A couple of weeks ago, I shared Habit #1. Thanks for joining me this week as we look at the second habit of highly success salespeople.
Habit #2: Time Management
For years, I bought into the story that salespeople, by nature, are disorganized. I went along with this notion until I really started studying top producers. Then I discovered something – average salespeople are disorganized, not top sales producers. Organized salespeople get more done in a day because they have systems and processes in place which improve their productivity.
- Top producers calendar block. They have a system for managing their time. If you look at their calendars, there are specific times scheduled to execute their many roles as a sales professional. There is time assigned for prospecting, account management, pre-calling planning, proposal writing and meeting with referral partners.
The disorganized salesperson shows up to the office with no plan. As a result, they are a slave to what the late Stephen Covey called the urgent and important. In sales, it’s called reactionary or firefighting.
- Top producers are good at saying “no.“ In a sales world full of shiny objects, these top producers guard their time like gold. They know it’s their most valuable asset, one that can’t be recouped. They know their worth per hour so every activity is weighed against the question, “Is this the highest and best use of my time. Is this activity worth $______ per hour?”
These top producers aren’t fighting their sales manager on putting data into their CRM tool because they know what gets measured and inspected improves. By tracking sales activity, the top sales producer knows quickly whether an activity or approach is working or not working. As a result, she can change the strategy or tactic much quicker than her disorganized competitor.
Are you busy or productive? There is a difference, and basic time management skills will make you productive.
Good Selling!
Colleen Stanley
Chief Selling Officer
