6 Steps To Become More Time Rich In Your Sales Career

One of my first sales roles was at a car dealership selling Hyundai. They are a decent car now but back then if the cars I sold made it off the lot without breaking down it was a win. I was young, energetic and seemingly rich with time as I had zero commitments outside of work. I used to go to work on my off days to prospect and stayed all day and night on my regularly scheduled days because the thrill of the sale and the chase for the next prospect created such an addicting adrenaline. I was the youngest person on my sales team by over ten years and as time went by I used to get comments from the vet sales people who sounded a little like, “hey do you do anything but work?” or “don’t you have a life?” Back then I would respond by saying that I loved what I do. Maybe I was a lonely guy. I didn’t have many friends in the area at the time. They all moved to other cities or stuck around their colleges after graduation so admittedly I used to be a keep to myself kind of person. So, work and sitting across from a customer gave me the social element I wanted in my life. However, one comment struck me hard. An old-timer sales guy came up to me and asked me to come sit down with him over lunch. I agreed and when we did there is one quote he said, and I remember it so well! He said, “Pat, look around the dealership and how many happy marriages are there?” Every single person was divorced or in a relationship that was heavily strained because of the lack of quality time!

I come from a single parent situation. Even in my youth I knew I wanted to have a happy spouse one day and enjoy raising a child. Being a single guy and no family (wife and kid) was miserable for me. So, I decided right there and then to pivot my focus from a high energy, and always working sales rep to becoming an efficient sales professional without giving up effectiveness. Some of the things I implemented not only gave me more effectiveness, but I made more money in less time at work. Now because of the result of much-needed change I made in my life and approach to my sales career I travel the world with my wife and son while running a successful sales coaching and training agency at 40 years old. I could retire completely but I absolutely love helping others grow. For starters, here are some of the steps I took:

?Make each conversation matter:

I remember watching and listening to sales people burn through leads and prospects. They would quickly disqualify people and try to just get rid of them. Not me, I built a fan club. You want to treat each person like they are the most important person on earth at that time. No matter what the result is! No matter what they can or cannot do for you. Their time is valuable. I can’t tell you how many introductions I have received from people who just feel like I’m a good person who listened to their needs and saw me or my solution as a fit for a friend or someone they know. You must care about people. You are not in sales you are in the business of people. Sales really should be called, “People-ing” and we should all be called people persons. Ok that title sounds dumb and forget I typed that. The point is stop selling and start connecting by making every conversation matter. One other long-term strategy I used was to listen to a prospect and what they need and send them to another prospect that could fulfill their needs if I could not. This takes time to build a network of people but guess what? When you do this, you get two people (prospect A and prospect B) that completely trust you and not just one or none. Also, build fans you can communicate with for life and not just for the role you are in right now. You’ll probably change jobs quite a few times in your career.

Put your foot down with management or leave!

If you are doing all you can in the hours required to do your role, you are an over achiever, you help your team members, then you have done your part. Do not let any manager force you to work longer hours through a guilt trip because their numbers are not met. It is your manager’s job to coach an entire team to their numbers not just three people on a six-person team. There are too many sales departments serving lunch, offering games, and happy hours to entice employees to remain in the office for 50 -60 hours a week. I never bought into this as a sales team morale practice. I just think It’s wrong because it becomes an office of clicks and good ol boy clubs. If you are in this culture and your high performance isn’t enough for your manager then I suggest you move on to a culture that is a better fit.

Invest your commission checks and live on your salary.

How many sales people live check to check even though their checks are higher than most people make in a month? Probably most of the team you are a part of.  The road to happiness is not through bottle service at the club. It’s fun and a great luxury but you really should be investing your commission checks in something. I invested in real estate, stocks, and business investments. I can proudly say about 80% of my total commission earnings were invested. I believe that this security helped me with making every conversation matter (suggestion 1 above) because I put less pressure on my prospects due to my solid financial foundation outside of work. Going out with your friends, living check to check, living above your means, and overspending can put unnecessary pressure on yourself. 

Read above your prospects level.

The amount of trust you will gain from your prospect will be enormous by following this simple suggestion. You should spend as much time as possible reading about the roles of which you are prospecting. If you are not educated on the industries you are targeting read about them, understand what your prospects really need. What does marketing look like in their industry? Know how decision makers make decisions, who are the biggest players in their industry and why. Become a subject matter expert in your prospects industry. Know the future of the industry. This will take time if you sell a service or product that can touch many industries, but, it will save you and your prospect time when you become more efficient at building a better case for using your service or product. This should increase your close ratio due to your expertise.

Find a hobby outside of work and commit time to that.

I love kart racing, going on very long walks, seeing movies in a theater, and cooking. If I don’t find time to do these activities frequently I feel a bit empty. Mental health is very important and in our industry we are all under a lot of high pressure. You must be able to take your foot off the gas and enjoy your time. Don’t fool yourself by saying that your job or career is so enjoyable that it is your hobby. It’s not! Stop telling yourself this now! If you are in a relationship this is even more important because before you can love someone with all of yourself, you must be able to love yourself by investing in you time. Only when you are complete and happy can you go to your significant other and offer them the full attention and love they so deserve. 

Spend impeccable time with your significant other!

Your significant other can be a boyfriend/girlfriend, spouse, family member, or pet. It doesn’t matter who they are, but you must spend amazing time with them. Communicate clearly with each other, be understanding of each other’s time and expectations. You don’t want to ignore your significant others need for you and your time. Never let the beginning, middle, or end of month complicate your time with your significant other or they start to lose trust and stress is now part of their life and the result is that stress then becomes part of yours. Years ago, I remember saying to my wife, “honey its my one day off this week I need to do what I want not what you want.” Wow, do I regret this statement because this person just spent the better part of a week waiting for me to be available to her and here I am thinking about myself. So much went wrong that led to this moment. I worked six days a week, spent no time on my hobbies, and then committed no time or energy to her needs. This really hurts to type that I allowed that back then and I’m glad that I learned from it. Be good to your loved one. Invest in listening to them regularly and help them along their path. Sales people can have a selfish streak so make sure you are a good teammate to your loved one. 

Conclusion:

How do these steps help you?

You are rich with time. 

You and your significant other are closer.

You are a happier person and you exude more positive energy. 

Naturally you are more attractive to interact with. 

You will not put as much pressure on yourself because of your newfound happiness by spending more time on yourself and education through reading.

You are excited about the future because you are well invested financially, and you don’t see your next prospect as your path to pay your rent because you invested in Friday nights at the club. 

You are more complete inside and with this comes confidence.

There are many more suggestions on this subject I can help you with. I love helping people find the same happiness and security I found in my life through my sales and sales management career.  If you find this article interesting, helpful, and compelling enough to contact me please do! You may learn about my sales coaching programs and pricing by clicking here.  If you are not ready to commit to coaching but want to speak first you may schedule a free 15-minute session to discuss your sales coaching needs by clicking here.