© Tijana | stock.adobe.com
A successful sales representative must be an efficient manager of time, whether they are a direct hire or an independent manufacturers’ representative. Time is a sales representative’s major asset, so they must optimize their time to be a sales leader. Efficient time management requires planning.
An efficient time management system begins with an Annual Marketing Plan that includes broad objectives that are in tune and coordinated with a corporate plan. Using this broad plan, the time management system then incorporates prioritized daily, weekly and monthly planning lists. Each list has a similar format with the daily list having the most detail and the weekly and monthly lists having broader action items.
Sales Representative — Keep Focused
One excellent time planning system is based on a variation of what is referred to as the “Eisenhower Box,” developed by Dwight Eisenhower to help evaluate urgency and importance. The items on any of the planning lists with the highest priority are categorized as “Important and Urgent” and are given precedence over all other actions. They are sometimes referred to as “A” items in a planning “to-do” list. To place even more emphasis on the “A” actions, refer to them as the “Focus Actions.”
At the end of the list are the “Not Important, Not Urgent” activities, sometimes referred to as “C” items. Many times, these “Cs” eventually get deleted from a list because they are simply not worth doing. “B” items are normally “Important but Not Urgent.” See the sample table below for some typical activities that might be included in each box:
| Urgent | Not Urgent | |
| Important | Close a large sale | Visit a key customer |
| Not Important | Answer a minor service request | Complete an unsolicited questionnaire |
An example of a partial daily planning list is below:
Sales Representative Planning List — Monday March 20, 2023
A — Focus Actions
Close large order with “X” (a major customer).
Resolve urgent service problem.
Quote “Y” (another major customer).
B
Complete and file weekly expense report.
Handle minor service problem.
Complete call summaries for trip just completed.
C
Talk to customer service about being slow to respond to customer complaints.
Follow-up on the shipping status of a relatively small order.
With computerized calendars, planning lists are easy to modify and update within a few minutes. Google and Outlook calendars are just two examples.
Often, Focus Actions require much more time and thought to complete than the “B” and “C” items. There is a human tendency to complete at least some of the “B” and “C” items before a “Focus Action,” because they are easy to “cross off the list.” This gives a sales rep satisfaction that considerable actions are being completed. In reality, time is being wasted and not focused on growing sales and providing outstanding customer service. Although “Focus Actions” cannot always be fully accomplished in one planning period, remain committed to completing them.
If a sales rep does not clearly understand how their time is being spent, there is no way to devise a program to optimize time. A good place to start developing an efficient time management system is to determine how time is currently spent each day. For a week or two, list all actions on an hourly (or even a 15-minute) calendar. Determine what percent of time is spent in selling, administration, answering manufacturer and customer requests for information or quotes, and other tasks. Determine which of these tasks are classified “Focus Actions” or type “B” or “C.” If in the analysis a large percentage of effort is being spent on completing “B” and “C” items, time is not being used efficiently. Modify daily activity to complete “Focus Actions” first.
Once a rep knows and analyzes how time has been spent, it is possible to begin — or recommit to — becoming an efficient time manager and a star sales producer.
MANA welcomes your comments on this article. Write to us at [email protected].
