TIME MANAGEMENT DR EARL STEVENS, OCTOBER 2009

12. Sales Training

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Time: its attributes• Time is neutral• Time cannot be saved for future use

• Each activity requires a minimum quantum of time

• Time has a value like currency

• Time is cumulative in nature

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Time Management

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It is managing ourselves in relation to time.

It is setting priorities and taking charge of your situation and

time utilization

How Sales People Typically Spend their time - 46.9 Hour Workweek

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14.5

8.5

11.7

7

5.2

Face-to-face selling

Waiting / travelling

Telephone sales

Administrative tasks

Service calls

Very Common Time Wasters1. Not enough time scheduled for necessary, top priority tasks

2. Interruptions, drop-in visitors, distractions, telephone calls

3. Doing-it-yourself, involved in too many detailed, routine tasks

4. Always crises, fire-fighting

5. Lack of objectives, deadlines and priorities

6. Lots of paperwork, reports, reading material

7. Leaving tasks partly done, jumping from task to task

8. Procrastination, indecision, daydreaming

9. Lack of self discipline

10. Socializing, idle conversation

11. Failure to do top priority tasks first

12. Constantly switching priorities

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Understand the value of your time...

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Time ManagementTime is life, do not waste it

Identify major thieves of time and eject them

Make a realistic list of things to do and act on it

Eliminate unnecessary activities

Memory aids such as diaries and tape recorders are useful

Analyse how time is spent

Never take on more than is necessary, learn to say no

Analyse yourself and operate within your strengths

Get on by being organized

Employ a programme of physical and mental fitness

Manage backlog

Employ a schedule or planner to chart the way ahead

Never cease striving to become more efficient and effective

Treat each day as your last, maximize it.

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Principles of Time Management1. Set goals and Establish priorities

2. Spot the Time Wasters

3. Live Time Management

4. Think quality not quantity of Time

5. Organize Yourself for success – Prioritize, Clear your desk, delicate work to others, stay healthy in body and mind, Act purposefully and positively.

6. Write a Daily Time schedule: - Time, Activity, Priority (mark each activity according to how important it is (A: Extremely important; B: Important; C: relatively unimportant), Effectiveness and then evaluate the complete time plan of the day.

7. Work to suit your preferred lifestyle

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How to plan your day• Visualise your long term goal• Try to do your planning at the

same time every day.• Use only one planner to keep

track of your appointments• Write out a To do list every day• Don’t jam your day full of

activities.• Do it now.• Always plan time for balance;

include family, fitness, recreation, Social and spiritual activities.

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Importance of Setting Goals

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Goal planning template - for personal or organizational aims To achieve a goal or a vision you must plan and do what will enable and cause it to happen. This is usually several things, in steps. Plan by first clarifying your aim, then work backwards identifying the factors which will enable and cause achievement. Level 1 - Your Aim: Define your aim clearly. Attach measures to prove it is achieved. Commit to a timescale. My aim/vision/goal: Measures: Timescale:

Then ask yourself and identify: What factors would directly cause the aim to be achieved? Insert them below. Level 2 - Direct Cause Factors: Identify realistically the factors which would cause your aim to be achieved. If necessary research these. Attach measures and timings. Add more rows if required.

Factors which will cause the aim to be achieved: Measures: Timescale:

1

2

3

4

5

Then ask yourself and identify: What factors will enable the above to happen? Insert them below. Level 3 - Enabling Factors: Identify the factors which will enable the above causal factors to happen or exist. A causal factor might depend on more than one enabling factors. Insert or remove rows and use colouring or numbering to link factors between levels as you wish. Factors enabling the level-two causal factors: Measures: Timescale:

1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 4.1

4.2

5.1

5.2

Problems and Solutions for Proper Time Management

Personal: ü     Know priorities of doing thingsü     Be organizedü     Spend some time as leisure time

Psychological:ü     Have self disciplineü     Learn to say “No” if it demandsü     Believe in team workü     Have a watch on the work entrusted

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Problems and Solutions for Proper Time Management

External:ü     Maintain proper relationship with friends

and colleaguesü     Never attempt indirect interactions

Social:ü     Allot some time to spend with nature with

parents, to love, to listen, to dream to and to think

ü     Morning 4.00am to 9.00am is the best time for work

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Problems and Solutions for Proper Time Management

Postponement: Postponement or procrastination is mainly due to a lack of interest or pleasantness in work and the complexity of work.

ü     Unpleasant tasksü     Complex projectsü     Fear of failureü     Lack of interestü     Perfectionismü     Distraction, lack of focus

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Organize Your TimeThe money hours• organize your day around the money hours – the hours when you can and

should be talking with prospects and customers• handle non-revenue generating activities before or after the money hours

Prospecting hours • dedicate a certain percentage of money hours to prospecting• to increase the probability of reaching prospects, vary the time of day you

prospect• schedule it, do it, love it

Follow-up • queue up and standardize your most frequently used follow-up pieces for easy

production and distribution• document follow-up immediately – don't set it aside

Professional development • schedule non-money hours for sales skill development or improving industry and/

or product knowledge• understand the value of your time...

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Organize your TimeSales days • be aware of the sales days for each month and quarter• know where you are in the sales timeline and plan accordingly

Sales stats • understand and track your sales stats so you can plan effectively

• dials to contacts• contacts to qualified leads• qualified leads to proposals• proposals to contracts• contracts to customers• dials per hour• follow up calls per hour• follow up attempts before dropping • determine the value of each sales hour given your earnings level/ target

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Organize your TimeExtra time • choose a reasonable extra amount of time to dedicate to sales each day (23 minutes

each sales day adds one extra sales day each month)

Productive down time • always have something to read... always... for flight delays, waiting rooms and lines• use drive time for sales development and phone calls (get a headset if you can)

The extra call • one extra call a day is more than 250 extra contacts in a year• remember time management basics...

Start early • not only for the day, but also for the week, month and quarter• start early on projects and sales appointments

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Organize your timePlan ahead • look ahead to sales days around holidays, end of the month and end of the quarter and

plan accordingly • be aware of the sales "timeline" for your product – where you are in the month and

where you are with the prospect

Respect time • your time, your prospect's time, your customer's time• professionals don't waste time and prospects and customers respect those who

understand this... be punctual and be succinct

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Tips for Successful Time Management

Doing things with concentration, dedication conflicts and commitment

and not in a careless manner.

Trust others and distribute works to others

Never think about unnecessary things and never interfere in others

matters

Postponement of planned events is an avoidable bad habit

Breakdown your goals into smaller task with manageable steps

Be punctual

Hurrying up is to always the best way of doing a thing faster

Don’t forget or misplace things

Use a calendar/ Get organized

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Imagine the luxury of having more time• To spend with your family• To go on that “special” vacation• To take up a new hobby• To read that latest, popular book• Or just to relax and live a little.• All of this is possible but you

must use time management techniques to organize your personal and business activities

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Final Word on Time Management

•PAY•Prioritise your•Activities by•Yield

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END