Get Time on Your Side

Have you ever been in your office or car at the end of the day wondering where all the time went? If you answered “yes” to that question, then you know the importance of time.

Selling takes time, and there is only a limited amount of it to go around. With competition increasing, the need to have face-to-face contact with your customers also has increased. You do not want to be forgotten. But how many customers can you actually see in a day? Certainly no more than time allows.

Although you cannot hold it in your hand or take a picture of it, time can and will control your life. Time cannot be lent to a friend or saved for another day. It is the great equalizer in life. Everyone, regardless of age, color, size or personality, gets exactly the same amount of time: 24 60-minute hours each day. Whether you have been good or bad, you get no more.

I’m not sure why I hear people say, “You have more time than I do,” or “She always has more time to go places than I do.” Nope, no one has more time than you do, but they might control it, monitor and use it in a more strategic way.

As a salesperson, you must control your time. Let’s begin with 10 strategies that can help you prepare for the day — a day that does not go on forever.

1. Plan as far in advance as you can. Long-term planning allows extra time to think about your sales call, prepare your message and even to get more information about your customers.
2. Consider leaving yourself a voice mail if there is something very important that you do not want to forget.
3. Take a look at your day and take inventory of your time. Think about what the day looks like, and determine what is important and what might possibly be forgotten.
4. Learn to say “no.” Understand what is unproductive and impossible to complete successfully, and make the right business decision by saying no.
5. Plan on that traffic jam. Never be surprised that you are stuck in traffic; build it into your schedule. This will help reduce your stress level.
6. Write down notes during the day. If you think of something you need to do, a special comment from a referral source or a reminder about a birthday card you forgot to send, keep paper and pencil handy for that important note.
7. Attack your desk. (For some, this could be the trunk of the car.) Get those files and records organized or, better yet, use a software program or PDA to help you get things in order.
8. Leave time for yourself. You are allowed to take lunch. I think it might even be a law. Enjoy it, and look forward to it. You need time to think and reflect upon what’s happening around you.
9. Look at a map, know your zip codes and plan your calls. You will save wear and tear on yourself, your car — and money at the gas pump.
10. Get a life. Make sure you have left time for something other than talking about commodes and oxygen. Our products may save lives, but they usually are not the hot topic at your family dinner.

You cannot sell if you do not have the time. Dartmouth’s Academic Skills Center came up with these tips:

• Ask for advice when needed. For salespeople, there is always something new to learn.
• Put up reminders and notes in your office. The best of us often forget things.
• Concentrate on one thing at a time.
• Never fail to make a to-do list everyday.
• Find things you like in the things you do.

I’ve given you some lists to look at, but here are some additional quick reminders that might help salespeople be more productive and successful:

The more time we spend planning for the time in our day, the more time we will have to do the things that are most important to us. Build time-saving strategies into your day. Work to avoid time-wasters. Then, what you will be left with is time for sharing special moments with those who mean the most.

Please share this article with a friend, read it again in a few days and make it a part of your next staff meeting. It’s all about the greatest gift we have ever been given: time. Use it wisely, and it will bring you tremendous benefits.

Louis Feuer is president of Dynamic Seminars & Consulting Inc. and the founder and director of the DSC Teleconference Series, a teleconference training program. He can be reached at www.DynamicSeminars.com or by phone at 954/435-8182.