Selling in a Crisis

25Protect the Golden Hours

During volatile times, resources and buyers are scarce. There is less of everything with only two exceptions: misery and time.

The bad news is there will be plenty of misery to go around. The good news is that no matter how miserable you may be, you still have 24 hours a day to do something about it.

In a crisis, you must protect your prime selling time at all costs. Time is your most precious resource. You cannot make more, add more, or find more. Do not allow it to be diluted by non-sales activities. Investing time poorly will compound your misery.

Time is the great equalizer. Every person on earth has exactly 24 hours each day. No more. The choices you make about how you invest your time directly correlates to the sales outcomes you deliver.

Only 6 to 8 hours each day are available for sales activities, that is, prospecting, advancing pipeline opportunities, and closing. Your daily mission is to squeeze as much selling out of these Golden Hours as possible.

Because pipeline opportunities are scarce and competition for the attention of the few people who are still buying is fierce, the sales professionals who protect their prime selling time – the Golden Hours – will get ahead, stay ahead, and win while others lose.

In this crisis, your most pressing challenge is keeping non-sales activities from interfering with your Golden Hours. This includes interruptions from peers, your boss, email, internal company chat platforms, social media, family members, ...