Time Management: Time Travel Strategies For B2B Sales Success

HG Wells was not alone in trying to bend time for some greater purpose, salespeople do it every day. Unlike other professional endeavours, say sports, B2B sales reps not only have to win, but each year they have to win by more.

That’s right, their quota goes up, the number of accounts they juggle grows, but the minutes on the clock stay fixed. Therefore, the best salespeople are those who figure out how to squeeze more out each minute, hour, day, and year.

Time travel is not limited to the movies, it exists in real life, time management strategies abound. And while time is key to improving productivity, sellers need to create more than a time management strategy. Salespeople need to develop time travel strategies for B2B sales success. It’s about managing simultaneous events unfolding at the same time, something akin to time travel.

Multiple Timeline

Managing a territory is not easy, selling to evolving and developing existing accounts, especially when your key resource is non-renewable. While you can rekindle a dormant prospect or account, you can never get back time, hence the focus on “managing” time.

But you can’t really manage time, you should work to maximize. Something that continues to get easier as technology continues to enhance sales productivity. This is why I focus clients to look for tools that allow them to progress with multiple opportunities, at the same time.

We have all instances where even with a willing prospect, nailing the appointment was hard and time-consuming. Coordinating with many calendars leads to a bunch of “let me check” or I’ll find out and get back to you.” By the time it is all said and done, you’ve spent time and nerves to secure a meeting everyone wanted. Imagine if it was a cold prospect.

But the right tool eliminates stress, keeps momentum forward, securing appointments with multiple people at the same time. No going back and forth, no horse-trading, only an increase in productivity and pipeline.

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Time Comes Managed

While time is critical, here for a second, gone forever, and not reversible. Often the difference between the best and the rest is how they “spend” their time. Time is the currency of sales. How you invest, spend, hold on to, or squander time, will dictate your results.

One of the fastest ways to squander time is to pay too much attention to time management. Why? Time comes managed, 24 hours to a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks per year; it’s managed. What do you think you can add to something that everyone on the planet already agrees with?

It comes down to how we utilize time, what we choose to focus and ‘spend’ it on. It’s like investing, pick the right stock, and it’ll pay dividends, wrong pick, and the money is gone forever. When it comes to time, you should think about allocating, and “managing” the activity you allocated time to.

Therefore, you should allocate your time to activities that deserve you, and delegate ones that don’t. And that’s the rub, the fact that I don’t have time, the task to be completed; what do you do? A study a few years back showed that on average, there were 100 – 150 uncompleted tasks in reps’ CRM. The challenge is not that reps don’t want to do them; they just don’t have time.

Time Productivity

The good news is, there’s an app for that. That’s right, I use Yesware to help me be productive with multiple opportunities all at the same time.

It allows people to easily book the right time for them without the frustrations described above. While one prospect is booking an appointment, I am firing off 3 emails to specific people within the account. 

With a greater focus on specific accounts, people, and opportunities, you can target based on role and other factors. Based on the prospects’ work habits, I can ensure the right message arrives at the optimal time. I can engage at the moment that they are engaged and ready to deal with a topic.

There is one other bonus to leveraging a tool that gives you time and productivity. In many instances, your approach, professionalism, and control will make you stand out.

Our prospects are battling as much as we are to maximize their 24 hours and improve time management. They will clearly see that you are utilizing your time differently. More effectively than the competition, and likely the prospect. They’ll be attracted to those who they feel have figured out something they are struggling with. Clearly, you have the right solution for time, it is easy to extrapolate that you have the solution for them.

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About the Author:  TIBOR SHANTO – Chief Value Officer.

Chief Prospecting Officer – Renbor Sales Solutions Inc. 

Tibor has been a sales leader for over 25 years, called a brilliant sales tactician, Tibor helps sales teams and organizations translate strategy to results through a focus on execution. Tibor develops salespeople who understand that success in sales is about Execution – Everything Else Is Just Talk! Tibor has trained leading companies including Imperial Oil, Bell Canada, Business Development Bank, and others. His Proactive Prospecting Program has been accredited by the Canadian Professional Sales Association. In addition, Tibor is:

• Sales Hall Of Fame Inductee
• Co-author of the award-winning book Shift!: Harness The Trigger Events That Turn Prospects Into Customers
• Forbes.com – voted Top 30 Salespeople In The World 
• MVP Social Selling – Sales Pro Central 2020
• Top Sales World – Top Sales & Marketing Blog, Gold Medal Winner