Sales productivity

After taking some time off I have decided to join a tech start-up, Series A.


During the time off I was reflecting on what I did well and what I could be doing better at my next role. All 3 years at my previous job I have overachieved as AE/SAE, but I was so chaotic.. i.e. not scheduling time for important tasks (cold calling/outreach), hundreds of unread emails, not finding documents, not updating CRM regularly and forgetting useful info (or pissing off the manny). It makes me wonder what I could have achieved if I was just a little bit more organized/time efficient.


As I am now going to a start-up, where processes are not always there, I would benefit a lot from time management in an already chaotic and fast paced environment.


The company has a product in place that automatically puts all notes from my meetings in the CRM, which is a lifesaver. Besides that I figured I would give the zero inbox method a try and see if that helps organize my day to day.


Before I start with putting time blocks in my calendar I want to ask what your best practices are for a successful week? (i.e. no morning meetings, start day with 10 cold calls, etc.)


Appreciate it and have a great week lads!


(there are probably post of this already, but I can't find them on my phone)


☁️ Software Tech
🤘 Personal Growth
💼 Productivity
8
Diablo
Politicker
2
Sr. AE
I had the same issues before and I still have. The way I do it is by dividing my time e.g. I always use end of my day updating stuffs and doing backend work, that works best for me. Once you start implementing things, you will be able to identify pros and cons where you can amend the schedule and see whats working for you and what not.

I also spoke to my teammates to see what they were doing and combining ideas from multiple reps are helping me streamlining my process and time management.
rubberducky
Politicker
0
SAE
Appreciate it, mate! Asking teammates and you savages here will definitely give me some ideas.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
2
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
I organize myself every morning by reviewing what's due and making sure I have a task for each item so I can check it off once I've completed that task.     I generally do that as I have my coffee and gear up for the day so that by the time I have my head ready to go, I have a pretty good idea of what I need to tackle and get done.   

I do read through emails first thing as well, but I also know myself well enough to know that answering them before I'm up at least a cup and a half of coffee is a bad idea, so I'm just checking for urgency and the need to respond as I look at the start of my day.
LordBusiness
Politicker
1
Chief Revenue Officer
Don’t plan too far in advance with “recurring” blocks, this is an almost impossible expectation to keep yourself too. If you are a morning person, block out your day with coffee in the AM, if your a night owl take a look at the following day the night before. This will give you the schedule you are looking for, but also some rigidity in blocking out your time. It also gives you some time to reevaluate what’s on your calendar “do I need this meeting?, “could this meeting be an email”, etc. dont confuse your plan to win the war, with tactically attacking each battle (day)
rubberducky
Politicker
0
SAE
Thanks for your feedback and impossible expectations is what I would have if I didn't ask this question to you guys first. Valuable info!
MCP
Valued Contributor
1
Sales Director
Treat it like finances; 50% of your time building pipeline (ie; prospecting, initial meetings, post sale referral hunting, chasing closed lost, etc), 30% progressing / closing (demos, proposal delivery, follow up, negotiations), 20% admin (CRM, territory reviews, research, trainings, internal meetings, whatever other non-selling BS you have to do).
This means in an 8 hour work day, 4 of it is spent on pipeline building activities, which is to say actual outreach efforts, 2.5 is working the active pipeline, 1.5 for everything else that leads you up to the other 2 items. How you break this down is up to you in terms of blocks, which, if time management is difficult, and/or you work in an interruption environment, I’d highly recommend. You might even have email rules that prioritize emails from domains outside of your company’s.
Keep in mind, your time in sales will always be fluid, but do your best to be as close to 50/30/20 & you’ll never go wrong.
End of line.
rubberducky
Politicker
1
SAE
Thanks for your input, MCP! I have a similar setup for my finances, which works. Will definitely apply this and see if it has the same effect as it had on that.
CuriousFox
WR Officer
1
🦊
You will find that things that work for others may not work as well for you. I'm also constantly changing up my routine so I don't get bored and complacent.
FinanceEngineer
Politicker
0
Sr Director, sales and partnerships
My CRO read "A world without Email" and had us put 2-hour blocks on our calendars each day to do our regular tasks. I would do that, and use that for emails, cold calls, or just general admin follow-up. It really helps get the tasks done that need to be done. It could help get an extra couple of deals at the top of the funnel, or cut a couple of days off of the sales cycle, but not earth shattering.
0

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