Self-Management: How YOU Doin’?

Most print salespeople work in a bubble. They are a lone wolf in the wild and back at the plant, they ... well, they’re a lone wolf there, too. In short, the majority of companies have a sales force of one and in the case of smaller print shops, the owner is the sales force. There is nothing inherently wrong with that setup, but with no one to motivate, measure against, or bounce things off of, it’s a lonely existence, especially when it comes to sales growth.

As someone who has been in this “sales force of one” position for all but two years of my career, I understand the challenge of self-motivation and managing not only my time, but also my actions. My process to ensure I am on the right track involves asking that guy in the mirror questions. A lot of questions. I ask them every day, every week, and every month. In addition, I ask one long-range question and one “Hail Mary” question:

Daily Questions

What’s the focus today? — Every day in sales is like a box of chocolates and before you can say, “Forrest Gump,” all of the variables have varied and it is time to reset. But before it all changes, there is value in looking at the day from a macro level. Step back and have a look at the tasks and appointments to come. Is this a prospecting day? Is today a good day to get organized? Understanding trends by taking it all in allows you to then ask …

Who do I need to be today? — Author Eckhart Tolle wrote that the purpose of your life is to do what you are doing right now — in this moment — to the best of your ability. Okay, so then once you understand the focus du jour, you’ll be able to put in your best effort. These two questions asked back-to-back are the perfect one-two punch, but this third question improves sales efficiency and productivity …

What are my top priorities? — Another way of asking this question is, “If I get nothing else done today, what do I want to accomplish?” Make a list of the day’s have-to’s and want-to’s and then pick no more than four to achieve first. You will never, ever catch up, but by checking off the most important action items first, you can still achieve a sense of accomplishment. One final question brings closure to one day and sets up the next …

What’s coming up tomorrow? — This question is paramount. It is the key to work-life balance. It encourages you to look down the road, think through the near future, and draft a plan. Arriving the following morning, you now have the day laid out in front of you and you can jump right in and engage.

Weekly Questions

What is the theme of the week? — Whether intentional or not, every sales week follows a pattern. Think back to last week (Monday-Friday). Was it all about new business? Did you spend most of it on the road? Was it heavy with account management? If you apply this thinking to the week ahead, you can build tasks around the theme to maximize efficiency.

What are my sales activity goals? — I am a big fan of the reasonable and achievable, especially when it comes to sales calls. The manager who says, “You need to make 100 calls a day” has never made 100 calls a day and even if she/he has, they were low quality, “Got anything I can quote on?” calls that only result in a price-based conversation. Instead, shoot for a number you can either hit or exceed regularly. There is value in achieving them. Also, make the bulk of your calls early in the week. If you head into Thursday or Friday thinking, “I’ll have time then”, you are just begging Murphy’s Law to kick in.

What is my Marketing post this week? — Ideally, your LinkedIn posts are interesting and consistent. Think of it as a balloon with slightly less helium than it needs to stay up in the air. Every week’s post pushes that balloon back up in the sky where it will slowly slide down until you post again next week.

Monthly Questions

Where am I in the selling cycle? — In a perfect world, new business is generated constantly, regardless of sales workload. In reality, however, salespeople meet the needs of the moment and justify their lack of sales replenishment with, “But I have existing accounts keeping me busy.” If you can anticipate that phase where business will slow down, you can increase new business activity and keep from slumping.

Where am I in the calendar year? — Personally, I can’t get my head around a 12-month sales plan, but if I break a year into smaller chunks, I can easily make and stick to two- to three-month goals. My selling efforts, motivation, and both business and personal priorities are all considered when considering each block of time.

Long-Range Question — An early mentor gave me this one: Where do I want to be in six months? I consider this question in terms of sales, health, and golf handicap. Six months is the end of a sales cycle, so I can engage a plan now with the goal of a specific destination, then rethink, redirect, and set off once again.

Hail Mary Question — Two of my favorite words make up this final question. Once a year I write, “What if ... ?” at the top of the page and then close my eyes and think crazy thoughts. I step away from the minutia, grab a pad of paper and a pen, find a body of water to look at, and come up with a new definition of success. Steven Covey would call this “Sharpening the saw.” This simple exercise gets me to think big, but it also teaches me to appreciate that minutia.

The existence of a sales manager is rare these days. A good sales manager is rarer still, but even if you have one you are still your own best source of management. The DIY version, done correctly, shifts from in-the-trenches sales activities to a 10,000-ft.-view. With “Can you hear me now?” consistency, your inner manager guides, challenges, and corrects.

On a daily basis, manage your activities. On a weekly basis, see the trends. On a monthly basis, stay on track. Think six months ahead. Think crazy thoughts. Keep asking yourself questions and you’ll have an instant answer when an actual manager asks, “How YOU doin’?”