from SalesDog:
Stop the Busywork and Sell
by Paul McCord
Studies indicate that the average salesperson only spends two hours a day on average doing the things that generate money for them––prospecting, making sales, and handling serious client issues. The remainder of their time is spent doing busywork, work that needs to be done but that doesn't generate income.
On the other hand, top producers work three weeks out of the month. Their time is spent doing those things that make money, not those things that "need" to be done.
What would happen to your sales if you refused to do the busywork for two full weeks? First, your business wouldn't fall apart. As a matter of fact, probably no one other than you would even notice you weren't doing those things. Secondly, if you stopped doing the busywork and devoted that time to finding and selling prospects, your business would take off.
How can you possibly just stop with the busywork?
1. Get organized. Most busywork is done because the salesperson isn't organized. It is as if they wake up every day in a new world and have to start all over getting themselves organized for the day. Instead, take a day, get yourself organized, and then take the last 30 minutes of each day to make sure you are organized for the next morning.
2. Don't answer the phone. The phone is deadly. It wastes more time than almost anything else. Don't answer it. Instead, each morning put a message on both your office and cell phone voice mail that tells your clients, prospects, friends, and everyone else the two times during the day you will return calls, say between 10:30 and 11:30 and again between 4:30 and 6:00. Now, you're free. Get busy finding new prospects. Then, return calls during your designated periods.
3. Don't do other people's work. Client needs to know a shipping date? Don't get it––that's shipping's job. Client has an issue? Get customer service involved. Don't assume the responsibility of others––all you do is kill your prospecting and selling time. Of course, if it is a true emergency, get it done. Other than that, hand it off to someone whose time isn't as valuable.
4. Don't hang with the gang. No discussions, no playing around, no gripe sessions, just work. Let the others languish if they will, you have work to do.
5. Prospect and sell. Take all that extra time you've just freed up and make good use of it. Prospect, prospect, prospect. Spend all of your time prospecting and turning those prospects into customers.
It's only two weeks. The world won't fall apart in just two weeks. But you just might see your pipeline and your paycheck swell as a result.
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