As a sales manager, you have to juggle multiple tasks and deadlines, from coaching your team and monitoring their performance to closing deals and generating reports. How can you prioritize your tasks effectively and efficiently, without compromising your quality and results? Here are some tips to help you manage your deadlines and avoid stress and burnout.
The first step to prioritize your tasks is to clarify your goals and priorities. What are the most important outcomes you want to achieve in your role, and what are the key indicators of success? How do your tasks align with your goals and priorities, and how do they contribute to the overall objectives of your organization? You can use a framework like SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to define your goals and priorities clearly and realistically.
As a sales manager, prioritizing tasks to meet deadlines involves setting clear goals. Ensure your tasks align with these goals and focus on high-impact activities that directly contribute to them. Be flexible to adapt to changing circumstances and build buffer time into your schedule to handle unexpected challenges. This approach will help you stay on track and consistently meet your deadlines, ultimately benefiting your sales team and organization.
The best way I've found to manage time is to set goals and deadlines and then work backward on how to get there with calendar blocking. We used a system called EOS [Entrepreneur Operating System] so we all had daily, weekly and monthly goals that rolled into company Quarterly rocks. This was game changer!
A prioritization matrix is a tool that helps you rank your tasks based on their urgency and importance. You can use a simple 2x2 matrix with four quadrants: urgent and important, urgent but not important, important but not urgent, and neither urgent nor important. You should focus on the tasks that are urgent and important first, delegate or outsource the tasks that are urgent but not important, schedule the tasks that are important but not urgent, and eliminate or minimize the tasks that are neither urgent nor important.
A simple way to look at it, is this going to bring in more revenue. We looked at everything as a revenue experiment to test for 90 days, if it's not working why are we doing it? If it's an experiment prioritize it based on Impact, Ease of Use, and Potential.
Once you have prioritized your tasks, you need to plan and schedule them accordingly. You can use a calendar, a planner, or a project management software to organize your tasks and deadlines. You should also estimate how much time each task will take, and allocate enough buffer time for unexpected delays or issues. You should also review your plan and schedule regularly, and adjust them as needed based on your progress and feedback.
We often overestimate what we can do in a day and underestimate what we can do in a decade. Block off those calendars based on what tasks move the needle. This mostly means spending time with your people. Do the work, coach them, eliminate blockers, and enable your team to get work done. I love to tell them "Feel free to ignore me to get your job done" This sets the pace. I like to schedule messages in Slack and email and communicate at times I know will not be distracting.
HubSpot has been incredibly useful to me, in organizing tasks seamlessly. Its intuitive interface simplifies setting reminders and creating to-do lists, making it efficient to manage tasks. The ability to categorize, prioritize, and set deadlines ensures a structured approach. Plus, its integration with reminders keeps me on track without missing important deadlines.
You don't have to do everything by yourself. You can delegate some of your tasks to your team members, or collaborate with other departments or external partners. Delegating can help you free up some of your time and energy, and empower your team to take more ownership and responsibility. However, you should also communicate clearly and frequently with your team and stakeholders, and provide them with the necessary guidance, support, and feedback. You should also set clear expectations and boundaries, and monitor the quality and results of the delegated tasks.
Delegating is an underestimated superpower. If someone can get it done at 80% of your level, delegate it. One of the strategies I've used for this is asking for volunteers. Some ideas to test: 1. Who wants to run the sales meeting this Friday? 2. Who wants to take notes, or [last one to show takes notes] 3. Who wants to take over reporting on this metric? 4. Who wants to run the training this month? Your people will consistently surprise you.
One of the biggest challenges to meet your deadlines is to avoid distractions and procrastination. Distractions can come from various sources, such as emails, phone calls, social media, or interruptions from others. Procrastination can stem from various reasons, such as fear of failure, lack of motivation, or perfectionism. You can avoid distractions and procrastination by setting a specific time and place for your tasks, limiting your access to distracting apps or websites, breaking down your tasks into smaller and manageable steps, rewarding yourself for completing your tasks, and seeking help or feedback when you need it.
Regardless if you are at home or in an office, the number one distraction is something we pick up over 300x a day. Your phone. Put your phone away for DEEP work, do not look at it while in remote or in-person meetings. Schedule time for your phone. The 2nd biggest culprit is Slack/Email. We need to schedule time to look at these to focus on the task at hand. -Sales people - cold call blocks -Leaders - call reviews
Finally, you should also take care of yourself and your well-being. Meeting deadlines can be stressful and demanding, and it can affect your physical and mental health. You should also balance your work and personal life, and make time for your hobbies, interests, and relationships. You should also practice healthy habits, such as getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising regularly, and meditating or relaxing. Taking care of yourself can help you boost your energy, productivity, and creativity, and prevent burnout and exhaustion.
Absolutely! Mental and physical health truly form the foundation of our capacity to navigate life's demands. They're not just aspects of our lives, they're the very engines driving our ability to succeed. When we prioritize self-care, we're not just investing in the present, we're securing our future endeavors. In essence, self-care isn’t an indulgence, it’s a strategic necessity for sustained success and fulfillment.