Understanding where your sales time is most effectively spent helps you discover which activities drive positive results; therefore, you can systematize and prioritize appropriately
TRACK YOUR TIME
Here is a tool and exercise that might help you if you find yourself commenting “you are busy” and not getting to the very things you know you need to focus.
Transparently, I wasn’t growing like I wanted. I was so “busy” and wasn’t sure what I was “busy doing.”
I created a version of the time tracker below and captured my time to see what I was “busy” doing.
I WAS SHOCKED at how little time I was spending in sales.
I was spending less than 5% of my time in sales over the 2 days I tracked.
Not good.
I was working long hours on everything else, but sales. It was an eye opener.
THE TIME TRACKER CHALLENGE:
1. Click on this link
2. Save the Google Sheet in your preferred format. You can keep in Google or choose to export to Excel. Make sure you view the multiple tabs I created, including the time trap examples.
3. Start tracking what you do in 15 minute chunks over two (non-consecutive days) to get a snapshot.
4. Decide on one area that you would like to increase and another area you would like to decrease and begin to make necessary changes.
This act helps you make more informed in choices of where you can be intentional in your sales day.
Taking time to track and “SEE” the invisible way you are spending your time on what you THINK you are doing versus what is really happening.
The truth will set you free. it might upset you first.
After you see where your time is spent, now it’s time to see where to invest it.
CHUNK TIME
Chunk your sales time into manageable blocks for maximum results. Sales time management skills are a must, if you want to be able to make consistent growth in your agency. You should get into the habit of using these skills to make your time more worthwhile, and your impact stronger.
There are 168 hours in a week, balance them out one at a time so the elements outside of work become as important as the elements inside of your agency. Both will work and balance to help you be creative, refreshed, and willing to tackle new responsibilities.
Time Management Skills & Efficiency
Block Time
Each morning, before the hurriedness of the day takes over, spend 30 minutes or 1 hour of block time in the morning to focus on a business priority and/or strategy. Strategy time is often neglected for many Agency/Marketing owners. When you invest the first part of your agency day, you’ll be prioritizing your bigger vision. The rest of your day might be completely all over the place, so when those “client fires” or whatever else comes up, you can see how it fits in with the bigger ideas you have for your agency.
As your day progresses, decide how you will spend your block time to complete ongoing tasks like check email, make phone calls, or follow up on those recent meetings. Set aside 30-minute blocks throughout your day to give you a break from running from one thing to the next. This will help you stay in front of issues and keep you more productive, create less stress, and offer a more fulfilling day.
The key to maximize your effectiveness during this time, is to take steps to be uninterrupted – turn off your email, forward your office phone and you quiet your cell phone. Invest your first time working on your BHAG (e.g. focus on your 2 year vision and decide which industry vertical you want to concentrate your teams effort). By being immersed in the project for those 30 minutes you can begin each day with time dedicated to your agency.
In the process, you see how you can reach that larger vision in a new unique way. After a few weeks of the new block time effort, you may have a clear sales strategy on which ideal clients the firm will focus on. The big projects take more time but the rewards are greater.
Start Soon
For 30 minutes, shut off your office phone. Do not text, do not call, and do not open email. Think through your day in a concentrated way.
- Plan out your sales day in blocks so that you can spend concentrated time on emails, calls, proposals, and any other items important to grow your agency. By designing upfront and focusing on important items to focus your company, you will notice that your day is much less reactionary and you have a better idea of how it will turn out.
- Keep a note that states “Am I working IN my business or ON my business?”
Start Now
Remember, you are changing deeply embedded habits so be gentle with yourself. As an achiever, it’s really easy to think about all the things you aren’t doing great here. I invite you to focus on one thing at a time. Download the 5 Must Knows for Growing Your Agency Easier and learn how to save time on sales, close bigger and bigger deals, prioritize your day and identify gaps in your sales process.
