Dave Kahle - 11 Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople: Gain the Competitive Edge and Make Every Second Count

Gain the Competitive Edge and
Make Every Second Count

11th Anniversary Edition

Dave Kahle

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

Copyright 2013 by Dave Kahle

Edited by Kara Kumple

Cover design by Rob Johnson

978-1-5040-2027-5

The Career Press, Inc.

220 West Parkway, Unit 12

Pompton Plains, NJ 07444

www.careerpress.com

Distributed by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

345 Hudson Street

New York, NY 10014

www.openroadmedia.com

Ive written a number of other books, but in this one, more so than the others, I feel a much greater need to acknowledge a whole slew of people.

Im reminded of my father, who died at far too young an age. He provided me with a role model of a professional salesperson before I even knew what a salesperson was.

Then, of course, there is every sales manager and company who ever hired me to sell for them. From the Jewel Companies to H.C. Electronics, U.S. Surgical Corp., Greening & Hoffman, and White & White, my major employers during my formative selling years provided the experience and guidance that laid the foundation for my second career.

Since 1988 I have served hundreds of clients, helping them increase their sales and develop their people. Every single one of them signed a contract and wrote a check. These engagements provided me with the opportunity to practice my craft, assist them in growing their businesses, and further refine the ideas expressed in this book.

Thousands of people have attended my presentations at conventions and conferences and interacted with me at Webinars and seminars around the continent. The feedback they provided throughout the years provided the knife that helped me carve out the superfluous from this program, and whittle and shape the message.

My staffparticularly Cheryl, who read every wordhas provided me with the time and space to write this book.

My wife, Coleen, is forever supportive.

My Savior, Jesus Christ, has transformed my life and brought me to a place where I can touch people with expertise and authority.

I owe them all.

Introduction:
Its a Daily Battle

Time-Management Secret #1:
Get Grounded

Time-Management Secret #2:
Think About It Before You Do It

Time-Management Secret #3:
Think Right

Time-Management Secret #4:
Prioritize Your Customers and Prospects

Time-Management Secret #5:
Stay on Top of the Flow

Time-Management Secret #6:
Clean out the Gunk

Time-Management Secret #7:
Create Systems

Time-Management Secret #8:
Stick to an Effective Sales Process

Time-Management Secret #9:
Nurture Helpful Relationships

Time-Management Secret #10:
Stay Balanced

Time-Management Secret #11:
Live Deeper

Remember the television commercial of the salesperson driving down the expressway with a cell phone balanced on his shoulder, a cup of coffee in one hand, and a laptop computer teetering on the dashboard? The voice in the background says, You know hes out there.

Thats a frightening commercial because of the element of truth in it. The life of a salesperson these days is a battle with an overwhelming number of things to do, ever-rising expectations, and conflicting pressures.

Whereas this has always been the case for field salespeople, in recent years the pressures have increased dramatically in every aspect of the salespersons job. Customers are more sophisticated, more demanding, and harder to see. Communication technology has compounded the difficulty of the salespersons job, making it necessary to be constantly on the phone either talking or texting. Whereas a few years ago a salesperson could visit a customer without an appointment, today theyre necessary, and getting that appointment adds multiple phone calls to the salespersons job. Each phone call, text, or e-mail is one more task and one more small investment of time in an already full day.

The products and services offered by many salespeople have expanded in quantity and sophistication. As companies strive to meet the changing demands of their customers, the number of items sold has increased proportionately. For instance, I just finished a phone call with a sales manager who described a typical situation. His company, previously a software publisher with one basic product, had recently purchased a competitor. The combined sales force now has 11 products to sell. Every time a new product or service is introduced, it must be learned, the information must be filed, the presentation must be organized, and so on. All of these things take time out of the salespersons day. A salesperson with 10 things to sell, must spend much more time dealing with information and organization than one with half as many offerings.

So, not only are customers demands and the increasing number of products and services adding more pressure to the salesperson, but the companies for whom they work, are chipping in with additional demands as well. Salespeople are being asked to collect more information about their customers, report in more sophisticated ways, use more complex computer programs, and take part in more meetings than ever before.

The concept of the field salesperson as part of a team, is also growing more common, and all that communication with team members adds more tasks to the salespersons already long list. Each new task is an additional demand on his or her time.

No wonder typical field salespeople feel like the weight of the world is pressing down on them. Their jobs have become overwhelming. Field salespeople are working more hours, and, as a result, are feeling more stressed. Personal relationships fracture as spouses, children, and significant others are neglected. Production suffers as salespeople are confronted with too much to do and not enough time in which to do it.

At the same time, traditional time-management guidelines have little application for the field salesperson. A few years ago, I watched a time-management guru present a two-day seminar at an annual sales meeting for the company for which I worked. This university professor conveyed principle after principle of time managementall very appropriate if you worked in an office all day long, but very inappropriate if you were a field salesperson. The audience of field salespeople became more and more frustrated as the seminar progressed. Finally, one of my colleagues stood up and said, You dont understand. We dont get interruptions; we are the interrupters!

Clearly, most of the time-management principles and tactics presented by this and other gurus totally miss the unique challenges of the field salesperson.

All of this may be moot if it doesnt impact you. So, before you read any further, reflect on whether you personally feel the weight of any of these pressures. Complete the following assessment: