How to plan your day in sales for the best results (full guide for sales reps and sales managers)

I (Kenneth Ntende) have trained several sales teams (over 300) on the art of selling. Part of what we do in this training is help businesses customize what their day should be like. We then pick an input of what the current sales reps' day and sales managers' day has been like. Given that there was no other article elaborating on what your day should be like, I thought I should do one.

PS: This article is based on the experiences of 219 mid-sized and large corporations and 27 startups.

What should your day be like as a sales rep:

1) Time 8:00 to 8:15 am: View days tasks, and meetings in the CRM.

Use this time to plan your movements and the resources needed if you need to hold physical meetings especially

2) Time 8:15 -9 am: Sales team meetings

Use this time to catch up with your sales team and review what transpired yesterday (or the last workday). Catch up with the team to re-energize and strategize for that day if there are any changes. We noticed teams that meet daily tend to have better sales results overall.

As a startup owner (or solo sales team) use this time to still plan out your day and review your previous workday. You will notice that you will have fewer excuses and hold yourself more accountable

3) Time 9-10 am: Prospecting:

Prospecting simply means getting lists of the people that you would want to sell to. I held a webinar on how best to prospect for your business with a link right here. Even if you already have meetings slated for today or for this week, keep prospecting for the next week. It is better to have more people you have to call than not to in the future. Have all the prospects details (Name, Email, and phone number) entered in the CRM even before you attempt to make your first call or send your first email.

3) Time 10 am to 3 pm: Hold sales meetings/ calls

This is the ideal time to hold your meetings. Not too early yet not too late. It gives time for your prospect to settle in the office and not be too exhausted to have productive meetings.

Let your customers book meetings through your meeting calendar to avoid double booking

4) Time 3 to 4 pm: Respond to emails.

As you meet people, some will ask you to send proposals, profiles or any other helpful information to help with the sale. Use this time to send the information via email. Email can be one of the most distracting parts of your day. By you scheduling time for it, you avoid the distractions from the continuous email notifications that keep coming through the day.

5) Time 4 pm to 5 pm: Enter the day's data into the CRM:

Use the last hour of the day to update your CRM data. In sales, CRM is a must. Without one, you are not really in sales. Update the next tasks, meetings or any deals you may have gotten through the day.

If you do not already have a CRM software, you can sign up for the MonkeyPesa CRM + marketing automation tool here https://dashboard.monkeypesa.com/

What should your day be like as a sales manager

1) Time 8:15 -9 am: Hold sales meetings

The shorter your accountability timelines are the better the results you get from sales reps. Use the first 45 minutes to get updates from your team, find out any challenges they may be having, share any changes in strategy for the day and re-energize the team to deliver the best results.

2) Time 9-10 am: Review your sales Strategy

There are always changes in strategy based on what is happening in the field. Use some of the data to see if there are any ways you can make the sales process better.

3) Time 10 am to 3 pm: Hold high-level meetings with the largest customers

During this time, hold sales meetings exclusively with the largest prospects or customers. Just to note once again, your time in meetings should be focused exclusively on only large prospects. As an example, if you were meeting Coca-Cola to become one of their suppliers, it would make sense to handle that entire deal

4) Time 3 pm to 4 pm: Email time

Use this time to send out emails of anything you had to cover. As you meet people, some will ask you to send proposals, profiles or any other helpful information to help with the sale. Use this time to send the information via email. Email can be one of the most distracting parts of your day. By you scheduling time for it, you avoid the distractions from the continuous email notifications that keep coming through the day.

5) Time 4 pm to 5 pm: CRM data review

Use this time to verify if everyone has entered their relevant data in the CRM. Track the days analytics so that you know what the rest of the team

GET STARTED WITH THE MONKEYPESA CRM TODAY: https://dashboard.monkeypesa.com/#/

Top tips that would help you through the day

a) Use a calendar. This helps you avoid conflicting meetings

b) Avoid email distraction. Email is one of the most distracting parts of your day. You need to schedule time within

c) Lunch is a must. Leave this time off to get you mind to rest and rejuvenate.

Conclusion:

Everything planned is made simpler. Implementing this for your company will help your team get more efficient instantly. And with more efficiency comes more sales.