Time - one of the few things in our world we can not make more of - therefore how do you make the most of it?
Here are some of the common themes I've been hearing lately from business owners regarding time management:
- How do I know how much time my people should devote to prospecting and selling each day and ensure that I block it in my calendar consistently?
- How do I know what my people should be doing to be most effective during their prospecting and selling time each day?
- What are some ways to reach more prospects in a shorter amount of time each day?
- What are some ways to shorten the sales cycle and get to the yesses and noes faster?
It’s easy for your people to get caught up and confused about the goals and expectations for their time spent prospecting and selling. Without clear behavior goals (e.g., number of dials during an hour for cold calling, number of people to talk to at a networking event, etc.), they might end up just putting in the time prospecting instead of accomplishing what they want to accomplish in the time they put aside for tasks. If they're seeing their sales cycles getting longer, it could be because they're not setting clear expectations and outcomes for prospect and client meetings, or they might be having a hard time finding reasons to compel their prospects to take action.
Take some time to sit down with your sales people and help them set clear goals to accomplish during their prospecting and selling time each day. You might find yourself uncovering a number of issues that you can help coach them through to get their prospects to that next step.
