Zoom Fatigue: Is it Real, or is it You?
There’s no such thing as Zoom fatigue. When I wrote that on LinkedIn and Twitter, I received varied responses. Some people flat out disagreed with me, while others understood the point I was trying to make.
I'm not trying to argue the science, especially when my friend Todd Caponi did a deep dive on the research to find the actual neurological responses to video calls. My point is Zoom fatigue is the excuse du jour for sales reps who can't seem to be getting the job done right now. As if you needed another one…
“Jeff, my prospects won't meet with me because they have Zoom fatigue.”
Let's not pretend that after a day’s worth of video calls, you don't binge Netflix for three hours after dinner. Let’s also not mention the fact that attendance on webinars is still growing, and the networking happy hours in micro communities are still thriving after work.
My son complained for the first half of the year about virtual school. Then, right around the holidays, this 10-year-old decided to take matters into his own hands and start a Zoom room for his friends after school. They do homework together and then they hang out. The carrying on from inside his bedroom is audible throughout the entire house, and we have to peel him away from his laptop in order to get him to come to dinner. I swear if it weren't for us making him, he would go without eating on weekends altogether.
If something interests and engages you, you'll tune in.
I don't want to hear that your prospects have Zoom fatigue and won’t take a meeting with you. I'm going to go all the way back to something Jeffrey Gitomer taught me years ago. “If they are not interested, it's because you're not interesting.” That’s tough love, but it’s the truth.
Tighten up! Your game has gotten weak and your skills have gotten soft. Get back to your fundamentals, come up with a compelling reason why someone should meet with you instead of focusing on why you need to meet with them, and start booking meetings.
“Jeff, I’m struggling because I have Zoom fatigue”
Early in the pandemic, it was suggested that since so many of us were working from home, we'd have a lot more time on our hands. For just about everybody I've talked to in the year since, it's been quite the opposite. Instead of freeing up time that we would have spent commuting, sellers have tried to maximize their time and cram way more work into their days. I routinely spend four to six hours per day on Zoom. That doesn’t account for the amount of work that is created by those meetings, as well as the time and space that is necessary for me to create the amount of content I do on a weekly basis.
I know what fatigue looks like. I also understand that I have a job to do. So do you.
Selling in this environment is certainly more challenging than in otherwise normal times. I'm not beating around the bush. You have to adjust.
You have to be better at setting boundaries. You have to be better about setting agendas. You have to be better at planning your days and weeks. You need to be more disciplined during the time you dedicate to work so that you can afford to put work down when the time comes.
Zoom Fatigue By Another Name
Let's call Zoom fatigue by its other more commonly known name: burnout. How have you handled this in the past? What has worked for you? What hasn't?
I know it seems silly to suggest that you take a break or even a vacation at a time when getting on a plane seems far-fetched, but you need to set your work down at some point and get away from it.
Maybe instead of flying somewhere exotic, you rent a house just a couple of hours drive away. Instead of going to nice restaurants, you cook for yourself and your family in someone else's kitchen. Maybe instead of taking a vacation, you can send your tech on one.
Whether you're complaining about Zoom fatigue or not, it's up to you to provide the solution. Sit with it for a few minutes. Identify the root cause of the issue. Be pragmatic about the solution and develop a plan that you can execute.
When you boil most things down, there's almost always something that can be done. Go to find those solutions. Those that have courage to act on them typically win the day.
Take your temperature. How worn out are you right now? More importantly, what are you going to do about it? Join our conversation in the Rethink The Way You Sell Community.
Jeff Bajorek
Real. Authentic. Experience.
There’s a big difference between knowing how to sell and being able to. Jeff Bajorek spent over a decade in the field as a top performer. He’s been in your shoes. He knows what it will take. He can help you succeed.
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