Would you like to have more time to be prospecting and selling?

Perhaps a better, albeit obvious, question: Would more time for selling make you more money? (Of course it would!)

I want to help you have more time for what really generates money for you: selling.

Having a great process but not enough time to execute it properly is not a recipe for success. It’s a recipe for frustration.

I challenge you to read these five time-management tips, and then implement them this week.

1. Do Not Multitask

I’m going to pop the bubble right now.

When you multitask, you sell yourself short. You wind up giving multiple things less than your best.

Instead, stay in the moment with what you’re doing. You’re actually going to create more time.

Please, don’t give me the argument, “Mark, I spend a tremendous amount of time in my car. I need to use my driving time for phone calls with customers.”

I understand that. But here’s the situation: you’re sitting there driving, and you’re having a call with a customer. You are not going to be as focused on them as you think you are. And you’re possibly going to cause an accident!

So what’s the alternative? Use the time in your car to be strategizing or thinking. Use it to be continuously learning or listening to an audio book. There are other lower-function tasks that use less of your brain to match with driving.

But that’s just one example. I see others in the middle of a call with a customer checking emails. Hold it! You’re going to miss key information shared by your customer! Just don’t multitask.

2. Break the Task Down Into Small Segments

How many times have you had a major proposal that you’ve got to get done? And you know it’s going to take time.

Then you start the cycle of: “I don’t have time to work on it today. I’ll work on it tomorrow. And it keeps getting pushed closer and closer to the deadline when you have to deliver.

It’s time to do something different. Take that big project and break it down into five or six smaller tasks. That way you can focus on one piece at a time. I have found that this single activity has helped me increase my productivity significantly.

3. Allocate Time to Check Goals and Priorities

You know I’m a big champion of, “Tomorrow begins today.”

I’m going to look at my goals again and reassess my priorities to make sure they’re in line for tomorrow. But tomorrow morning, I’m going to repeat the process.

Being zeroed in on your goals means making sure that your priorities and the activities you’re going to be doing support your goals.

Having goals is totally irrelevant. Having goals doesn’t mean you achieve your goals. It’s the activities you do that are going to help you achieve your goals. So, I want to make sure that I’m going to spend my time accordingly and appropriately.

4. Know Your Peak Time

Everybody’s mind and body just behaves differently. And we all have peak times of the day that are critical work time, and other times when we’re simply not focused. Know when they are.

My peak times, for instance, are early in the morning. Early in the morning is when I can get writing or proposals done. I know my brain is primed and ready for these activities in the morning.

I also know I get a “second wind” later in the morning. That’s when I’m going to be spending time making phone calls and making stuff happen with customers. And I know that late in the afternoon my focus starts to wane, so I’m going to have lower-function activities during that time.

How can you allocate your time accordingly?

5. Know How To Create Energy

This isn’t just about going for a run or going to play tennis or lifting weights or whatever. I will routinely do that. I’ll be having a good day, and I’m getting a little lethargic, and I’ll go for a run. And I come back, and I’m jazzed. But I am not always in a position to do that.

However, I can create energy in other ways. One way is by calling some of my customers.

I have a conversation with them, and it jazzes me. It really gets me pumped. It even creates more energy to go make more phone calls or go take care of more work. This is something I do routinely.

For example, on Friday afternoons, let’s be honest — we’re tired. You just want to chill and do paperwork and wind things down. Nevertheless, I love calling a couple customers right after lunch. It gets me excited! And then suddenly, boom. I’m in the mood, and I’m going to make those Friday afternoon phone calls. (Yes, Friday afternoon is a great time to be prospecting!

MANA welcomes your comments on this article. Write to us at [email protected].