10 Things Salespeople Should NOT Do at this Year’s Holiday Party
The holidays are upon us and your company is probably going to use some of the money they could have used to give you a nice bonus to throw a company holiday party instead. But just because you’re overworked and looking to blow off some steam doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to do it at this year’s holiday party, where your boss’s judgmental wife will be watching your every move like a hawk perched on a skyscraper.
If you’d like to keep your job, reputation, and dignity, don’t do any of the following at the holiday party this year. And if you want to close more deals and make more money, try an AI-Powered Sales Automation CRM, like Spiro.
1. Get too drunk
The company holiday party isn’t the place to show everyone how you can funnel an entire pint of vodka. Don’t drink too much and humiliate yourself in front of your supervisor and coworkers.
Instead, encourage your biggest competitor at work to drink more so he’ll be the one that humiliates himself.
2. Not get drunk enough
On the other hand, don’t be such a stick in the mud that you can’t get a little tipsy. Of course, not everyone drinks and that’s ok too. But there’s nothing wrong with knocking back a few with the people you spend most of your days with, if only to help you forget that you have to spend most of your days with them.
3. Quit your job in a fit of rage
There’s a time and a place to let your anger get the best of you and curse out everyone you work with before triumphantly driving away and leaving your sales job forever, but the holiday party isn’t it. People are there to have a good time, not to watch you implode and burn bridges.
4. Bring an inappropriate gift
Always be mindful when deciding what to bring to the secret santa gift swap. A good rule of thumb is if you have any questions or concerns about the gift, it’s probably a bad idea. Stick to traditional presents and stay away from anything that requires a photo ID to purchase, especially if it’s from a store with blacked-out windows.
5. Prank call your most difficult client
Everyone likes to have fun at the holiday party but make sure that fun doesn’t come at the expense of your professional reputation. Calling a prospect or client who’s been giving you a hard time and asking if his or her fridge is running might sound like a good idea in the moment, but you’ll regret it on Monday morning.
6. Tell your boss what you really think
No matter how tempting it is to tell your boss that his sales strategy is the dumbest thing that any human being has ever come up with, don’t do it.
The holiday party isn’t the place to air out your grievances and complaints. Save it for your next review, or an anonymous letter to the company’s CEO.
7. Assault someone
While it would be nice to be able to say that this never happens, it absolutely does. Salespeople are competitive and tempers can flare when an open bar and showing off in front of people’s spouses converge.
Avoid physical altercations with coworkers at the holiday party and focus on making passive-aggressive insults instead.
8. Grope your coworker’s date
There is absolutely no possible justification for groping your coworkers date during the company holiday party. Stick to the company’s harassment policy even if it’s outside of the actual office and keep your hands to yourself.
The only people in sales who are allowed to grope someone are the customers.
9. Grope your coworker
Again, don’t think it’s ok to touch your coworkers simply because you’re in a different setting. There have been plenty of people over the years who have gotten fired as a result of their behavior at the company holiday party. Don’t be one of them.
If you’re going to get fired, make sure it’s for a better reason, like stealing leads.
10. Check your email
You’re probably like most other salespeople in that you obsessively check your phone for missed calls and hit refresh on your email browser no fewer than 1200 times a day, but the holiday party is a time to unplug and forget about work for awhile. Relax, enjoy the event, and hold off on doing any work until you come back to work the following week with an inbox full of fires to put out.
