Time Management Skills of Top Salespeople and How Anyone Can Use Them
Posted January 25th, 2011
Working longer hours may not be the best way to improve your performance. A recent survey of sales people has shown that it’s not how long they work that matters, but what they spend their time doing that makes the big difference in their success These superstars’ terrific time management skills could be used by just about anyone to improve on-the-job performance.
The study looked at more than 800 sales people at 500 companies. The results showed that at companies that performed the best financially, the sales people spent 40 percent more time every year with people who were likely to be their best customers, as well as an extra several hours each week in high-value sales activities, than sales people at poorly performing companies. Moreover, the most successful salespeople spent 30 percent less time on administrative tasks that other sales people.
Experts say the results show that they way sales people spend their time is essential to how a business performs. Even a few hours a week in a critical activity can make a big difference, experts said. Successful sales reps spend more time working to find out the customers needs and showing their products, as well spending more time tracking down good sales leads.
How can this apply to anyone? Take a look at your day and see which activities result in the best and most critical results. You’ll probably notice a pattern similar to that of the sales people — spend more of your efforts on the most effective or most successful activities and you’ll undoubtedly thrive more at work, both in results and in increasing your compensation; superstars in any field, whether it be administration, IT, sales, marketing, etc., often are rewarded for their efforts. (If you’re a superstar at work and your company doesn’t recognize you as such, you may want to start looking for a firm that will.)
Time management appears to be key to one’s success. More than half of the those in the surveys responded that they had a high degree of concern about time management skills. About half of the companies that offer time management training classes for their employees do it with their own workers, rather than using training consultants.
Is it time to look for another employer? If so, send your résumé to a Bayside Solutions recruiter. We have many openings for IT and other professionals in some of the San Francisco’s best companies. We look forward to hearing from you.
