10 Secrets of Time Management For Salespeople Summary

Why Sales People Need Time Management

Today’s rapid pace saddles any outside or field salesperson with more on-the-job pressure. Customers are more demanding. Voice mail requires more telephone time. You can’t just drop in on customers; you normally need to make an appointment first, requiring still more phone time. You probably have to collect more customer information than ever before for your company’s database. And if you work with a team, as more and more outside salespeople do, that’s another drain on your time.
Thus, to be more effective in sorting through all these demands and choosing activities that will make the most sales and money, you need to manage your time well. Time management will focus you on doing the most important tasks and will help you reduce or eliminate activities that drain your energy. The results: you feel more energized. You have a psychic boost. You get more done more quickly. You have better results.

Research supports these claims. A recent National Society of Sales Training Executives study found that the best superstar salesmen are “obsessed with time management,” because it helped them achieve more and bigger sales.

If you are like the typical field salesperson, you probably like action and being out of the office. But don’t let this emphasis on action block your success. You additionally need to be disciplined, so you think about where you are going and why. This enables you to develop systems and routines to guide you. At the same time, be flexible and adaptable, skills you need to be responsive to your often unpredictable customers. If you encounter a crisis, deal with it. Think about your job when you are away from your customer. Spend the effort to plan and set up systems to use your time more effectively. Determine what works and then do it. The following 10 secrets of time management will help you make the best use of your time:

1. Get grounded, be committed to some deeply held beliefs that give you purpose and direction.
   
2. Think about your actions before you act.
   
3. Think “right”, which means think effectively about the right things.
4. Prioritize your customers and your prospects, so you spend the most time with those who are most productive.
5. Stay in control, which means staying “on top of the flow,” so when changes and uncertainties occur you can best deal with them.
   
6. Get rid of the “gunk.” Stop doing unnecessary tasks.
   
7. Set up systems, so you have a step-by-step way of doing things.
   
8. When you have an effective sales process, stick to it.
   
9. Develop and sustain relationships that help you.
   
10. Find balance in your life.

How to Get Grounded

Getting grounded means being securely anchored by some truths you deeply believe that help guide you on the job every day. The three elements that keep you grounded are:

1. You have a mindset that inspires you to do more, have more and become more than you are here and now. You believe more opportunities exist and you go for them.
   
2. You have a time management strategy to guide your efforts, based on being both efficient and effective. Being effective means doing the right things, so you achieve the best results. Being efficient is doing whatever you do in the least amount of time.
   
3. You have core values that give you a sense of purpose and direction. Your values might include believing in learning, humility, quality, knowledge, integrity and open-mindedness, while seeking a better-than-average profit. To determine your values, create a list of values and choose those that are most important to you. To embrace and hold those values, write a statement committing yourself to them.

Think Before You Leap

Make a habit of thinking before you act. Spend 20% of your time thinking and 80% of your time acting on what you have pondered. Your goal is disciplined action, such as following a planning cycle that combines events and processes. A typical cycle includes:

• A yearly planning retreat, lasting about one to three days.
  
• Four quarterly planning sessions, lasting about half a day to a full day.
  
• A planning session each month, lasting about half a day.
  
• A weekly plan to guide your activities for that week.
  
• Preparation each day for what you will be doing.
  
• Preparation before you make a call (pre-call preparation)
  
• Reflection after you make a call (post-call reflection).

Use planning retreats to set sales goals for your territory, carefully analyze your customers and prospects, and establish your own goals and strategic plans for your most important accounts. Use quarterly planning sessions to review and tune up these decisions and plans. Each month, create a master plan as your “basic operational document.” Make it concrete, one to three pages long, and include monthly goals, goals for key accounts, a learning plan and a weekly territory plan. Plan each week during the preceding week, and take 30 minutes at the end of each day to plan the next. Before a sales call, prepare by setting goals for the meeting. Afterward, reflect on the session, consider what went well and what didn’t.

Think About the Right Stuff

Learn to think about the right things the right way. Master these crucial thinking processes:

• Analyze — Break your job down into its component parts. Start with major tasks, such as dealing with customers, working with prospects, interacting with other employees, writing reports, planning and learning about your products or services. Break these tasks down with concrete criteria. For instance, analyze customers by type, or break down tomorrow’s tasks according to different business areas.

• Prioritize — Focus on your best customers and prospects, so you invest your time and energy for the maximum return.

• Plan — After you analyze and prioritize almost everything you do, create a plan for next week by listing all your possible activities. Then, set priorities for what to do first. Begin this planning process by assessing the situation. Clearly define your goals and objectives. Establish an action plan with implementation steps. Gather the necessary resources or tools such as company literature.

• Image — Visualize the particular situations you expect to engage in, such as making a sales call. Mentally rehearse like an actor, so you can perform well.

• Reflect — Contemplate about something you have already done. Consider what went well and what didn’t and why. Notice problem areas and improve upon them.

Prioritize Your Prospects and Customers

Identify your highest potential customers and prospects, and devote 50% of your time to them, and the remainder to others. To measure potential, examine the ratio of the likelihood of a possible payout versus time invested. Measure potential by two factors:

• Quantified Purchasing Capability (QPC) — This is an objective measure of how much customers could buy from you if they bought everything they could, usually calculated on an annual basis.

• Partnerability — Make a subjective analysis of how likely it is that a prospect or customer will become a partner, perhaps based on the chemistry between you.
  

To do this analysis, get out your calculator and work with the numbers. Derive a rating for both the QPC and partnerability. Use these ratings to divide accounts into A (high- potential), B and C categories, so you can devote half your time to A accounts.

Stay in Control and Get Rid of the Gunk

Unexpected and unpredictable events come with the sales territory. To “stay on top of the flow” and in control, take these steps:

• Continually reassess your priorities and, as needed, reprioritize what you are doing.
  
• Follow the money. When overwhelmed, do the tasks quickly that make the most.
  
• Be prepared to use your downtime. For instance, take work to do while you wait.
  
• Don’t react immediately to events. Choose when to react and how.
• When an opportunity arises, such as an unexpected caller, qualify the value of that opportunity and prioritize it along with everything else.
  
• Say “no” as needed.

Get rid of the “gunk,” the unnecessary work that can clog up your day. For instance, rather than taking time to pick up sales literature at the office, keep some in your car or home. Don’t just drop in on prospects hoping someone can see you. Call ahead. Instead of making small talk with colleagues, spend that time with customers. Delegate whenever possible.

Set Up Systems and Effective Processes

Set up good, reliable systems to spend less time doing a job and to maximize its value. Create effective processes, such as procedures for making appointments and tracking accounts. Establish an account profile form on your computer to enter customer and prospect information. Use tickler files to remind you of necessary tasks.

Apply this systematic approach to setting up and following an effective sales process. For instance, use a laptop with contact manager software to gather and maintain data about customers and prospects. Target your attention. Focus on building relationships, which are at the heart of successful selling. Understand your customers well enough to match your product to each customer. When a customer buys, follow-up to make sure the customer is satisfied, and leverage that satisfaction to offer more opportunities to buy from you.

Nurture Good Relationships and the Good Life

Seek relationships with people who will help you find qualified prospects, such as customers who may be willing to refer you to their colleagues. Get some help making calls for appointments, checking prices or mailing information to leads and customers. Maybe you can even entice your spouse or teenagers to lend a hand.

Finally, try to keep your life in balance, so you work as effectively as possible. Learn to accept personal responsibility, be willing to take risks when they offer a good chance for a favorable return and maintain an attitude of openness.