Sales is a fast-paced career. Just because things move quickly and your days are packed with appointments and tasks, though, doesn’t mean you achieve success faster. In fact, you might be stalling your success by spinning your wheels on unnecessary activities.

Benyamin Elias, director of content marketing at ActiveCampaign, says that sales organizations are only as effective as they are efficient. By focusing on productive sales instead of simply being busy, you can often boost your conversion rates and close more deals.

In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share Elias’ best practices for boosting sales productivity.

Begin your day prospecting. You need plenty of leads to build a strong book of business. Elias recommends using the first hour of every day to create new opportunities.

Learn to qualify prospects more effectively. No one wants to waste time on “zombie leads,” those prospects who never become customers. Clearly define who your sales team should pursue—and which leads are not a great fit.

Take every sales call seriously. In this era of virtual meetings, your sales rep may feel more relaxed chatting over Zoom instead of sitting across the table from someone. However, to boost your sales productivity, it’s critical to use that time wisely. Stay focused on discovery questions and be ready to move the conversation to the next stage, says Elias.

Batch your time. If your sales team spends too much time responding to emails, set aside specific times for replying. By batching your time like this, you can focus on deep work the rest of the day and you won’t have to keep jumping from task to task.

Send better emails. You can do this by being more precise, according to Elias. Think about what you want to achieve with the email and then explain the process clearly in the message. For example, instead of saying, “Are you available next week?” you could say, “I’m available Wednesday at 3pm to discuss your contract. Does that time work for you? If so, I’ll send you a Zoom link.”

Spend more time on research. To be more productive with your sales efforts, don’t neglect your research. Having a deep understanding of a potential buyer can give you new ideas for how to present your offerings, notes Elias.

Prioritize onboarding and sales training. If a training session makes a sales rep just one percent more productive, this means they could conduct 200 more hours of work in just one year, says Elias. Now imagine this number carried out with every sales rep on your team. Onboarding and training can substantially pay off.

Reward excellent sales efforts. Pausing to recognize hard work on your sales team can go a long way at motivating your reps. While sales compensation packages are always important, praise can also be a powerful way to encourage productivity.

Instead of focusing on being busy and cramming as much activity as you can into each day, think about other ways you can enhance productivity. From blocking off the beginning of your day to prospect to investing in frequent training for your employees, you can help your sales team be more effective and successful.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Benyamin Elias is the director, content marketing at ActiveCampaign.