In yesterday’s Advisor, sales expert Joseph DiMisa outlined how to determine the right competencies for million-dollar sales reps; today, DiMisa shares tips on how to keep your reps spending their time productively as they strive for the seven-figure mark.
With over 20 years of experience working in all aspects of sales, DiMisa is Sibson’s Sales Force Effectiveness Practice Leader, working with leading companies to develop and implement sales strategies and sales effectiveness programs that drive profitable growth.
Do Your Reps Spend Their Time on the Most Productive Activities?
The second step in growing seven-figure reps is to help them spend their time productively. A rep’s clock registers two types of time: selling time—which is spent on direct customer contact or general sales planning—and nonselling time, which is spent on activities not directly related to customers or prospects.
Productivity studies reveal that average-performing reps spend 65% of their time on nonselling activities, which leaves only 35% for selling. In contrast, high-performing reps allocate 55% of their time to selling, thus earning more incentive or commissions. A closer look reveals that many nonselling activities are management-generated (see Figure 3).
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Organizations need to “decontaminate” their reps’ time to allow them to focus on disciplined actions that lead to sales. This can be accomplished by pinpointing individual activities that create problems and reduce sales time. Organizations that are grooming seven-figure reps employ the following strategies:
• Identify the top two or three time wasters. Then set a goal to eradicate them within the quarter, if not sooner.
• Study the habits of the organization’s top performers. Then share best practices with the broader team.
• Rein in the need for information. Determine what and how reps are being asked to report and eliminate any reports that are not necessary.
• Use rewards to get the reps to use their time wisely. Encourage reps to channel their energy into productive, sales-oriented actions.
• Keep all actions simple and constructive. Adjusting management style curbs requests that increase reps’ administrative load.
You can join Joseph DiMisa as he presents “Sales Compensation Design: Drive Revenue and Improve Your Sales Force Retention Rate,” at the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium (AEIS)—which takes place November 5 through 7 at Paris Las Vegas. Register now, at aeisonline.com.
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