How to Stop Chasing Sales Squirrels

Shutting down at the end of the day, we all want that satisfying feeling of a job well done. But “Doing your job” can be subjective. Did you make a sale? Were you prospecting? Did you spend the day doing paperwork?

In short, what exactly is, “Doing your job?”

I often recommend the book, The Five Elements of Effective Thinking. I have read it multiple times and listen to the audio version on long trips. One of my key takeaways is to make certain you are asking the right question. Very often I find myself getting myopic on the wrong thing. Stepping back and looking at things from a different angle is very helpful.

With that in mind…

Let’s change the question. If you want to end up feeling good about your sales day, there’s one question you need to ask yourself all day every day. This will help you to spot-check your sales efficiency. It will keep you from “chasing squirrels.” It’s so powerful and effective, you might want to write it down and stick on the wall as a reminder. In fact, you should ask this question after you finish reading this blog.

Okay, enough build up. Here is the question:

“What is the best use of my time right now?”

It only makes sense that if I spend my day doing the right sales activities, it will be a good and productive sales day. So, my focus that is twofold:

Make a list of “right sales activities” to do;
Do them.

This question applies all day every day. When you get off the phone with a client, ask yourself, “What is the best use of my time right now?” After coming back from a sales meeting, ask yourself, “What is the best use of my time right now?”

There is another application as well…

Let’s say you are in the middle of something. To make certain you are using your time wisely, change the question to, “Is this really the best use of my time right now?” This will keep you on track, provided you answer honestly.

This whole conversation is a small part of a bigger sales challenge; that of applying your sales plan with superior time management skills. How important is this skill, exactly? Well, consider this: the best of the best in sales do not work 65 hours a week. They work 35. How? They ask this question and others and have mastered the intersection of time and activity.