Coffee's for Closers

29Time Management

‘The most effective way to do it, is to do it’.

—Amelia Earhart

You have probably heard the cliche expression ‘work smarter, not harder’. That's great, but no one ever tells you how that's possible. It makes sense that if you are paid to work between 09:00 and 17:30, then you shouldn't need to take work home with you every night or be working on your weekends. Don't get me wrong, I am a big believer in ‘what you put in is what you get out’, so if you do the bare minimum of what's expected of you, then don't expect to be promoted to the position of the sales director anytime soon. But there needs to be a balance between work life and personal life, and from working with over 36,000 sales professionals, I have compiled a list of things to do to manage your time effectively.

There are only three activities that lead to sales:

1. Prospecting.
2. Telephone and face‐to‐face appointments.
3. Follow‐ups.

Therefore, every task you do, you need to ask yourself, ‘Is this crucial now, or should I be doing one of the three?’

There is no such thing as time management. Time is a constant, so it cannot be managed. I believe it is task management. Manage the tasks within the time available.

Every night we must compile a ‘will‐do’ list for the following day. Once we arrive in the office, we need to look at our emails and add things to the ‘will‐do’ list. The most important aspect is to prioritise the ‘will‐do’ list first thing in the morning. Please remember, you prioritise tasks ...