As a salesperson, time is your most valuable asset, and sometimes it feels like you never have enough of it. Every day you are faced with a stream of tasks: from finding new leads and following up warm prospects to making calls and handling administrative work. Before you know it, the day is over and you feel like you are far from getting everything done.
Recognisable? Effective time management in sales can make all the difference here. Discover my tips.
Why is time management in sales so important?
Everything starts with time management in sales. Poor time management is one of the main reasons why sales teams fail to meet their targets. This is because salespeople who do not manage their time effectively often lose opportunities. Due to lack of focus, potentially important deals slip through their fingers or insufficient attention is paid to customer relationships.
Effective time management in sales, on the other hand, results in higher productivity through sharper focus on revenue-generating activities. This is not about working more, but about working smarter:
- Good time management enables salespeople to organise their work efficiently, meet deadlines and always leave enough time for the most important priorities.
- This increased overview further contributes to increased self-confidence and reduced stress.
- This in turn exudes professionalism and reliability during sales calls, which only increases the chances of success.
In short, by using your precious time more efficiently, you significantly increase your chances of success.
5 time management strategies from practice
1. The 80/20 rule
One of the most effective principles in time management is the 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto principle called. This principle states that 80% of results come from 20% of efforts. In other words, only a small part of your daily activities is responsible for most of your sales success.
Therefore, identify the 20% of your tasks that are responsible for 80% of your sales results. For many salespeople, this means they will have to step out of their comfort zone by spending less time on C and D customers, and instead focus more attention on A and B customers and potential new customers. This way, you maximise your efforts and work purposefully towards greater success.
2. Create time blocks in your calendar
Another effective strategy for better time management in sales is working with time blocks. This means salespeople set aside specific time slots in their day for certain activities. In doing so, in my sales training often include the following examples:
- Plan your week ahead. At the beginning of the week, make an overview of your most important tasks and block out the time blocks in which you want to work with focus. This way, you prevent others from unexpectedly filling up your schedule.
- Limit checking your emails to three times a day, namely once in the morning, afternoon and evening. This ensures that you are not constantly distracted and can focus your attention on more important tasks.
- Schedule your cold calls on Tuesday mornings and Thursday mornings, as these are the times when conversion is most likely.
- Work on tenders in the evening, when it is quieter. This gives you space to work without distractions and concentrate optimally on working out the details.
By scheduling fixed blocks for prospecting, following up on your emails or reporting, for example, your focus improves and you are less disturbed.
3. Saying 'No' is not forbidden
Nevertheless, does a colleague come knocking on your door during a predetermined time block with a less important task? Then you can certainly dare to say 'no'. Let go of pleasing people and guard your boundaries. This not only reduces stress in the long run, but also helps you keep your focus on what is really important.
4. Avoid 'snacks' and break the multitasking myth
During my coaching sessions I often note that many salespeople think they are good at multitasking. Unfortunately, this is a fable. In reality, your brain quickly switches between different tasks, which requires a lot of energy from your grey matter. The result: your focus diminishes, you are less productive and your work will be of lower quality. To be truly productive, it is important to focus on one task at a time.
5. Dare to outsource administrative tasks
Administrative tasks can be a big hurdle for salespeople, as they take up time and distract from the main sales activities. To avoid this, it is wise to automate non-sales-related tasks or transfer them to an administrative assistant. This creates space to focus on customer appointments and prospecting calls.
There are now various sales tools available that support this process. CRM tools such as Salesforce are indispensable for managing customer interactions and often offer mobile apps for calendaring and reporting. On the other hand, AI sales tools help automate repetitive tasks, increasing efficiency, while email management tools help organise inboxes and automate campaigns.
The power of self-reflection for optimal time management in sales
One of the most valuable but often overlooked parts of time management is self-reflection. Salespeople who regularly take time to evaluate their own time management can often make significant improvements.
What works well for you now may not necessarily be so a year from now. So devote a moment on a regular basis to looking back at your activities. How did you spend your time? Which tasks produced the most results? Where did you lose time? These reviews provide insight into how to use your time more effectively. Do this at least monthly.
Would you like more tips on sales or are interested in sales training? Then do not hesitate to contact us, Reachers will be happy to help you!
