As the busiest time of the year approaches, it’s important that you effectively manage your time in order to yield the best possible results. Mastering time is one of the major challenges many of the ISOs and agents I work with face on a daily basis. With cost containment initiatives in place many organizations are struggling with getting the same amount work done with less people. Sales agents are also on overload having to deal with prospecting, selling, servicing and dealing with the demands of a busy family life coupled with information overload.
The reality is that time is a finite resource and to achieve the desired result you must become proficient at time management. Think of your time as a bank account, we all start the day with a clean slate and an account worth 86,400 seconds; it’s how you chose to manage your account that will determine your results.
Almost 100 years ago Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist, conducted a study on income and wealth patterns. He discovered a “predictable imbalance” that shows up in every area of life. This is now known as the Pareto Time Principle, or the 80/20 Rule. The 80/20 rule means that 80% of time spent poorly produces 20% of desired results, while 20% of time spent wisely nets 80% of the desired results.
Examples of the Pareto principle include:
 80% of the sales a salesperson makes come from 20% of their cold calls.
20% of your best merchants produce 80% of your residual income.
20% of the automobiles on the road cause 80% of the accidents.
80% of what makes you happy comes from 20% of the people with whom you are close.
One of the secrets of success is to stay focused on the 20% of your life that will help you reach your desired outcome. By devoting more time and effort on the 20% that matters, you gain tremendous leverage in your life.
Here are a couple tips that may help you manage your time more effectively.
Tip 1 – Set Priorities
Make it a priority to sit down each morning and review activities for the day. Label or rank these activities with the most important items moving to the top of your to do list. I would recommend ranking revenue generating activities at the top of the list.
If dedicated to being a professional, how efficiently you allocate your assets (your time, skills, resources) determines your ability to deliver results to the end customer. Your most profitable hours are those that you spend in front of a qualified merchant. High achieving salespeople have learned to manage assets around time, always strive for the maximum ROT (Return on your Time.)
Tip 2 – Use a Calendar
This may seem like an obvious suggestion. But you wouldn’t believe how many people attempt to keep a schedule of their tasks and appointments in their head. This results is missed appointments, stress, confusion and over-scheduling. While many people use no calendar, others use multiple calendars to try to schedule their day.
Examples of multiple calendars include a work calendar, a personal calendar, a family calendar, a digital planner, a paper planner and so on. Stick to just one calendar, you will be able to accurately assess how much time you truly have in your week.
Tip 3 – Create a Daily Routine
Another great practice that has worked effectively is to develop a daily routine. I practice this religiously in my own business and it serves a dual purpose of getting me on track for the day and creating the right mindset to start my day. Here’s a sample:
Daily Routine
Review your Goals and Mission statement each morning.
Exercise in the mornings if possible.
Get started early.
Review your daily call list and contact your highest percentage prospects first.
Review your to-do list for the day and work your way down from the highest priority to the lowest priority.
Read or listen to a personal growth or motivational program daily.
Tip 4 - Automate
If you have specific tasks that you are required to perform on a repetitive basis make sure you automate the process. Activities like follow-up emails, letters or correspondence can be completely automated. Create a process or system around each task so you can yield more with less effort.
Remember, time is a finite resource, you will either master time or time will master you! Today is the only moment you have control over, yesterday is just a cancelled check and tomorrow is a promissory note, spend your bank account wisely and you will reap the dividends. Good Luck.  |
