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www.butlerlearning.com info@butlerlearningsystems.com
Greetings Sales Professionals,
Happy New Year! I don't know about you, but it's great to be back to work after the holidays. So many of us use
vacation days during this time of year, especially between Christmas and New Year's. Most of my clients were out
of the office last week. How about you? Maybe it's time for all businesses to go on holiday the last week of the
year, huh? Regardless, you can only indulge so much in all the activities, but it is a special time of the year for
most of us. We all should be rejuvenated and focused to start the new year right. Are you ready? Have you
finished all your planning and forecasts to jump start this year? Remember, it's never too late to come up with a
plan. Set your goals and go after them. But, you must want to. It's all about making the right choices.
Have you heard the statement, "Plan your work and work your plan" before? It's all about implementation today.
"Plans are worthless but planning is invaluable," was a popular quote from Winston Churchill. Sales
Professionals who execute their plans are the ones who succeed with their customers. Time management and
goal setting are critical skills that are needed more now than ever before in order to reach quotas. Productivity and
efficiency goals will continue to burden the sales reps and those who continue to operate by the "seat of your
pants" or by emergencies will succumb to the pressure. New systems, changes in procedures and compensation
now based on performance are requiring sales reps to rethink how they approach their jobs in order to maximize
time in front of the customers. Yes, we are all being asked to do more with less, so instead of "whining" about it,
develop a new strategy or direction needed to accomplish your goals. According to Peter Drucker, the famous
management consultant, "structure must follow strategy," so take the time to brainstorm and reevaluate your sales
activities to maximize your time. There are only "36 hours" in the day, so learn to sell between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00
p.m. and discipline yourself to do non-selling activities before and after. I use my weekends to regroup, catch up
and plan my next week so I'm ready to go on Monday. It provides me with a "competitive edge" mentally and helps
me keep my focus. As you know, it's so easy to drift off plan, especially when you don't know where you're going.
Just "filling in" your time with calls doesn't work anymore. Weekly, you must plan and develop the best time and
territory management structure that brings in the result of your effort. So, Sales Leaders, provide the structure for
effective time management practices to help your reps achieve their goals. You can accomplish your tasks within a
specific time period if you're prepared. It's all about developing the right habits to work smarter and not just harder.
Most salespeople struggle with time management and goal setting. Only 3-7% of us set goals and write them
down. The other 93% work for us! No kidding! I struggled with it for years until I got help. Help your reps out by
providing the structure and then continually coach them for positive reinforcement until they acquire the right habits.
It takes time to break the "old way" of doing things, so leaders continue to train, coach and lead your sales reps
down the right path. Your expectations will be better accepted by the sales team as you provide the help they need
and not just tell them what to do.
So, Sales Leaders what are your goals and plans to develop effective time management practices? It's never too
late to provide some structure for time management and goal setting to improve your sales team's effectiveness. If
you're having difficulty setting this up with your team, save some of your valuable time and give us a call. We'll help
you with structure to implement your strategy to achieve sales success. Why wait? Time is fleeting!
Good Luck and Good Selling,
Bob Butler, TSP
and the BLS T.E.A.M.
Send your information, ideas, thoughts and suggestions for monthly
sales tips to info@butlerlearningsystems.com
Butler Learning Systems ~ 1325 W. Dorothy Lane ~ Dayton, OH 45409
Phone: 888-298-7462 ~ Fax: 866-298-5022
www.butlerlearning.com ~ info@butlerlearningsystems.com
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