SALES RECRUITERS, INC. BLOG

Excerpts from Homer Smith’s article Time to Spend:

The following are the final 11 of 21 tips for saving time through planning and preparation:

11.) Eliminate needless calls. Ask if the in-person call can be made the next time you are in the customer’s territory.

12.) Keep paperwork to a minimum, and find ways to reduce it. Do the paperwork outside of prime selling time.

13.) To improve the sales presentation, keep records and review them before making the call. Avoid unnecessary callbacks. Use efficient forms for reducing the amount of paperwork needed to give the desired essential information.

14.) Keep a sales record to see which accounts and merchandise produce the best sales. Compare results with time spent on each account.

15.) Fill out a call report after each call to be sure you have all the facts that will help you on the next call. Keep the report simple.

16.) Keep a time record for a few weeks to see where you spend your time. Study it to see what can be eliminated and what can be shortened.

17.) Keep a reminder file with folders for each day of the month. Drop in items that keep you from forgetting appointments and important details to cover on calls.

18.) Keep customer and prospect records on cards or sheets. Record information on the firm: whom to see, what the firm buys, what you have sold to the firm, etc. Use it for planning calls.

19.) Review each day’s performance. Where could it have been improved? What worked well that could be repeated? What leads did you get that should be followed up?

20.) Check to see if you have all supporting presentation material before you leave for a call to prevent the need for another trip or wasted time during the sales presentation.

21.) Keep in contact with your office regularly to get word of changes or developments that might affect your schedule, save a trip, or be something you might want to share with a prospect.

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Excerpts from Homer Smith’s article Time to Spend:

The following are 10 of 21 tips for saving time through planning and preparation:

01.) Schedule your selling activities as far in advance as possible monthly, weekly, and daily.

02.) Know where you are going each morning and why.

03.) Firm up your day’s schedule the evening before.

04.) Fill in the daily schedule with cold calls and prospecting to be done in the same areas in which you’re making your customer calls. Do not let them keep you from making more profitable customer calls, however.

05.) Plan replacement calls to substitute for those that might be canceled. Keep a second choice identified as a backup.

06.) Don’t assume that buyers can’t be sold during the conventional lunch hours. Find out which ones are available during the middle hours of the day, and schedule calls accordingly. You will find less competition then.

07.) Some reps like to set aside a part of each week, say Friday, for prospecting. This gives assurance that it will be done.

08.) Determine the best time to interview certain buyers. Schedule calls and appointments for these times, and build other calls in the same area around them.

09.) Analyze your accounts and rank them by potential business. Spend more time on the better accounts and less on the others. Get rid of accounts that are unprofitable. Use the telephone more often.

10.) Screen prospects carefully. First call on those who are most likely to buy or have the most potential.

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