As sales development reps, our time is precious. It is essential that we manage our time in the most productive and efficient way possible in order to hit our goals, stay organized, and keep our clients happy.
The following are some tips I‘ve found make my day run smoother and allow me to make the most out of every day in the office.
1. Lay out your day; have a plan.
Planning out your day as a sales development representative is a must, especially if you are working on multiple projects. I like to start off the day after my morning meeting by checking my inbox for each project and responding to any emails that I received after hours the day before. Responding first thing in the morning also gives prospects the whole day to get back to you. Creating a morning routine like this one is a great way to be productive while your cup of coffee wakes you up!
After responding to emails, I create a plan for the day. You can do this by deciding when you will make dials and which projects you will focus on throughout your day. Something as easy as jotting down a timeline for your day can keep you on track and more productive.
2. Utilize your calendar.
In today’s world, calendars are easily accessible on your computer, smartphones, and tablets, and this is something sales development reps should use to their advantage. As you lay out your day, put some times on your calendar to remind you to switch tasks. Designate “power hours” for each project to increase your outbound prospecting activity. Calendars are also a great way to set reminders for yourself, especially for deadlines and follow-ups with prospects. (P.S. We have a great resource listing digital and non-digital recommendations for organizing your day here.)
3. Make yourself a To-Do List in order to prioritize tasks.
Having a daily plan and utilizing your calendar can make your more productive, but to be more efficient, you need to prioritize your tasks. For example, if you need to prepare for a client call later in the day, do not wait until five minutes before the call to pull the report. Do it first thing in the morning so it's out of the way. When dialing for projects, prioritize follow-up calls over cold calls, as those are more urgent, but make sure you're still making time for those cold prosects. If you are expected to complete tasks for certain projects as instructed by management or your clients, put those at the top of the list so you won’t forget.
4. Set aside times for administrative tasks.
As sales development reps, our job is to be on the phones uncovering opportunities. That being said, we also have to spend time on administrative tasks. Administrative tasks are important, but they can decrease your sales productivity if they’re conducted sporadically throughout the day. As I mentioned in Tip #1, you should have set times to check your email. That way, you are not constantly stopping to check your email every 10 minutes while you’re on the phone. If you know you need to put reports together, submit a write-up, or print out some new literature for your project. Set aside half an hour to get all of this done so you can spend the rest of the morning or afternoon focusing on dials and prospect engagement. Getting all your administrative tasks out of the way at a designated time will also help your day run smoother.
5. Plan ahead for tomorrow so you can come in and get right to work.
Especially as the end of the month approaches, every minute you spend on the phone matters. Take 5 minutes at the end of the day to plan for tomorrow so you know what you have to accomplish. Sometimes we don’t get to everything we set out to accomplish for a day, but that just means we need to pick up right where we left off tomorrow.
Sales development representatives have a lot of responsibilities, from hitting goal to making dials, from answering dozens of emails to training… The list goes on and on. In order to be the most productive you can, manage your time wisely by utilizing your calendar, prioritizing your tasks, and most importantly, planning out your day. Every second counts.
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