Every time I post “This Week in the Copier/Office Equipment Industry 10 Years Ago,” I’m always thinking of what I was doing 10 years ago, with business and personal stuff. It’s a rather gentle reminder of how fast time moves past us.
My wife always tells me don’t sweat the small stuff; it’s her way of calming me down after a mentally draining day or when I get close to the end of the quarter.
Keep in mind, that we (salespeople) are not in a horserace; rather we need to play the part of the tortoise more often. Slow and steady, more importantly, is the steady part. Use the steady part of your business time for a plan of prospecting for the week.
Generally, I’ll set Monday aside for a day in the office to clean up odds and ends, research, follow-ups; and finish proposals. Tuesday and Wednesday I try to set my call blocks for reaching out to my database. Thursday and Friday are the days that I like to schedule all of my appointments. Sometimes it doesn’t work that way, but the plan helps me keep a rhythm for each week.
I mentioned that “I try.” There are always items that come up and you need to change your schedule. On Thursdays and Fridays I’ll start my first appointment at or before 9 a.m. and try to have five scheduled appointments. Friday, well, that’s get away day. Again, I’ll start at or before 9 a.m. and I’ll want to finish up by 3 p.m. All in all, I can schedule nine appointments for the two days.
I spoke about the rhythm of the week. Having the same schedule each week lets me control my week. I stated this other day when someone asked me how I was doing. “I’m just trying to manage my life instead of letting life manage me.”
Kind of funny when you think about it; getting out of rhythm with prospecting, researching, quoting, learning, and appointments can wreck havoc on your mental state.
For those of us that manage our lives with commissions, we’re always under the gun to perform, sell and make a living for our families. Pretty stressful, right? Having some type of plan for each week will let you manage your sales career instead of your sales career running your life.
Good selling!
