A common problem for salespeople is spending over 50% of their time on non-selling tasks.
This is a problem because it takes up a lot of time, distracts the salesperson from their goals, and can lead to burnout.
The solution is to create an efficient system for handling these tasks so that you can focus on selling.
Why Sellers Don’t Have Enough Time to Sell
One of the most significant challenges for sales teams is finding ways to increase productivity and drive results. Unfortunately, salespeople tend to spend too much time on non-selling tasks, which can impact their ability to close deals. Here are some of the most common reasons they struggle to focus on selling.
Poor Relationship Management
Relationship management is an integral part of any business’s sales strategy. Long-term relationships with clients and prospects offer many benefits, including the ability to build trust and foster loyalty.
Managing relationships with long-term prospects and clients can be challenging for sales professionals. Of course, managing those relationships is essential, so they are productive, but it is also important to keep an eye on the possibility of sales opportunities.
Losing Time on Administrative Tasks
In today’s business world, organizations are challenged to provide exemplary customer service while looking for ways to save money on administrative tasks.
A good salesperson will make an effort to eliminate unnecessary administrative tasks. They know that the best way to keep their team members engaged is to give them meaningful work that they see adding value to the company.
The benefits of this approach are clear: it allows you to make more efficient use of your resources, freeing up your team members from mundane work that doesn’t require their specialized skills. It also allows more salespeople to interact with customers, leading to better customer service and a more positive experience for everyone involved.
Unnecessary Meetings
This can lead to missed opportunities, increased stress, and decreased productivity, which can negatively impact your bottom line.
So how do you reduce the amount of time spent in unproductive meetings?
The first step is to set goals before each meeting. A plan creates a focus for the discussion and helps ensure that everyone has something to contribute. Goals also help ensure that attendees are engaged throughout the meeting by giving them clear direction on what they should be contributing to (and what they should be listening for).
The second step is to keep track of meeting results and follow up on any action items coming from those meetings. This will help ensure that everyone involved has a clear understanding of what is expected from them and that there aren’t any questions left unanswered after the meeting ends; it will also help prevent any issues from arising later down the road due to lack of follow through.
A Lack of (or Excessive) Planning
Over-planning can lead to a situation in which the salesperson worries about how they will accomplish all of the tasks they’ve assigned themselves rather than focusing on the customer’s needs. This can lead to missed opportunities and lost revenue.
Under-planning can be just as damaging. For example, a salesperson who does not have enough time to plan their day will be forced to waste time during client meetings. This leads to a loss of productivity and can cause clients to grow frustrated with them.
Conclusion
As a sales leader, you know that most of your team’s time is spent on non-selling tasks. This reduces revenue for your organization and compensation for the salespeople whose time is misdirected.
In order to ensure that your salespeople are spending their time most effectively, it’s crucial to have a clear picture of what they’re doing with their time. In addition, you need insight into which activities are generating revenue for your company and which are not.