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Dear Quota Team, 
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I’m an inside rep in my fifth year in sales and really struggling lately. Basically, I’m in a three month slump, which feels like it’s turning into a long-term depression. I haven’t even hit my quota for the last two months. My sales manager was understanding but she’s starting to get on me lately, and if I don’t hit my goal this month, she’ll probably put me on a PIP. 
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What makes this even worse is the fact that it feels like everyone out there is making a killing while I’m at the lowest point in my career. I like my employer, and they’ve been pretty good to me, but I know they can’t keep me on if I can't turn it around. 
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Any advice for getting out of a slump? For what it’s worth, this all started right around the time I bought my first house at the end of last year. I was busy with moving in and everything, so work suffered and it hasn’t gotten back on track. Looking forward to your response. 
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Nervous in Colorado 
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Dear Nervous, 
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Normally, our advice would be to change things up. To take a different route to work. To remix your schedule a bit, and to try to look at what you’re doing through fresh eyes; anything to disrupt your routine and reboot your process. 
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In this case, however, you should try doing the opposite. You trace this slump back to when you were buying your house, when you had to deal with signing paperwork, coordinating moving out of your old home and into the new one, which is like a second full-time job. Basically, everything got thrown out of whack, and now you can’t find your normalcy again. 
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It’s time to get back to the basics. Your goal isn’t to smash your quota in the next few days – that’s your ultimate goal, but not your immediate one. No, your immediate goal is to make some small wins. These will come in the form of closing one deal, no matter how small. What you’re lacking right now is a rhythm, confidence, and momentum, and it’s time to get that back.
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You know what you need to do, you just have to put some blinders on and turn off your brain. Sit down and make some calls. Focus on each individual conversation, and stop thinking about your manager or your PIP. The only way out is through, and you need to be laser focused on your activity. Get back to the basics, and you’ll get results – it’s a guarantee.