How to Win the Day Before 9 AM

Supercharge your morning; supercharge your day!

The first 60 minutes in the morning are powerful, and I’m not talking about the first 60 minutes once you arrive at the office, but right when you wake up.

Here’s what I’ve found: High achievers have a very set routine. The more we can have a plan from the moment we get out of bed, it’s amazing how much more efficient we are and how much better we make the day. 

I realize everybody has different lives; kids, families, parents and pets. But I want to walk you through ten things that I have found high performers do, and so do I.

1. Exercise 

But Mark! Exercising alone takes me 60-90 minutes. Okay, that’s fine. So this routine might represent the first 90 minutes, or two hours a day, but block time to exercise. 

I do this every morning and it’s amazing at how it gets my body moving, my mind going. If you don’t use it, you’re going to lose it. So as you get older, exercise becomes even more important. 

2. Send a thank you note to somebody

This may be an email, a social media message, or a handwritten note. It may be a phone call, but if you take the time to thank somebody else, it begins to put your mind into a mentality of gratitude and appreciation. 

It changes how you listen, how you hear and your outlook on the day. 

3. Quiet yourself in a time of solitude

Now, this might be meditation of one form or another. For me, it’s reading my Bible, but I’m focused on my purpose. It allows me to be thankful for all I have and the gift of another day. 

This is really important because I don’t look at things as I have to do them. I look at things as I get to. By spending time in quiet solitude, I can reflect on that. 

4. Read

I love long-form reading; I’m always reading a book. I’m going to take ten minutes or so and just read a little bit more in that longer book. It just keeps me in the drill of reading because reading is a muscle, and the more we do it, the better off we become. 

It’s easy for us to get caught up in just reading blog posts and quick things we see on the internet, but reading a book involves more critical thinking.

BONUS: 📖 Recommended Sales Reads

• A Mind for Sales by Mark Hunter
• Sell with a Story by Paul Smith
• The Qualified Sales Leader by John McMahon
• Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount

5. Review your annual goals

You have to review your annual goals every day because if you don’t, you’re not going to be focused on them.

 I don’t check goals to stress out. Look at these moments as opportunities. I might check and be behind on my annual goals, so I’m thinking, what is it that I need to do today to help move me closer? 

6. Review your day’s objectives

Ensure that they align with your goals. 

In other words, what are the things that I’m going to get done today, and do they align with my goals? I want to make sure that how I spend my day is going to be productive. If it’s not productive towards helping me achieve my goals, guess what? I’m helping somebody else achieve their goals. 

I challenge you to try this 5-part self-assessment of your Time, Mindset, Network, Accountability, and Sales Process. ↓↓↓

7. Review the amount of time you’ll commit to prospecting and selling

Oh, wow, salespeople, listen up on this one. 

It’s so easy for us to get caught up in all the activities that take us away from prospecting and selling. This is why I say CFT (customer facing time) is so important. I have to make sure that I always have time every day to be focused on prospecting and selling, because it’s a muscle, too. 

This is how you keep your pipeline full. 

8. Ensure your day’s meetings are set with clear outcomes

Look at your calendar. Is there a clear outcome? You don’t go to a meeting unless there’s a clear outcome. 

And if there isn’t a clear outcome that you already got to ask yourself, why am I having a meeting? Your time is your most valuable resource. 

Determine your outcome. What is it that I’m going to (or my prospect will) learn? What is the takeaway, whatever it might be. 

9. Demonstrate love and appreciation for your family and those close to you

Every morning I get to tell my wife I love her and I’m thankful for that. I text my kids, they’re both married and they’re gone. They have their own families, but I just express appreciation. There are other people who are close to me, people who I work with, and I express that level of gratitude. 

This is similar to number two—send a thank you note—it reframes how you look at things. 

10. Expect the best

Be the optimist. Be thankful for each conversation you’ll get to have. 

You can be the negative Nelly, but it’s not going to get you anything. When you are the optimist and you’ve gone through the other nine things that I’ve mentioned here, I guarantee it’s going to change your outlook, and you’re going to listen to your customers better, hear more opportunities, and they are going to be far more enthused to work with you.

Are You Making These Sales Mistakes? Join Mark Hunter, Meridith Elliott Powell, and Mike Weinberg for a no-fluff webinar calling out the biggest sales slip-ups—and how to fix them.

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Great selling!

MH