I’ll Do It Tomorrow!

Credit: Bill Gillespie

I used to work with a guy that was a serial procrastinator. It got to be our joke. I would ask about a something he owed me and he’d respond, “I’m fixin to do it.”

For those of you that aren’t southern, “fixin to” is similar to getting ready. That is unless your lady friend says “I’m getting ready.” We have no idea what that really means but I digress.

Anyway, the dude was a procrastinator. It was his lifestyle to make 30 minutes’ worth of work take days to deliver. He was always late. Procrastinating made him unreliable. It also subjected him to enormous stress. He eventually failed.

My observation? Procrastination has its roots in fear. The subject isn’t confident of his solution or project. They waste time waiting for a better idea to pop into their head. Subconsciously, they think waiting might make action unnecessary.

Before you say “balderdash” let me tie it to sales. What prevents a rep from dialing the phone? You have a name and number. Why don’t you call? What are you waiting for? What is it that makes you think tomorrow will be a better day for dialing the phone?

I’ve accidentally employed these reps. In the beginning they can be hard to spot. They ask great questions. They want to understand the company position on this business sector or that. They ask about sales metrics. “What is the company close rate? Do you monitor this? How does it change over a rep’s career?”

The people that ask these questions sound like kindred spirits. Some of them are and that’s great. But the procrastinators tell themselves they’re working when they aren’t. These guys aren’t going to make it.

The inconvenient truth is clients don’t call and say “I’ve been looking for a printer and I’ve decided it’s you.” Reps have to make the calls. Reps have to make commerce happen. Reps have to act, not wait. It’s the only reason you’re on the payroll.

I learned to spot the procrastinators. There are clues if you know where to look.

• They horde samples. Their drawers are full of packed, ready to go marketing kits.
• They make lists. They have lists of clients and lists of lists. They’re fixin to make a call.
• There is no sales activity. Quotes, presentations, tours and orders don’t happen.
• They’re critical. There is always something wrong with company processes.
• They can be contrary in meetings and challenge suggested tactics.
• They are experts on rates (prices).

Knowing how to spot them helped me avoid procrastinating with corrective action. When you see a rep hesitating be direct. Ask why. Ask, “what makes you think tomorrow will be a better day to dial the phone? What have we got to lose by making a call right now?”

Some procrastinators will confess their fear. These are the guys you can possibly help. They, at least, realize that they are in their own way. That gives you a fighting chance.

The belligerent procrastinator has to go. They only suck up time and energy. They are never going to own their outcomes and succeed in sales.

I read and hear so much about how selling has changed. I’ll concede that the tools have indeed. I’ll also assert that today’s possibilities make selling easier. I know that’s contrary to many.

But here’s one thing that hasn’t changed. An hour wasted is gone forever. A day without calls is a day without sales somewhere down the road. You can’t save time for later. You can’t make more of it. You can avoid wasting it, however.

Make the call!

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.