friend Mike Ashmore says: “Selling is just two sensible people having a sensible conversation”. But if you feel under too much pressure, you probably won’t be behaving like a sensible person.