Subscribe via LinkedIn Listen to this newsletter

While sales leaders’ morning routines run the gamut, their mornings share one commonality: consistency.

This week, we’re breaking down four pillars of a successful morning routine for sales teams. Today, we’re diving into the single most-shared trait by sales leaders morning routines: consistency.

When it comes to morning routines, consistency is more important than substance

In learning how sales leaders start their mornings (which, btw, you can share your morning routine with us here), our team has found that morning routines are often as unique as the people who swear by them.

Now, that’s not to say there aren’t commonalities among sales leaders morning routines (there are, including organization, time management, positive mental framing, diet consciousness, exercise, etc.), but that is to say what works for one person may not work for another.

And that’s ok! People are different, the way they start and run their days should be too.

But despite the differences we found across sales leaders’ morning routines, there was one undeniable commonality: once a sales leader finds the routine that works for them, they stick to it—no exceptions.

But why?

Aren’t sales leaders supposed to be innovative, natural tinkerers, and willing to throw out the playbook for a promising new approach?

Yes, and no.

While sales leaders can’t help but experiment to find a better, more efficient way—and that curious nature is essential in cultivating their preferred morning routine—they’re also investors, they know a good thing when they see it and back with it everything they have to spare.

Do sales leaders really never change their morning routine?

While sales leaders strategically adapt their routines to optimize their effectiveness over time (e.g. adding natural supplements to their breakfast, or trying intermittent fasting), they don’t buy into productivity fads—constantly exchanging one routine for another, hoping someone else’s secret formula can become theirs.

Sales leaders are self-aware, they know what works for them and what doesn’t, and they’re able to synthesize the success others experience into their routines in a personal and strategic way.

When and how to you inject some consistency into your morning routine

Let’s start with when, and the honest answer is after some serious experimenting. If you haven’t seriously evaluated your existing morning routine and made strategic changes to improve it, now is not the time to cement your morning habits—because they might be costing you sales.

Our recommendation? Commit to a 60-day experiment where you systematically incorporate the pillars of an effective morning routine into your daily habit. Then document what’s working and what’s not, and have the boldness to lock-in your personal approach to starting your day on the right foot.

Now that we know when to get consistent with your morning routine, let’s pivot to how to make your morning routine more consistent. We have a few suggestions:

Write out your morning routine and post it somewhere you can see it when you first wake up
Whatever time you set your alarm for, commit—for 30 days—to wake up at that time (without hitting the snooze button) without exception
Keep a simple log of how “well” you performed your morning routine each day (this can be as detailed as a checklist of every included item, or a A, B, C rating)
Lastly, find a colleague or friend who’s willing to review your morning routine log periodically and hold you accountable to keeping it

As [Brendan Jacobson], Founder & CEO of Walbrook Capital, counseled up-and-coming sales professionals:

Do the same thing every day; routine is very important to success.