Life can be pretty hectic and stressful for sales reps!
It’s a fast-paced career where success depends on finding quality leads and closing deals so you can hit your targets. Therefore, it pays to be organised, adopt smart working practices and ensure you craft your day to get more done in less time.
Here are four strategies you can use to help you achieve that:
1. Plan Tomorrow Before Today is Finished
This simple trick is a quick time win.
Before you switch off for the day, spend five or ten minutes looking forward to tomorrow and deciding what you need to do. Next, plan. Prioritise your work, schedule in important calls and make a note of who you need to follow up. That way, instead of faffing at your desk at the beginning of the day, you’ll be able to crack right on with your to-do list and make stuff happen.
2. Schedule Uninterrupted Time
Do you notice that you have big plans for the day, but never actually get through as much as you would like. Interruptions are a classic time waster as is a lack of focus and poor motivation for sales reps. For sure you need to be accessible, and it’s inevitable that your motivation will wane at different times of the day, but here’s a really simple way to ensure that you make notable progress every day.
If you can (and if its appropriate), schedule some uninterrupted time when you can be totally focused. Do this, and I promise your productivity will soar.
You could use this time to:
- Do some background research on a big prospect so you can get your pitch right
- Plan and prepare for a webinar to maximise the number of leads you’ll generate
- Look through your CRM data and identify areas in your sales pipeline where prospects “stuck” and plan a strategy to nudge them along
- Check your progress against your sales targets and identify three tasks you can do to take you closer to achieving them
- Read your favourite blog or delve into a recommended sales strategy book and brush up on your technique and knowledge
- Plan your own social media strategy to increase your “know, like, trust factor” and build the social relationships you need to make to generate leads
- Hone your elevator pitch
- Create a generic email template (based on the one you write over and over again) so you can use that as a starter instead of always beginning with a blank page
What ONE thing could you work on that would enhance your performance, effectiveness and results?
3. Today’s Sales Reps Use Cloud-based Tools
One of the biggest advantages of cloud computing based tools is there are stacks of solutions available that can help you work smarter. Plus, because of the number of smartphone apps that now integrate with your tablet and computer, you’ll find it’s easier than ever to work on the go – and that really is great news for sales professionals.
Information collecting and organising tools such as Evernote are just brilliant for grabbing images, notes and audio when you’re out and about. But what makes Evernote super-smart is that it instantly syncs. Therefore, any data you’ve added whilst away from your desk will be instantly available on your tablet and computer.
Document tools such as Google Drive, are a powerful way to work on word-processed files from anywhere. PLUS, because you can share your files, collaboration with a client or a colleague becomes seamless. Finally, Dropbox is perfect for cloud-based file storage; you can access that unexpected file once you’re hooked up to the internet.
4. Invest in a CRM Solution
The right CRM solution makes it really easy to keep a close eye on your sales pipeline – from anywhere. CRM solutions have improved significantly over the years. As well as being a powerful tool to manage your contacts, some of the more advanced solutions also allow you to view your pipeline end-to-end.
This means you can see, at a glance, the numbers and the location of prospects at different stages of your pipeline. In turn, this allows you to:
- See if you’re on track to hit your targets
- Keep a close eye of the mobility and movement through your pipeline
- Monitor the performance of individuals and teams
- See what opportunities are being nurtured
- Assess the effectiveness of your lead generation strategies etc.
Pipeliner CRM is one solution that’s available to sales reps like you. And if you’re unsure as to whether it’s right for your business, why not find out by booking a 30 day free trial? Pipeliner is fun, intuitive and easy to use.
What’s more, Pipeliner also integrates with lots of your favorite apps and other web-based software including MailChimp and GoToWebinar. Plus, Zapier integration was recently announced, which makes it easier than ever to get your favorite online tools talking to each other.
The right CRM will save you time and help organize your day so you can focus on what you do best – selling.
But what’s your favorite smart working practice? How do you organize yourself so you can get more done in less time? What strategies and tools do you rely on to help ensure you’re a successful salesperson? Please let me know in the comments below.
