The best salespeople — those who achieve their goals over and over again – aren’t just naturally likeable or born with a knack for persuasion. These top performers simply know how to manage their time. Most salespeople only spend 90 minutes of their workday actively selling. They spend the rest of their time completing non-sales activities, from answering emails to writing proposals. While these activities are necessary, sales professionals shouldn’t get so caught up in them that they have little time left over to sell.

Josiane Feigon, president and founder of TeleSmart Communications, has met sales reps who enthusiastically call prospects all day long. But these people aren’t skilled at forecasting, and they end up wasting a good portion of their time. She has also met sales professionals who excel at planning and research, but they don’t leave time for calling potential buyers.

She says the best reps tend to follow three habits. We discuss her thoughts on these essential habits in this issue of Promotional Consultant Today.

1. They schedule time for selling. Top-performing sales reps don’t leave their calendar to chance. Instead, they block off dedicated time to focus solely on prospecting. Feigon recommends that sales reps schedule “power hours” three times a week. She says 90 minutes is the best time block because you can focus without needing to take a break or pause for interruptions. These time blocks should be non-negotiable, which means you should politely decline requests and calls during the 90 minutes you set aside for selling. Feigon says that if you do this at least three times per week, you’ll see results within a month.

2. They identify the right targets. The most successful sales professionals get specific with their prospecting. They research and strategically plan their territory. Feigon suggests creating a quarterly territory plan that sales reps revisit and adjust often. This plan could include things like a territory’s top 25 accounts and territory summaries and overviews. You could also analyze each territory’s competitive landscape.

3. They create a daily tactical plan. Feigon notes that a tactical plan differs from a stratetic plan, which focuses on who you sell to. A tactical plan focuses on what you need to do to make quota. The more precise you can get with your numbers, the better you can become at forecasting. For example, a tactical plan might include making 75 daily outbound calls, having five meaningful conversations each day and giving five presentations each week. Feigon recommends being conservative and rounding down so that your baseline is your quota.

It’s no secret that sales professionals are strapped for time. Much is required of them, which can leave them with little time for actually selling. You can help set your team up for better productivity by considering the tips above. From blocking off time for selling to getting specific about prospecting, small but intentional changes can lead to enhanced productivity and more sales.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Josiane Feigon is president and founder of TeleSmart Communications, a global training and consulting company. She’s the author of Smart Sales Manager and Smart Selling on the Phone and Online.