Organization Tips For Sales Reps To Maximize Their Day
Work smarter, not harder with these organization tips for sales reps!
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In this article:
- Top Organization Tips for the Office: Make a To-Do-List and Use Time Blocks
- Top Organization Tips for Outside Sales: Plan Your Route and Prepare to Pivot
- Use Technology and Automation to Your Advantage
- Manage Your Inbox
- Organization Tips You Can Implement Immediately
Sales Organization Tips To Be Productive and Sell More
Top Organization Tips for the Office: Make a To-Do-List and Use Time Blocks organization tips
Making a to-do list is one of the best-known organization tips for a reason: to be productive, you must know what needs to be done every day.
Besides helping you prioritize tasks and organize your day, a to-do-list may lessen anxiety, according to a Florida State University study. Unfinished tasks linger in your mind and interfere with performance, but writing it down free’s up your mind to focus on the task at hand.
There’s nothing more intimidating than a long to-do-list, and it can demotivate you. A good to-do-list only includes the most significant tasks and the relevant details for each job.
Another list-making error is doing it during the most productive morning hours. Instead, make the most of the end of your day, when you’re worn-out, to get a list ready for the next day.
Once you have a to-do-list, schedule time blocks to complete each task. The Pomodoro technique segments your day into periods of focus and breaks to maximize productivity.
The idea is to set a timer for 25 minutes and get to work. Focus on the task, avoid all distractions, take a 5-minute break once time runs out, then repeat the process. Time blocks enable you to find a good flow and schedule tasks that will work best at the time of day.
For example, the last hour of work is often the least productive, but by filling this time with non-taxing activities, you can get more done with the rest of the day.
Top Organization Tips for Outside Sales: Plan Your Route and Prepare to Pivot
Don’t waste valuable time driving up and down to meet clients. Organize leads and clients by locations and optimize your route accordingly before scheduling meetings.
Planning your route makes it easier to pivot if a client or prospect cancels. Instead of waiting around for the next meeting or driving back to the office, contact other clients nearby to secure a new appointment.
However, make sure you’re prepared to pivot. Always have the date and notes of your previous meetings ready. This way, you can quickly prepare and make the most out of an unplanned appointment.
RELATED: Productive Time Management Hacks I Learned After 10 Years In Sales
Use Technology and Automation to Your Advantage organization tips
Managing workflow can be daunting, especially when dealing with various prospects at any point. Besides, administrative tasks take up a large part of the day. Technology and automation can improve workflow and free you up to spend more time selling.
One of the best tools for sales is CMR. It increases organizational knowledge, tracks all contact with prospects, gives the entire team access to data, and allows sales reps to see what activities have taken place with their leads.
Automation tools can qualify prospects, send emails, and schedule follow-ups. You’ll find an app, plug-in, or an extension for most repetitive tasks.
If you haven’t employed technology and automation to streamline time-consuming, repetitive tasks, it is time to start.
Manage Your Inbox organization tips
If you’re like most people, you check your email 15 times a day. While staying on top of your inbox is important, disrupting your workflow lessens productivity.
Set some times to check emails and limit the time spent on each. Use an auto-reply email to let clients know you’ve received the email and will respond during a specific time block in your schedule. Here’s an example from The 4-Hour Work Week:
“Due to high workload, I am currently checking and responding to email twice daily at 12:00 pm ET [or your time zone] and 4:00 pm ET.
If you require urgent assistance (please ensure it is urgent) that cannot wait until either 12:00 pm or 4:00 pm, please contact me via phone at 555-555-5555.”
When it’s time to check emails, delete useless emails like spam, and sort the remainder into folders or add labels. You don’t want to delay anything you can accomplish now, so take immediate action when possible.
Finally, unsubscribe from social media notifications and most subscriptions. Unsubscribing from unnecessary emails may take a few minutes now but will save time in the long run. It’ll also make you more careful about subscribing to a site in the future.
Organization Tips You Can Implement Immediately
While some organization tips can take some time to get right, there are actions you can take immediately to be more productive.
- Swallow the frog: Do the task you dislike the most as soon as possible.
- Don’t procrastinate.
- Don’t multitask because it increases mistakes, lowers productivity, and uses more brainpower than simply completing one task at a time.
- Eliminate distractions.
If you feel like there’s never enough time in the day, these organizational tips can help you gain control over your time, improve your workflow, and allow you to spend more time doing things that lead to sales. Organizational and time management skills are vital. Investing a little time now developing these skills will save you a lot of time in the future.
Are you ready to reclaim your time and increase your productivity? Have any more organization tips? Share your thoughts in the comment section!
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