Sales Automation

Whats the best time management tool for the sales entrepreneur: the almighty computer or the personal planner? The debate continues. I have witnessed and have been a part of many lively discussions weighing legitimate pros and cons of the laptop computer as a time management tool. My position is this: Computers are great for certain tasks but time management isnt one of them. In spite of all our wonderful technologies it appears that the good old pencil and paper system is still viable. More and more professionals who were initially romanced by time management software programs are returning to the convenience, simplicity, and portability of the personal planner. Im not suggesting people are littering our highways with abandoned laptops, but they are learning to work in harmony with a laptop or a palm pilot and pencil and paper. The ideal system seems to be a combination. Its no longer an either-or decision. Dont compromise your productivity by restricting yourself to only one system. Incorporate the tools that work best for you, maximizing your limited selling hours. Caution: Donit get overly seduced by technology and look like some sort of technological rambo. KISS.

Bear in mind that my comments are directed at outside salespeople. I appreciate that a computer-based time management program may be appropriate for inside salespeople, while a portable time-management system may be redundant. However, you may want to consider a smaller version of a personal planner or a palm pilot to organize your activities outside the office.

As a sales entrepreneur, your computer should be viewed as a portable database, allowing you to work in the field and access or update customer files utilizing a good contact management program. This allows you to retrieve important information prior to your appointment, including current account data, inventory levels at the warehouse, available shipping dates, price levels, and data specific to your customer. You can also store and retrieve such pieces of information as the name of your customers spouse and children, dates of their birthdays and anniversaries, hobbies, outside interests, and favorite summer activities. You decide what data are relevant. There are several good contact management programs available. I prefer Maximizer and ACT, because both programs offer a host of features to manage your account base, saving valuable selling time.

The computer can be a great asset when utilized outside the customers office, but it can become a liability in the customers office. Sometimes a laptop just isnt convenient and may even be cumbersome, intrusive, and time-consuming. Laptops should be used in a customers office only with permission, whereas you dont need permission to work with a planner. The big plus of a planner is that its quick, convenient, portable, and useable anytime, anywhere.

Principle #5: Be Proactive, not Reactive

I would suggest that up to 75% of our day is spent reacting to the needs and requests of other people such as customers, managers, internal customers, family, and friends. We are constantly bombarded with demands on our limited time, leaving us unable to accomplish our own goals and objectives. No wonder we feel the frustration of, So much to do, so little time.

We often succumb to the demands and requests of others because we think it is socially inappropriate to say no. We become victimized by others who may have a strong interest in controlling our activities or behavior-such as a spouse or a manager. Unfortunately many people, including salespeople, are content to be regulated and manipulated rather than committing to SMART goals and living life guided by their agenda, not someone elses. No one ever accomplished a personal goal by being subservient to others. Successful sales entrepreneurs refuse to be swayed by the whims of others and are quietly effective at managing their own agendas. Employers and managers sometimes do more to demotivate rather than to motivate. Demotivation can take the form of intimidation or high-performance expectations constrained by rigid management policies and limited resources to perform the job. No wonder so many people want to take this job and shove it.

A proactive strategy means developing the discipline to stay focused on your agenda, your goals, and your objectives. Part of this discipline comes in the form of qualifying the severity of a problem prior to reacting to it. For example, next time a customer informs you of a problem or a concern, resist the temptation to immediately jump into react mode, drop what you are doing, and race over to console your customer. It may not be necessary. The next time you get an irate customer (or internal customer)

demanding to see you right away, follow these two steps:

1. Acknowledge the problem. Allow the customer to vent by explaining the situation and then clarify your understanding of it by paraphrasing. Be sure to take notes of your discussion for future reference. By acknowledging the concern and showing empathy, the customer will begin to feel better about it and may become somewhat flexible as to how and when you resolve the concern. A sympathetic attitude to a real or imaginary product or service failure cannot be overemphasized. A 10-minute phone call to determine the facts and the seriousness of the problem may be a valuable investment, possibly saving you hours of unnecessary running around. Work smart, not hard.

2. Suggest another time. Tell the customer that your day is full with appointments and commitments and ask if first thing tomorrow morning would be okay to get together. Your business and time are just as important and legitimate as that of your customer. You are equals. In the majority of cases, your customer will appreciate your schedule and agree to meet with you the next day. Too often we assume that we must respond immediately, but by following these steps you will save yourself valuable time. Sometimes, however, the customer may be insistent that you respond immediately, in which case you must act accordingly.

Another good tactic is to start building flexibility into your day. By this I mean schedule your day to allow for poop happens. Allow time between appointments or activities to deal with interruptions that are sure to occur. Interruptions and problems are a natural component of everybodys day so dont ignore the fact that they happen, and plan accordingly. Dont try to pack too much into one day by scheduling consecutive appointments and meetings. Plan what you can reasonably expect to get accomplished that day and allow time to deal with inevitable interruptions. I suggest that you let the 60/40 rule be your guide; dont plan more than 60% of your day. The remaining 40% is reserved to deal with unforeseen yet inevitable interruptions. It also helps prevent the list-layover syndrome where we put unfinished to-do items onto tomorrows schedule. If your workday is ten hours, dont plan for more than six hours. Once again, if you pack too much into a day, you will surely have to make rigorous cuts, deal with unfinished tasks, and wrestle with unnecessary stress. Remember, one of the aspects of a SMART goal is attainable. Make your daily activities attainable.