What Can You Do in 10 Minutes?
Are there enough hours in the day for you? Do you always get to everything on your to-do list? Do you feel like at the end of your work day you can shut down and leave your office, go home and enjoy your family, or carve out some time to do things in your off hours that make you happy?
Most of you, I am willing to bet, will say no. I myself often feel like I have “no idea where my day got to.” I know that we live in a challenging world in which there are many demands on our time and attention, but I am going to challenge you here. I am going to argue that we can all find 10 minutes. If I offered to pay you $100, I BET you could find 10 minutes in every day that you could set aside. (I’m NOT really offering, just sayin’...)
But what for? What can you do with just 10 minutes? Well, here are five things you can do in 10 minutes that will help you drive your sales, increase your momentum, and make you feel better about what you accomplish in a day. Neat, huh?
MAKE A SALES CALL.—In just 10 minutes, you can actually make five calls, if you get voicemail each time. BUT, if you get a prospect on the phone, you can easily have a conversation that ends with you getting an appointment...if you are ready with what you are going to say and demonstrate that you are creative, insightful and have something of value to bring to the table besides price.
WRITE A THANK YOU NOTE.—Whether it’s to a customer who just placed an order, to a colleague, or to a vendor who really came through for you, it is ALWAYS a great idea to write a note, put a stamp on it, and mail it. People get so little enjoyable mail anymore, imagine how they’ll feel to open the mail and get a non-bill that tells them how great they are?
GIVE A COMPLIMENT.—Ppush away from your desk, walk to the front of the office and tell the receptionist how much you appreciate her. Or, tell the desktop guy what a great job he’s doing. Or, tell the pressman how much you appreciate how he’s always willing to work overtime to get your clients’ work out on time.
READ (or write) A BLOG.—There are so many good ones out there. You’re already reading the best one, so congrats, but check out “Gutenblog,” Paul Castain’s “Sales Playbook,” or Bill Farquharson’s “Sales Challenge.” All are worth 10 minutes of your time.
PARTICIPATE IN LINKEDIN.—Jump on to your LinkedIn page, see who else you might connect with, read what’s going on in some of your favorite groups, or post a question somewhere. There are a lot of valuable connections to be made here. I now have over 500 connections, so if nothing else, connect with me! I have found many clients, old friends and past colleagues there. DO IT!
I know we all like to gripe that we don’t have enough time. It’s why we’re out of shape, out of touch, and our sales are not where we want them to be. I’m calling BULL%^&*.
Make the time. All it takes is 10 minutes.
- Categories:
- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
Blogger, author, consultant, coach and all around evangelist for the graphic arts industry, Kelly sold digital printing for 15 years so she understands the challenges, frustrations and pitfalls of building a successful sales practice. Her mission is to help printers of all sizes sell more stuff. Kelly's areas of focus include sales and marketing coaching, enabling clients to find engagement strategies that work for them and mentoring the next generation of sales superstars.
Kelly graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science and, among other notable accomplishments, co-founded the Windy City Rollers, a professional women's roller derby league. She is also the mother of two sets of twins under the age of ten, so she fears nothing.
