Maybe it’s time someone comes to you to tells you to put your hands up and step away from the computer.
Why? Simple — You’re spending too much time on the computer researching customers (at least that’s what you think you’re doing), and you’re not spending enough time actually selling.
Let’s get real. Do you really need to be spending as much time as you’re spending gathering information on prospects you’re going to call on? I have a feeling for many of you you’re doing it solely so you don’t have to actually make the call.
You’re spending all of your time doing research so you can tell your boss you’re busy. Yes, you’re busy — you’re busy wasting your time so you don’t have to do what you should be doing. What you need to be doing is picking up the phone and making the call or getting in your car and visiting the customer.
And you need to be doing it not next week and not tomorrow, but right now!
The best time to call on the customer is right now. Don’t put it off.
In the last five years I’ve found more and more salespeople who have cut down the amount of time they spend making sales calls and instead have replaced that time with increased time on the computer.
I’m not going to argue the value of doing research on prospects. What I’m saying is you need to know when enough is enough and simply make the call and get the process started.
A fear I have is we’re going to wind up with a generation of salespeople who do nothing but research customers but are clueless in actually knowing how to call on prospects.
Am I talking about you? I hope not, but if you get serious with how you use your time I bet you’ll admit you do spend more time than necessary doing research.
Get serious. Take that time and make it more productive by picking up the phone and calling the prospect.
Copyright 2011, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.
One Response
One of the first days for me in awhile where I got in my own way. Became painfully aware that I was dragging my feet too much earlier this afternoon before reading this but thought I would atleast mention that this was timely!