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We all know the Boy Scout’s Motto is Be Prepared. But, that could easily be the Professional Salesperson’s Motto, as well. One of the most productive things you can do with your time is to prepare to sell because you are preparing to succeed.

I’ve written in this blog before about devoting an extra ten minutes a day in the morning to non-selling tasks—avoiding time wasters that can ruin a day and get them all out of the way early. However, this can also be applied at the end of the day, too.

What are you doing to “close down”? How are you leaving you sales materials and your work? If you take a few minutes at the end of every day to prep your materials for the next day, that’s time you can devote tomorrow to selling. Again, the goal is to spend as much of your “sales day” selling and not on non-selling tasks.

Personally, I take about a half-hour at the end of each day and go back through voice mail notes, client notes and anything else I’ve created that day. What needs to be filed? What phone calls need to be made tomorrow? What does my To Do List going to look like? Who do I need to follow up with?

By the same token, I take about an hour on Sunday evening to prepare for the week. In his book, First Things First, Stephen Covey talks about fitting those “big rocks” into your schedule before you do anything else. This is the time I devote to that.

Where am I in relation to my goals? What do I need to do this week to move relationships forward and move closer to my goals—professional and personal? What are the major projects that either must be completed or at least need attention?

By spending that time every evening and a little extra time on Sunday night, I greatly reduce the wasted time during the day—allowing me to spend it doing what I should be doing: selling.

Lagniappe: In South Louisiana “Lagniappe” is defined as “a little something extra”. Here’s your Lagniappe for today:

If you will adopt this half-hour per night and hour on Sunday mindset you will find perhaps one unexpected benefit: your stress level will be greatly reduced. You’ll start your day with enthusiasm rather than anxiousness or trepidation. You will also find this is the perfect time to look over your short term goals (daily) and long term goals (weekly). Enjoy!

Question: I’d love to hear how you’ve used similar systems and ideas to help you increase your selling time during your selling hours!

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4. Real Salespeople: Karen V.
5. Working With Your Manager To Close More Sales