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Time Maximization in Sales
Segment 1:
Addressing the Time Stealers
Segment 2: Planning Your Daily Time Blocks
Segment 3: Managing Your Account Lists
Segment 4: Tools and Tips to Make Time Maximization
Permanent
Past Training Tips
Non-Verbal Communication
Negotiation Strategies That Win
Merged Selling
The Art of Renewing a Client
Time Maximization in Sales
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Time Maximization
In Sales
Getting The
Most Out of Each Moment
-By Greg Bennett
Segment 2:
Planning Your Daily Time Blocks
In the first segment of my series of
time maximization we addressed all the negative "time stealers" we
must learn to avoid, or at least control, if we're to be more
successful in getting the most from our sales career. In this
segment we're going to switch to the positive, pro-active side of
the equation by breaking down our day into what I call "Time
Blocks", basically segments of time during the day where we will
accomplish certain tasks.
Did you ever hear the old story about
the empty jar and the rocks, pebbles and sand? Who knows who
originally came up with it (I've heard every name attributed to it
from Moses to Dr. Phil...but it doesn't really matter)...the story
is about a...well, here, I'll just let you read it...
The Jar
and the Rocks, Pebbles and Sand,
- by ????
A Philosophy
professor one day sat several items on the desk in front of his
class. Wordlessly he picked up a large empty jar and proceeded to
fill it with rocks, rocks about 2" in diameter. He then asked his
students if the jar was full? They unanimously agreed that the jar
was full.
So professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into
the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled
into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked his students
again if the jar was full. Again, they unanimously agreed that the
jar was full.
Then the professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the
jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. "Now," the
professor said, "I want you to recognize that this is your life. The
rocks are the important things: your family, your partner, your
friends, your health, your children, and things that if everything
else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your
house, your car. The sand is everything else. If you put the sand
into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks.
The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy
on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are
important to you.
Extra Directors-cut Special Ending to the Story (only available
on the DVD): At this point the professor proceeded to pour
a glass of beer into the jar full of rocks, pebbles, and sand. Of
course the beer filled the remaining spaces within the jar making
the jar truly full. After finishing off the remaining beer in the
glass, the professor spoke. "No matter how full your life seems to
be, there is always room for beer. Set your priorities well cause
the rest is just rocks, pebbles and sand."
It's a cute story and it reminds us of the important things in
life...priorities, planning, beer, etc.
Let's use this story of the empty jar
and the rocks, pebbles and sand - but instead of thinking about our
life as a whole, let's just think about our life in sales.
The Jar -- Is our sales day..
The Rocks -- The important things -- prospecting, advancing
the sale, closing
The Pebbles -- Other things that matter -- servicing clients,
putting out fires, writing proposals
The Sand -- Everything else -- research, reading trade info,
collections, etc.
The Beer -- Well, it's the beer...and we always DO find time
for that, don't we?
If we fill our day with sand and
pebbles...or even worse, let others fill our jars with
their sand and pebbles...we won't have room for the rocks, the
important things we must do to survive and thrive in sales.
Creating "Time Blocks":
-
Time Blocks are basically time segments
within a day
-
Blocks can be in 5 minutes long...or
they can be in 2, 3 or 4 hours long...it depends on the type
of person you are and how much detail you require
-
If you're extremely detailed and thrive
on order and control...then make your Time Blocks into shorter
segments (5 minutes may be a bit much) -- maybe 15 minute blocks.
If you don't require a lot of detail, and you aren't a
minute-by-minute planner, then make your blocks 1 or 2 hours
long...(it doesn't really matter, in my opinion, no one planning
style is better than the rest...I've seen just as many salespeople
fail from over-planning and over-preparing as I have
from under-planning and under-preparing)
-
Once we've defined the general time
frame of our blocks, we need to begin and define them and what tasks
fall under each block-type. What are the types of tasks associated
with each in your world?
-
Important Blocks -- (The Rocks)
-
Other Blocks -- (The Pebbles)
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Minor Blocks -- (The Sand)
Using the Blocks to Run Your Day:
-
Too many salespeople walk around with
empty calendars or daytimers or Outlook calendars...writing down
only internal meetings and meetings with clients...to me that's like
walking around with an empty jar begging for others to fill it with
something (their junk).
-
Instead of leaving tons of open space,
assuming it will be filled with something (and it always is),
we need to literally "block out" our days using the time blocks
we've described above...and in following the lessons learned from
the story, we should start with our Important Blocks (usually
falling between the "prime selling times" 9a-3p)-- so on your
calendar you would have things like a Prospecting Block from 9-10
a.m. and 2-3 p.m. every day...and an Advancing Sales block (where
you're calling pipeline dwellers and asking them to take
action)...and a Client Meetings block (specific times on client
meetings are hard to forecast since we're often working around a
client's schedule) ...once these rocks are in place, we can
start to add the "other" stuff...
-
We then need to add our Other
Blocks...which means you'll be scheduling time for doing proposals,
and making return calls, and doing customer service tasks, etc.
-
Finally we can add the Minor
Blocks...you may not have to actually schedule time for these,
because there shouldn't be much room left if we've filled the day
with the more important blocks.
-
Once we've established the blocks, you
then need to transfer your daily "To-Do" list into the appropriate
blocks on a daily basis.
Treating the Blocks With Respect:
-
Just because we block out time to
prospect, doesn't mean we'll respect the time or the activity we're
supposed to be doing, or that we'll actually do the tasks within the
block. Take prospecting for instance...just because I write down
"Prospecting 9-10" doesn't mean it will magically happen...it means
I have to STOP doing something else before 9 and I have to START
picking up the phone and making calls...
-
Look at it this way...your Important
Blocks are actually appointments you've set with your career and
your success...if you blow them off, you're really blowing off your
chances for long-term success in sales
-
Treat the appointments you've made with
yourself with the same respect you afford clients...for instance,
would you read emails during an appointment with a client?
Then why do we read emails during our prospecting times?
Bottom Line:
In sales, just because you were very busy
today doesn't necessarily mean you were effective today. It's
what you were busy doing that matters!
In our next segment we'll talk about
ways to become more effective and efficient in managing your client
and prospecting lists.
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Greg
Bennett, a partner in the innovative brand expansion and
consulting organization, Altitude Premium Consulting, LLC, has been one of the top sales and sales management
trainers in professional sports and entertainment since 1988. He
has created and delivered training programs for over 80+ professional
sports teams and leagues, along with several Fortune 500
companies. Altitude Premium Consulting provides training as
well as the creation of premium-branded goods for pro sports teams,
entertainment companies and
corporate sponsors, and is in a
partnership relationship with Kroenke Sports Enterprises,
owners of the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Pepsi Center, the
Colorado Mammoth and several other sports and entertainment entities
throughout the United States. Bennett can be reached at (303)
405-6110, or you can email Greg directly at gbennett@pepsicenter.com
.
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Altitude
Premium Consulting,
LLC
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