4 Time Management Tricks for Sales Professionals

Many sales professionals and sales managers are finding that they are being asked to do more things in less time than ever before, which can make the amount of work on your plate seem overwhelming. This makes it more important than ever that people in sales employ the proper time management techniques in order to ensure that they accomplish their work as efficiently as possible. However, over time you may have picked up bad habits, or you just may have never been taught time management techniques. To help you maximize your time in sales and get as much done as possible, here are a few tips on effective time management to help you maximize your sales.

Don't Multitask

One of the most common misconceptions people have, not just in sales but across a variety of industries, is that they can be more productive if they multitask by doing multiple things at once. However, multiple studies have shown this to be the opposite of the truth, demonstrating that focusing on more than one task at a time actually slows you down and hampers productivity. The fact is that the human brain really can't focus on doing two things at once, and when multitasking you lose 40% of productivity as your brain is constantly trying to shift gears from focusing on one task to another. By eliminating multitasking, you can actually save time, increase performance and productivity, improve your efficiency, and better manage your time.

Avoid Distractions

When working in an office environment, it can be extremely easy to become distracted. A friend walking by, a message on your phone, or a detour on the internet can take you away from your work for a minute or two. While diverting your attention from your work for only a couple of minutes may not seem like a big deal, these periods of distraction can add up and take a serious chunk out of your day. To help you manage your time, consider planning your day in advance so that you know what needs to be done by what time, as this can help you to stay on track. Planning breaks into this schedule is another great way to stay focused as you will have a scheduled break you can look forward to in order to keep you motivated.    

Group Similar Tasks Together

Another great way to manage your time is to group similar tasks together in order to improve productivity and efficiency. Rather than constantly moving between answering emails, returning phone calls, and placing cold calls, consider blocking off a specific time bracket to complete all of the tasks in a category at once. Instead of constantly checking your voicemail, designate an hour or two in the afternoon to return voicemails you have received throughout the day. Once your allotted block of time is over, move on to another task. Blocking your activities in this way can help to improve your workflow by allowing you to focus on one activity at a time without distraction.

Eliminate Non-Essential Tasks

Administrative tasks may be important, but they can quickly grow and take up a large portion of your time throughout the day. A great way to improve time management, and help your sales team focus on sales, is to automate as many non-sales tasks as possible. There are a variety of products that can help you to automate administrative tasks, however, which product is best will depend on the needs of your business. Automating these tasks can help you and your team to focus on vital sales activities.

Successful time management can be vital in helping you and your team to achieve maximum productivity. Download our Channel Partner Success Guide eBook for more helpful information: