You can increase your sales performance significantly just by practicing time management.
Time is one of our only resources in short supply.
I’m going to share 10 strategies for how you can get control of your time.
1. Plan your day. “Tomorrow begins today.”
If you wake up in the morning and you haven’t planned the day out, specifically what you’re going to do, guess what? You’re going to waste.
2. Build your plan, work your plan.
You’ve taken the time to build your plan the night before, then that day you actually work it.
You own the day. Don’t let the day own you.
3. Know your numbers.
This doesn’t mean your quota.
This number is the key metric that you need to hit every day to achieve success in your job. An example could be the number of calls you need to make, the number of emails you need to send, or conversations you have to have.
Know your metrics, and that if you hit them, you will be successful.
4. Practice the 10:00 AM rule.
Take your smartphone and you set the alarm for 10:00 AM.
If I can accomplish something significant by 10:00 AM, I will have made it a great day. On the other hand, if I wait and I’m about to do something significant—make that big call, work on that important proposal—in the afternoon…chances are you won’t get to it.
You’ll wind up pushing it off to the next day.
Get it done and get it done before 10:00 AM. This way, even if the day goes poorly, you will have had a good day.
5. Block your time and honor your calendar.
You block time on your calendar for the prospecting calls, the meetings you’re going to have, but you should also block time with yourself,
Read this to learn more about time blocking.
6. Schedule meetings with yourself.
That’s the white space in your calendar. It’s very important that you schedule meetings with yourself so that you have time during the day to update your CRM system, respond to emails, etc.
7. Reward yourself.
Take credit when you accomplish a significant task or activity by turning off work and pursuing something else.
I do this all the time. If I’ve accomplished something significant, I’m going to take 10 minutes and just stop. I’m going to go check ESPN.com or I’m going to go do something I want to do to reward myself.
It helps me feel a sense of accomplishment and it gets me back in a groove when it’s time to work again.
8. Celebrate the activities and assess your actions at the end of each day.
I want you to stop and celebrate your day. I want you to congratulate yourself on the most significant thing you did all day. You may have had a terrible day, but maybe you had one phone call go well. Congratulate yourself.
Then you say, what is it I need to do differently? What is it that I need to change? This is going to help you with Number 1, so you can plan what you’ll do differently tomorrow.
9. Stay focused on your objectives.
Before each action you do, ask yourself, is it going to move me closer to achieving my goals?
The key is not to be busy. The key is to be productive. I’m productive when I’m moving myself closer to achieving my goals.
10. Be obsessed with your routine.
Be obsessed with boredom.
The most successful, highly productive salespeople I know are extremely routine-oriented, and they do it with vigor every day. Their success is because they do it every day.
It’s like going to the gym. You can’t think you’ll get physically fit by only going once every couple of weeks. You’ve got to go regularly.
Routine and Discipline Over Goals
Mark shares the true path to achieving your numbers—and it’s not through your goals!
Find Ep. 191 on The Sales Hunter Podcast now.
Expert Insights for Peak Sales Performance
w/ Jon Alwinson
+Strategies for salespeople and sales managers to excel and lead in the competitive world of sales.
Episode drops WEDNESDAY, 4/3/2024!!
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Copyright 2024, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
