You may have heard the expression: Time is money. This adage is very apt in the life of a professional salesperson.

There are many tasks required of a professional, but there are only 24 hours in a day to accomplish them. That is why time management should be foremost in every salesperson's agenda.

Prospecting

I can hear the groans already. Prospecting may not be the most enjoyable activity for most salespeople: "I can sell. I just don't like the prospecting part of it," say some salespeople.

The undeniable fact is if you don't prospect, you won't have any people to sell to. You should make it a habit to set aside time in every day's activities for prospecting.

Set a goal for yourself of how many cold calls you make in a day.

I was in life insurance when I started selling. I set a goal of 40 cold calls a day. I can tell you personally that my hands shook every time I dialed those numbers. The sweetest sound was a busy signal. I would even call home to hear the sound of a friendly voice.

But the difference is a sales professional will do the things necessary even though they may be things he/she dislikes doing.


-- Source: Roy Chitwood is an author and consultant on sales and customer service. He is the former president and chairman of Sales & Marketing Executives International and is president of Max Sacks International in Seattle.