(By Pat Bryson) We’ve all heard the saying, “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” Wise words for salespeople – or anyone wanting to make a difference in their lives. How we spend our “billable hours” determines our paychecks and much of our lives.
One of the attributes of great salespeople is a trait we call “urgency”. We test for it in our hiring process. They wanted it done yesterday; now at the latest. They never put things off. They make their plan, prioritize their activities, and execute the plan.
As salespeople, we keep many plates spinning wildly at all times. We need to be able to multi-task, and we need to get things done. Today is better than tomorrow.
Sometimes, however, getting things done is interrupted by another activity that we call “procrastination.” I’m sure none of my readers have EVER been guilty of indulging in this activity. But, on the off chance that some of you DO engage in it from time to time, let’s look at some of the major causes of procrastination and how we may avoid them.
- I don’t have time to do it now.
- It’s too difficult.
- I think the task is unpleasant.
- I don’t see why the task is so important.
- I’ve still got time before it is due.
- I don’t have clear or written goals.
- I can’t seem to get organized.
- I have too many interruptions.
- There’s too much to do. I am buried in things I need to finish.
- I have too many tasks to choose from: I don’t know which to do first.
Sound familiar? If so, the following activities may help you to replace procrastination with positive action:
- Set deadlines for your activities.
- Share those deadlines with others.
- Do the most important task first each day.
- Handle items only once.
- Break down the job into smaller parts.
- Remove interruptions.
- Eliminate reasons why you can’t get started on the task.
- Reward yourself for finishing the task.
It is important to recognize when we procrastinate and why. Spend a week looking at your activities and how quickly you get them done. What do you do instead of doing what you should? Once you’ve identified the problem, you can take steps to get things done NOW rather than later. Life gets a lot easier when we do the important rather than the urgent!
Happy Selling!
Pat Bryson is the CEO of Bryson Broadcasting International, a consulting firm that works with sales managers and salespeople to raise revenue. She is the author of two books, “A Road Map to Success in High-Dollar Broadcast Sales” and “Successful Broadcast Sales: Thriving in Change” available on her website. Read Pat’s Radio Ink archives here.
