Life moves fast enough without the added weight of quotas and deadlines imposed by your sales career. So, when you consider the demand from your highest-level activities, how do you decide which master to serve? Among the skills needed for sales, budgeting your time wisely should rank at the very top.

Of course, the goal of time management is always productivity: getting more done in less time. This isn’t just planning when to work, but more specifically, finding the best ways in which to get things done. Prospecting, lead generation, customer meetings – they are equally important, but which comes first?

While Developing the Skills Needed for Sales, You Must First Conquer the Chaos

Achieving consistent success, maintaining control, and conquering the chaos is the focus of Thomas Colson’s article for SalesIntel blog. Claiming it as a strategic imperative, Colson says time management is about prioritizing tasks and setting realistic goals. Helpfully, he offers 15 strategies as a GPS for your sales journey.

Essentially, the author suggests that effective time management can reduce stress and burnout, thereby creating a healthier work environment. Additionally, these skills enable a better work-life balance helping to hold the line between professional responsibilities and personal time. Below are just a few of Colson’s’ tips for mastering sales time management.

Do a Time Audit to Know Where Your Time Goes

A time audit is the practice of noting what you do during the workday. Once you analyze the results, you’ll have valuable insight that will improve accountability and boost your focus.

Allocate Time Blocks for Specific Activities

For instance, you can designate mornings for prospecting, afternoons for meetings and evenings for developing skills needed for sales. This practice helps to minimize multitasking and guards against interruptions, thereby helping you maintain focus.

Organize and Prioritize Your Tasks

Identify those high-priority tasks that will help you close deals and directly contribute to your sales goals. Use the Eisenhower matrix to categorize tasks into urgent/important, important/not urgent, urgent/not important, and neither.

Among the Skills Needed for Sales You May Find an Escape

Effective time management is not necessarily all nose to the grindstone. In fact, you may find some freedom as you embrace recommended strategies that that will improve your productivity.

Delegate When Possible

As you analyze your time audit identify those tasks that can be delegated to support staff or automation. Also, consider how your CRM can ease the burden or the integration of AI to help with specific tasks.

Consider the Pomodoro Technique

The brain training aspects of the Pomodoro Technique incorporate a timer, pen, and notepad to conduct sessions. These sessions help you be more focused and productive. The 25-minute periods include built-in breaks and operate on the principle of what gets measured, gets managed.

Putting a border around distractions such as email, social media and nonessential meetings is a wonderful way to escape! Discipline yourself to set specific times to check and respond to emails and social media.

Make Time for Continuing Education

A change is as good as a break! A variation in your concentrated effort can be rewarding. Take time to stay updated on industry trends or study the business of your newest sales prospect. Set a priority to invest in the sales skills you need to stay competitive.

Reflect on Your Challenges and Celebrate Your Achievements

It’s important to identify your successes and acknowledge your milestones. An introspective approach can help you stay motivated and renew your sense of resilience and determination. Furthermore, it will reinforce a positive mindset and foster a culture of continued success.

In summary, effective time management in sales is crucial for achieving individual and organizational goals. It empowers you to focus on high-impact activities, build and maintain relationships and meet deadlines. You will also continue to build on the skills needed for sales success.

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