When it comes to time, the more that can be spent on efficiency and effective activities, the better. Unfortunately, time is one of the things that needs to be guarded and managed in order to maintain productivity, and it’s also one of the biggest challenges. For Sales leaders who want to be successful, it’s critical to ensure time is being spent on commercial activities. Not being drained away by admin-intensive work and unproductive problem-solving.
Below are four of the best time-saving tips to implement immediately.
1. Utilise the power of technology
Implementing the right technology can unlock business productivity. Today’s Cloud solutions are a good starting place, as they are often designed to improve collaboration and access to information, at scale. Plus, these tools promote security and business efficiency. For a Sales leader, that means making quicker decisions on the go, and enabling teams to work in real-time with up-to-date information.
The collaborative impact of modern technology also has the power to significantly speed up time-intensive activities, such as recording meeting notes, and operations. Plus, with automation becoming more popular, admin-based tasks can often be left to software to take care of. The main thing to consider is what the right technology looks like for your team. It’s different for everyone.
2. If it’s not working, ditch it
Don’t flog a dead horse… It’s an expression used for when trying to sell something people just don’t want. But, the same applies when it comes to processes and activities. Just because something has been in place for a long time, doesn’t mean it should stay. That could be old sales scripts, processes, technologies, and so on. As with everything, processes and practices also become inefficient and out-of-date.
If something isn’t working, don’t persist. Get rid and improve it. Question older processes and focus on streamlining them, or finding new ways of doing things quicker and more efficiently. Work out where time is being wasted. That’s where the starting point needs to be. If it’s revealed that a significant amount of time is being spent on non-important activities, find a way to ditch it, automate it or improve it.
3. Empower teams to solve problems
Spending time problem-solving may seem like a good way for a leader to spend time, but it’s actually counter-productive. Why? Because people are an enabler. Sales teams need to feel trusted and empowered. And salespeople are well-used to problem-solving and coming up with solutions. So, once an issue has been exposed, don’t feel like you are the only one who can solve it. Let your team try to tackle it. That can free up hours of time which can, instead, be spent on more beneficial things such as training.
Additionally, your team will quite often come up with a more effective outcome as they are the ones who will be using or benefitting from the solution. That’s in contrast to a leader solving the problem, and then telling or showing them what to do.
4. Solve the email headache to win back time
Despite the rise in other communication methods, particularly for senior people in the business, email is still a massive productivity drain. Too many leaders waste hours every day reading, responding and replying to emails. Not only can that waste loads of time, but it can sometimes result in missing urgent items.
Quick behavioural changes, such as dedicating specific time each day to respond and read emails, putting a stop to unnecessarily long email chains, turning off email notifications, using sales templates, and so on, can result in quick wins. Ultimately, you want to be spending your valuable time on money-making activities. The organisation of your email will help. If it’s a quote request or invoice, that’s something you want to respond to quickly. The key is in staying on top of your inbox and turning it from a massive time-drain to an active to-do list/
Unlocking productivity
There you have it. Try these quick tips and see how much time you get back. If one doesn’t work, try another. If it doesn’t suit your needs, move on. But always keep in mind, eliminating time-wasting activities will help streamline your operations and free up your time to be spent more wisely.
