HARDISON’S TIPS – SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 – Focus on Activity Management – 1
“Keep your nose to the grindstone.” “There is no substitute for hard work.” “Just do it!”
These phrases (the first dating to 1532; the others attributable to Thomas Edison and Nike) would make you believe that all you have to do is work hard and be persistent and you will succeed. But there is another school of thought that says you should work smarter, not harder. Where these two ideologies meet you will likely find the principle of Activity Management. So, what is Activity Management? And how do using key indicators and metrics help you stay on track for sales success? Read on to find out…
Activity Management
Activity Management is, essentially, the principle of working hard on the right things. More than that, perhaps, it speaks to the concept of balance, of doing the right things in the right measures. Activity Management is a strategy that provides a blueprint for how to build your success in sales and sales management.
By identifying and focusing on the right mix of activities that can help you achieve your goals, Activity Management helps you manage your time and optimize efficiency. It not only helps you be more productive, but also can help you work strategically to keep your pipeline full and your closing rate high.
Activity Management doesn’t just happen, of course. Rather, it results from focusing on doing the right things, measuring the right things, and making adjustments based on what you learn.
Doing the Right Things
Sales is, at its core, about process. You prospect, you build relationships, you propose solutions, you close the deal, you manage the account, you gain referrals, and so on. Ideally, selling is like a perpetual motion machine. If you do the right things in the right measure, success follows. What’s more, success breeds success, meaning that more business comes to you more easily. Of course, if you don’t follow a well-defined process, any changes you make will be “shots in the dark”.
Even with a process, however, if you aren’t doing the right things as part of your sales and sales management processes, you end up spinning your wheels and wasting time. Yes, you might be busier than busy and giving each day your full effort, but are you truly being productive? Are you really making progress?
Do you actually see a light at the end of the tunnel?