It is mid January where many of us run to warmer climates, drink cocktails and take a breather for awhile. Have you had a break lately? Even home-based professionals need a breather. The key to a really relaxing and stress-free break is planning ahead.
1). Notify business partners and team members. Start by making an announcement via e-mail and make sure you change your e-mail account to “auto-reply”. That way, even your customers and team members who don’t regularly check messages will understand that you simply aren’t avoiding them.
2). Notify your customers. Do you have customers that you communicate with on a regular basis? Let them know via e-mail that you are headed on vacation. Use an e-mail auto-responder and call some of your best customers personally to let them know you will be gone. This shows them that they are important to you and it conveys to them that you have a “real job” that requires a vacation.
3). Ask your “back-ups” for assistance. Do you have a team member that is showing leadership skills? Use your vacation as an opportunity to train them how to handle a team. Give them the opportunity to answer questions and motivate your team members. It will leave them feeling more confident, and you will have less work when you return.
4.) Relax…You aren’t that important. As the leader of a large direct sales team one of the hardest lessons for me to learn was that I was not indispensable. “What will they do without me?” “Everything will fall apart”. After taking three lengthy vacations in my direct sales career, it didn’t take long for me to recognize that my team did not revolve around me. My team’s sales were consistent despite my absence. They were clearly independent. While it was a bit of a lesson in humility, it helped me relax and enjoy my next break a bit more.
What do you do to prepare for a break? Share your ideas in our comments section and check out our related articles….
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