Part of time management—a BIG part of time management, actually—is making the most of your selling day. Call it, “sales efficiency.” That is, are you making the most of the limited selling hours in any given selling day?
In particular, what does a good day out of the office look like? The sad irony of Sales is that the more successful you become, the less time you have to become more successful.
And yet, consider this: You are being outsold by a competing sales rep who has similar equipment and sells in the same territory. He/she has the same number of hours in the week as you do, but is kicking your ass. Daily.
Why? There are many possible answers. One is, he/she has achieved “The Perfect Sales Day.”
***Insert angel chorus here.***
Efficiency. That means wringing every possible drop of opportunity from a sales day. Simply leaving the office to make a call and returning immediately ain’t gunna cut it, Bunkie. You need to be better, stronger, faster...More efficient.
Here, then, is the agenda of The Perfect Sales Day:
Before you leave:
- Gather everything you need: samples, your portfolio, GPS.
- Make a list of the “B-level” calls you need to make that day (see below).
On the way:
- Pick up the phone and make those “B-level” calls. These might be customer check-ins, calls back to the shop to check on an order, a conversation with your boss, even personal or family calls. It’s a good use of this time.
- Do NOT make prospecting calls from the car while driving. The message this sends to the customer is, “You are not important enough for me to call you from a landline.”
After your sales call:
- Who else can you see in the area?
- Do you have any prospects you’ve been calling nearby? Call them one more time and leave one more message: “I am going to be down the road from you and would like to swing by and stick a business card in your hand. I expect to be there at...”
- Are there any current customers you can stop by and see?
- Is there any cold calling you can sneak in while in the area?
On the way back:
- Check in with the office.
- Make more “B-level” calls.
- Pop in an instructional or motivational CD.
The Perfect Sales Day is planned well in advance. If today is Thursday and you score an appointment for next Tuesday, you should begin preparing to make the best use of your time while you are out of the office. Do it well, do it enough, and do it effectively, and you will become the ass-kicker in the equation.
Time management and sales efficiency are critical to your sales success. Learn more about Bill’s Sales Challenge program at www.AspireFor.com or call Bill at (781) 934-7036.
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Bill Farquharson is a respected industry expert and highly sought after speaker known for his energetic and entertaining presentations. Bill engages his audiences with wit and wisdom earned as a 40-year print sales veteran while teaching new ideas for solving classic sales challenges. Email him at bill@salesvault.pro or call (781) 934-7036. Bill’s two books, The 25 Best Print Sales Tips Ever and Who’s Making Money at Digital/Inkjet Printing…and How? as well as information on his new subscription-based website, The Sales Vault, are available at salesvault.pro.