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Selling.2.YES 

October 2018

Does anybody really know how you spend your time?


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​The issue of how technology helps – or hinders – the time management discipline of B2B sellers was at the core of a recent juicy assignment.  Company sales leadership thought they were aware of how their sellers operated, yet a discussion with one of their high-performing sellers exposed deeper gaps that begged for  attention.
 
When I sat with one of their top sellers to discuss general business challenges from the field, she said, “Management doesn’t know how I spend my time…and I’m not sure I want them to know how it’s spent”.   (Hmmm, okay…I bet they do but let's keep talking!)
 
I probed further to find that while this top producer was confident in her abilities to close business, she felt negligent about how she managed her time, and admitted to feeling a little guilty about the type of tasks she worked on.  She thought if management truly knew how she operated, they’d be poking around too much…she was ok with her frustration as long as they didn’t move her cheese. Ultimately, she claimed senior company and sales management did not understand the intricacies of how business was transacted.   
When I played this back to my constituent at the top of the firm, she swatted it like a slow October fly hanging around too long after summer.  “BS…we go on calls, we talk to clients, we talk to managers in all departments and are CONSTANTLY talking about process and how we can align resources more efficiently.”
 
So where’s the rub?  Who’s right and who’s not so right?
 
First, I am not Judge Michael expected to pass blame.  I’m a flashlight…a 1,000 lumens LED monster light (HA!).  My role is to shed light and then provide a fix….in this case, I needed to help both parties.  Below summarizes what I said to both parties.
 
Here’s what I said to the top seller:
  1. I understand the road travelled by sellers includes many, many potholes, but it’s on you to make management understand what it means to do your job!  Every job has distractions and interruptions, but you need to delineate between your inability to focus, and your ability to fight through obstacles. EDUCATE THEM.  But educate your managers with data.  Show them where your time is spent.  If you are sheepish about admitting where your time goes, then you have other issues to address as well (see #2 and #3).  If you show management where your time is spent, they have no choice but to accept reality and then help!  If you need guidance on how to implement a time management exercise, ask management for help (or have them hire me).
  2. Delegate more.  Most sellers want to control too many details about the sale or servicing process.  Let go.  If you don’t have faith in others to support you the way you want your clients supported, itemize training needs and take it to management.  But first, spend time educating those who support you on how you want to be supported. 
  3. Develop a stronger relationship with your manager.  I preach often about the burden on sales managers to create strong and deep communication bonds with their sellers, but there’s as much obligation on the part of the sellers to create a bond with managers.  Take your manager out for lunch and get into it…tell him or her how it really is and what you need to be successful!  Honesty is always the best policy…didn’t your folks teach you that?  (I didn’t really say that last sentence…please!)

In sales, the reality is we think we get more accomplished than we actually do, yet often feel we get NOTHING done...and in our hearts, we know we can do much more." 
  Here’s what I told the senior company executive:
  1. Critically review your process.  You say you know how the sales process works, but do you really?  B2B businesses and the associated sales transactions are complex as heck so you need to constantly review your sales and support processes.  What worked yesterday may not work today, etc., etc.  Be careful not to base your research entirely on anecdotal interviews (“Hey Jimbo, how’s it going in your world?”); what you learn through conversation will need to be supported through real data that tells a true story.  Get in the weeds!
  2. Examine your comp plan.  Are your sellers incentivized to do the things you want them to do?  Most comp plans are not aligned with the actual job your sellers are tasked with so it may be smart to bring in an outside element to lend a critical eye.  And while you’re examining your comp plans for sellers, examine how others in revenue operations are compensated and motivated! 
  3. Talk closely with your sales managers.  Are your sales managers motivating your sellers to focus on the things that are important?  Are they effective guiding and teaching how to manage time and tasks?  If that’s not part of their game, then yes, you DO need to hire me to install a time management program.  (And probably a sales manager program too.)
 
After this experience with my client, I concluded time management is a dirty little concept that nobody inside the sales operation wants to talk about: how much time does it really take to conduct business?  How much time does it take to do your job?  How much time does it take to prospect a customer…and turn him into a client?  To close a piece of business?  To service the business?  It’s one of those basics that gets assumed, and as you see here, it can’t be ignored or seller discontent and inefficiency will grow in the org.
 
Asking anyone in sales if they feel they manage their time correctly is like asking someone who bought a car if they got a good deal: EVERYONE SAYS YES.  The reality is more like this: in sales, we think we get more accomplished than we actually do, yet often feel we get NOTHING done...and in our hearts, we know we can do much more.
 
Contact me.  I’ve struggled too.  I feel your pain.

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