| There's a line that will send your sales manager | | | | customers, sales meetings and personal appointments. |
| scrambling to search through their resume database. | | | | When doing this, also write in the geographic location |
| To survive in sales, finding the time to prospect is not | | | | of each appointment using the postal code. |
| optional! Every sales representative needs a steady | | | | Book your time for office duties next. This should be in |
| stream of new opportunities entering their sales funnel | | | | non peak selling hours, either first thing in the morning or |
| if they expect the right amount of sales flowing out. | | | | after 4 pm. Preparing quotes, answering emails, |
| Most sales people know they need to prospect | | | | returning voice mails and completing sales paperwork |
| regularly in order to be successful in the long term. In | | | | should be completed in this scheduled time, but only in |
| fact, virtually every sales professional could improve | | | | this scheduled time and not in prime selling hours. |
| their results if they just did more prospecting. | | | | Lastly, but most importantly, time should be scheduled |
| However many are already working long hours and | | | | for prospecting activities. Ensure that you book at least |
| just don't know where to find the time. The best way | | | | one hour each day. Remember, this time is a |
| to ensure that you always make time to prospect is to | | | | scheduled appointment just like a meeting with a |
| arrive at the office Monday morning with your week | | | | prospect. You wouldn't cancel on a customer, so don't |
| already booked. | | | | cancel on yourself and your future sales success by |
| Use a calendar which shows a whole week on one | | | | failing to complete your prospecting activities. |
| page. This is critical! The only way to plan a week | | | | Now prospect this week to fill the holes in next week. |
| properly is to be able to see the entire week at a | | | | New appointments should be booked in the same |
| glance. If your PDA can't do this, either find one that | | | | geographical locations as the existing ones. This |
| can or use a paper calendar instead. Now go to next | | | | minimizes unproductive travel time and maximizes your |
| week's schedule and start to plan your time and how | | | | time spent selling. |
| you are going to spend it. | | | | With some proper planning and time management |
| The first things to enter into your calendar are your | | | | techniques, you can fit more into your day. The key is |
| booked appointments. This includes meetings with | | | | that you need to work this week to book next week! |