Want to Sell More? Protect This Over Everything Else

How much time do you spend interacting with prospects on a weekly basis?

If you are like many of the sales professionals I work with, the answer is around 20% of your time.

The rest of your time is spent on what I refer to as “indirect selling” activities, which most often consist of:

• Internal meetings

• Sales meetings

• Updating your CRM

• Researching new prospects

There’s a problem with all of this. You see, these indirect selling activities don’t help you sell.

In my forthcoming book, The Sales Multiplier Formula, I discuss what I refer to as the Sales Time Trap.

It refers to how, as a new salesperson, you have nearly eight hours a day to focus on direct selling activities. However, as time progresses, you have more customers to interact with, more people in the company know you and pull you into meetings, and the time available for direct selling diminishes.

In other words, the longer you are with your company, the more indirect selling activities you are expected to participate in.

The biggest culprit of them all is internal meetings.

My advice? Protect your direct selling time like your life (and career) depend on it.

Don’t give up your precious prospecting time to sit in internal meetings that don’t directly relate to making more sales.

Is this easy to do? No, it’s not. In fact, you may be seen as an outsider or someone who doesn’t collaborate well with others.

Well, if you spend time sitting in meetings regularly, then you will sell less.?

What do you think your boss will frown upon more – you participating less in internal meetings or you selling less?

My guess is the latter.

Samuel Goldwyn once said, “the harder I work, the luckier I get.”

When it comes to direct selling activities, you need to work hard AND be consistent.

So be critical of requests to sit in internal meetings. Educate those around you on the need to maintain (or increase!) your direct selling time.

Ultimately you, and your boss, will be happy you did.

Best, Shawn

P.S.: On June 24th, 2024, at 12pm ET I’ll be delivering a LIVE webinar via LinkedIn.

This is the second livestream in a series that I’ll be delivering over the next couple of months. This series is designed to help you introduce your very own Unstoppable Sales? Machine. Join me by visiting my LinkedIn Profile on June 24th at 12pm ET! Here's what is coming up.

1. Invite Me to Speak: Motivate your sales team to sell more, and get real world actionable tips and strategies?by inviting me to speak at your sales meeting or annual retreat. Learn more here.
2. Get Personalized Coaching:?Up level your skills, improve your sales performance, and/or lead your sales team to achieve higher levels of performance with?group or one-to-one?coaching. Choose which option is best suited for you here.
3. Read the Blog: Stay up to date on the latest sales techniques and strategies. Read my observations and thinking on selling in today’s market by visiting my blog.
4. Read The Unstoppable Sales Machine: Equip yourself with unstoppable sales skills for the new economy. Get a personalized copy of the book by clicking here.
5. Enroll in Sales Strategy: How to Effectively Sell Your Product or Service. Working closely with?LinkedIn, I've crafted a robust program that covers crucial aspects of selling in today's economy.?Whether you are a sales professional or someone charged with developing a sales strategy, this program is for you!
6. Enroll in Sales Prospecting: How to Connect with Today’s Busy Buyers. In this course, you'll receive concrete guidance and best practices for prospecting. I dive into preparing to prospect, developing your touchpoint strategy, and standing apart from your competition when you're prospecting. Learn the best prospecting methods to grab the attention of today’s busy buyers and to build trust and rapport by offering value.

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Email your sales questions to: [email protected]