Tips To Help Every Salesperson Stay Organized ( And Spend More Time Selling )
Salespeople have been spending more of their time on administrative tasks than they have actually selling.
In addition to what you should be doing, sales time management often comes down to what you shouldn’t be doing.
In order to double your selling time you need to place as much of a focus on eliminating the tasks you shouldn’t be doing as the ones you should. The primary reason for this is the countless number of activities that simply waste your time each day without contributing to helping achieve sales targets.
The timeless phrase “time is money” has never been more accurate for. Prioritizing your workday can often result in the difference between closing a deal and being shut out. When your time is used in a strategic approach, you’re more likely to record your biggest week or break out of a slump.
While there’s many upsides to this specific topic, organization is commonly one of the most challenging things for field sales reps to completely comprehend and implement. With the number of things that need to be done on a day to day basis, field salespeople have numerous things competing for their attention.
Time management in sales comes down to how you’ll prioritize and maximize your time each day. Instead of working more hours, which takes you away from your personal life, a few easy-to-use organizational tips can drastically improve your efficiency.
REDUCE ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS
Administrative tasks are the number one thing preventing sales from spending more time in the field, where they should be. Look for the admin work that can be automated through one tool or another. The minutes, and even seconds, you can save will begin to add up quickly, even if you don’t realize it initially.
Aside from just saving time, you will feel less flustered by the number of things weighing on them on a daily basis. This will allow sales reps to divert more of their energy and attention away from mundane tasks, and focus on things like running demos or answering questions that show buying potential.
AVOID THE URGE TO MULTITASK
The perception that those who are blessed with the ability to multitask are more productive workers could not be farther from the truth. Multitasking is a productivity facade. Yes, you’re checking off more boxes and hustling down your to-do list, but you’re not putting forth your best work. Liken this to quantity versus quality.
A study reported in the Journal of Experimental Psychology shows that you lose up to 40% of your productivity when trying to do more than one thing at the same time.
The reason is because your mind operates far better when it can focus on one thing at a time. Each type of task requires you to think in a unique way, so by switching from one to-do to another, you’re confusing your brain. So instead of pulling the rug out from under your current task, stay the course and avoid switching to something new. Let your mind get comfy and settle on one thing at a time.
80/20 RULE
The 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle) is nothing new to the majority of salespeople. The rule follows the principle that 20% of your time produces 80% of your results. The goal is to focus your time, effort and energy on the tasks that will result in a maximum return on your investment. Reduce the hours you put into the tasks that are likely to have minimal impact on achieving your sales targets.
For field sales reps, the best way to think of and apply the 80/20 rule is to recognize that 80% of your sales will come from 20% of your customers. Sales rep organization comes down to knowing where to focus your attention. This places an increased emphasis on qualifying prospects sooner rather than later.
Qualification is exceptionally important as it pertains to the 80/20 rule because you’ll undoubtedly have names in your pipeline that will never convert, while others will become high-value, long-term customers, but you have to know how to spot them. Keep this in mind: if you’re speaking to an unqualified prospect, you’re not actually selling.