Don’t Drown in the Vast Ocean of To-Do’s

“Nobody is too busy.

It is a matter of priority.”

by Poem Thakur

What is your first thought when you hear ‘Prioritize’ and ‘Sales’?

Is it opportunity prioritization? – Optimizing the resource investment around the richest and most likely sales opportunities.

Is it time management? – Structuring your day around the best times for various activities like prospecting, cold calling, or filling the expense report.

Is it the sequence of tactics? – “How do you eat an elephant? The answer is “a bite at a time.” In the small business world, elephants are everywhere.” (Ben Mosey)

Is it the selection of metrics? – “Sales leaders are growth engines. Time spent analyzing means time away from relationship-building and selling. That’s why you need to prioritize sales metrics...” (George Dearing)

Is it customer prioritization? – Do you call your prospects, …or do you attend the weekly sales meeting, file your forecast, attend the product development meeting, and join the farewell luncheon?

For me, it is always about all of the above topics and many more. It starts with the long list of the things that need to get done, making sure that everything unnecessary stays off the list. What remains is still way more than there is time in a day.

Here are seven simple tips, initially based on a list from Janice Mars, to help you optimize your selling time based on your specific success criteria:

1.     Start your day with a plan. Have a list of your high-value and time-bound sales activities to focus on for the day.

2.     Schedule time slots for specific activities. E.g., know for your market the best time to reach clients, and then do not waste this valuable slot on any other activity. 

3.     Read and answer the most important emails first, rather than in order from the top down. “Most important” means anything tied to customers, revenues, and high-priority timelines.

4.     Always choose to spend time with customers or prospects over any of the million other different directions you may be pulled.

5.     Ask your manager for some relief when you need it. He or she should understand that focusing on revenue-generating activities that will help you make or exceed quota is more important than attending a routine meeting or webinar.

6.     Know when to say No. When you are aware of your high-value and time-bound activities, only agree to others when you can complete those first.

7.     Delegate certain activities to management or other members of your sales team where it makes sense. Sometimes it takes a village to work complex deals, so getting them involved early on can help you optimize your time and yield better results in the long run.

Find out how an interim sales leader approaches the subject.

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Greg Richards – Sales Planning: Prioritization Matter for Sales Reps

Ben Mosey – 8 steps to prioritize your marketing and sales efforts

George Dearing – Which of These 7 Sales Metrics Should You Prioritize?

Janice Mars – How to Prioritize Your Sales Activities Like a Top Performer

 Photo by Anne Gosewehr