One of my best salespersons recently approached me in frustration, saying, “I’m spending too much effort on things that don’t really matter and not enough face-to-face time with my clients. It seems the more successful I become, the less time I have with my customers and this is discouraging.”
This sales rep is not alone. Too much to do and not enough time to do it is a common complaint, one that makes us feel out of control. A great way to approach this problem is to start with the goal, “I want to get organized.”
To keep a sales career on track and moving forward, you should have three to four 6-month goals to focus on. These goals are like the proverbial big rocks in a jar. To get the most in a jar, you put the big rocks in first, and then you add the sand. The sand represents the many small things that need to be dealt but shouldn’t get in the way of your goals – they fit around them.
If one of your big rocks is to get organized, focus on your major projects. Assign work dates and times on your calendar for each project and begin work by making them SMART:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-Bound.
Each SMART action is a small next-step that can be done in an hour or less; these keep the project moving forward. When you finish one step, set the next appointment to work on another SMART action. Learn more about SMART goals here.
If your big rocks are being buried in the sand, dig out by setting the goal of getting SMART!