Each of us gets 24 hours to do with what we will. Some people wish they had more while others wish time would pass a lot quicker. Some salespeople act like they have an unlimited time bank available to them and that their prospects or clients will see them whenever the salesperson would like. Other more successful sales pros understand the importance of using every available selling minute to its best advantage.
Before you can improve your use of time to sell you need to get a handle on where you are spending your time and how you are abusing it. Most of us tend to waste the time we do in the same old ways, day after day, year after year. A good friend of mine and fellow speaker shared what I believe is an excellent way to get a handle on both of these questions.
For one week carry a stop watch and start it when in the presence of a prospect or customer TO SELL and stop it when you leave. After the sales visit don’t reset the clock but keep a running accumulative total of time spent selling in one week.
I will bet that if you will do this faithfully for just 5 days you will discover you are spending less time selling than you think. Next, keep a running log for 5 days in 15 minute blocks, of how non sales time was spent. At the end of the day total your time in the following categories:
1-Paperwork.
2-After sales service.
3-Other administrative duties.
4-Market or client research.
5-Prospecting for new business.
6-Meals alone or with clients.
7-Travel time.
8-Time with co-workers.
9-Time spent in meetings, formal or informal spur of the moment.
10-Planning.
11-Thinking.
12-Other.
Between these two exercises you will get a fairly accurate picture of where you need time management and/or territory improvement. Yon can’t change or fix what you don’t know is wrong. So before you launch into some sophisticated time management program remember, you can not manage time. It passes with or without you.
What you do manage are: activities, decisions, people, resources, success, problems, failure, materials, and actions. What these two exercises are designed to do is help you determine where you are out of balance or focus.
Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally renowned sales, relationship, management and leadership speaker, trainer and best selling author. Since 1981 he has given over 3500 presentations in 21 countries on a variety of sales, management and relationship topics. He is the best selling author of over 60 books including; He can be reached at tim@timconnor.com, 704-895-1230 or visit his website at http://www.timconnor.com
