Tomorrow is going to have 24 hours, whether you like it or not. And just as this very hour is slipping by as you read this article, tomorrow’s hours are going to drift away, too. There’s nothing you can do to “manage” time.
But there is something you can do to stop time from managing you. And that is to manage your priorities.
What is Important?
In your personal life, you know which things are most important to you. Your family, your health would be at the top of the list, right? And when you think about how you spend the vast majority of your time, it is in support of those two priorities. You and your family have needs, and your career is designed (among other things) to fund and support those needs. Most of your other concerns likely fall in line behind satisfying those essential needs.
In your sales life, your priorities are the clients most likely to keep your career running strong: Key Accounts and those who have the potential to become Key Accounts (Targets). After all, it would typically take three or more smaller accounts to make up for the loss of just one Key… so anything that is not Key Account development or Target Account conversion work should fall into line somewhere behind those two priorities.
Discipline is Choosing between What You Want Now and What You Want Most.
Lots of little tasks come screaming at you every day, attempting to distract you from the most important things in your life. The urge to pitch a product you know would sell (but not necessarily earn you a Key Account), a sales contest, and even prospects that could represent new revenue, but don’t come close to conforming to your Ideal Customer Profile. Don’t be swayed. Yes, you should deliver solid customer service to even your smaller accounts, but as time (reverse… time as) efficiently as you can, so you can get back to super-serving and growing your super clients (Keys).
Keys are the priority, and priorities are key.
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