Any of your time that is not used wisely reduces your earnings potential.
I will take the way back machine to the years that I sold
medical supplies. My customers were individual doctors in private practice,
clinics and some hospitals. I learned important career changing lessons from the experience and from my colleagues.
Start with the undisputable truth that more sales calls
equal more sales. There are some underlying qualifying rules. You have to know what
you are talking about and you must not spend time with non-decision makers or
customers who do not have a need. Follow those three simple rules and you will
validate the fact that more sales calls equal more sales.
I worked with some great salespeople during that time. They
sold a lot of stuff and made a lot of money. In order to do that, they made it
their business not to waste their selling time. They didn’t waste their time
and they did not let others waste their time either. They kept small talk to a minimum
and honored prime selling hours. Prime selling hours are defined as the time
that your customers are available to buy.
Day after day we made sales calls took orders for medical
supplies and then wrote up the orders for our employer to process. It was a
manual system. Order pads and pencils were our order entry tools. This was
before we had computer systems to input orders. The top producers never wrote
up their orders during the day. It was customary for them to write up their
orders in the evening and hand them in every morning. Anything else interfered
with their selling time. These boys knew how to make money. They earned more
because they optimized their time and honored prime selling time.
Another lesson that I learned is that hospital purchasing departments
are open from 7:00 AM until 3:30 PM. If you tried to make a sales call on them
after 3:30 PM there would not be anyone to talk to. On the other hand, if you made your calls
early in the morning there were few competitors in the room. Not everyone
follows the rules of time optimization.
In the 1980’s I sold computer billing systems to doctors. Doctors
are very busy people. If I wanted the undivided attention of a doctor the very
best time to get it was at the hospital in the morning. We would meet in the doctor’s lounge for coffee early
in the morning before they made rounds or did surgery. By the way, there were
never competitors hanging around then either.
The smart salespeople who are top producers and earners make
the best use of their time. They don’t waste their own time and they do not let
others waste their time.
This brings me to a friend of mine who started a business
selling safety equipment. His systems needed to be engineered properly to work
right. Early in his launch he learned his valuable lesson the hard way. In
order to quote equipment and installation services he had to spend hours at the
client site determining their needs. After his consultation he prepared a quote
and waited for the order that didn’t come. He finally called and learned that
his customer purchased the equipment on the Internet for less money.
His consulting and documentation gave them everything they needed to cut him
out of the business. Needless to say, he now charges for the consultation. His
customer stole his time. That will never happen again.
Be aware of your time and how to optimize it for the greatest return. Do not give away something that is essential for your success.
