Dear Manager,

As managers, one of the single greatest goals is to maximize the effectiveness of those around us. To achieve this, I believe all of us search for a practical concept that can be easily understood and successfully implemented.

The following is an excerpt from a letter I shared with my own associates. Its concept is basic, direct, and can readily apply in the varied sales territories of any organization.

Dear Associates:

There is a single factor that impacts our ability to succeed more than any other aspect in our career. Time, and our ability to consistently manage it at its highest level, is the defining element for all sales professionals.

All of us challenge ourselves, and have an obvious awareness of our own effectiveness in both the personal and professional elements of our week. There is no limit to each of our own abilities to succeed; there are only limitations in time. In essence, every decision we make comes at the expense of another decision, be it personal or professional. Time is very unforgiving.

The consistent and single most effective formula relating to sales time management is orders per week. There are as many similarities as there are differences in each of our sales regions. Each of us has in excess of 100 customers, represents a premiere manufacturer in our industry, and has a similar number of hours to accomplish our goals.

In our industry, If you were to review the average number of orders written by our associates, it would range from 10 to 28 orders per week. In very similar territories, you would continue to see a very similar range in order activity. How are some associates able to consistently average in excess of 20 orders per week, and others not?

The single greatest message I hear from associates with a higher average is the acceptance that it can be done. They didn’t always average this number of orders. It evolved, and now they expect it.

• These individuals create a very high sense of value toward each appointment.

• They have a very specific expectation and objective for each appointment.

• Both they and their customers sense a degree of urgency relating to each others’ time.

• They are very well organized, and have developed a high level of strong>consistency in servicing customers on a 6 to 8 week cycle.

• Finally, these individuals have been able to tighten their schedule enough to allow for just one more appointment each day on a consistent basis.

YOU WOULD ALSO FIND THAT THESE INDIVIDUALS IN VARIED TERRITORIES EARN 25% TO 50% MORE INCOME.

My initial goal is for you to develop the “thought process” that will allow you to write 20 orders per week. A full-time sales associate should expect to average at least 4 orders per day. TWENTY ORDERS PER WEEK should be a major and consistent focus. Initially, this may seem difficult, but analyze it as it relates to a typical day.

To adequately fill your schedule, begin by setting 2 to 4 appointments each day. Never leave without scheduling your next appointment 4 to 10 weeks in advance. Always be prepared with a “hook” or objective for the customer’s need to schedule their next appointment. This could be a reference to a new product introduction, an upcoming season, a need for inventory and best seller reorder, or simply to introduce a new manufacturer.

Suggest that it is in your customer’s best interest to see you on a much more frequent basis. This will minimize best seller outages, and promote better cash flow with smaller but more consistent orders.

How can your customers deny you more frequent and smaller orders?

You will find their orders to be similar in size and their annual sales will soar. In all cases, you have to develop the sense of urgency to schedule that next appointment.

If only 2 of your appointments result in an everyday and seasonal order, or orders with 2 separate manufacturers, you have achieved your initial goal of 4 orders per day. With the quality of manufacturers we represent, all of us should be able to schedule 2 appointments and average 2 orders with each appointment.

Set your objective to develop 80 customers who on the average will purchase 2 manufacturers from you. (Some accounts will purchase 3 or 4, others will purchase only 1.) Then, set a goal to see each of these customers on an average 8-week cycle. (Some you will see at 4 weeks, others at 10 weeks.)

THESE 80 CUSTOMERS AVERAGING 2 MANUFACTURERS ON AN 8-WEEK CYCLE WILL REPRESENT 960 ORDERS PER YEAR, OR 20 ORDERS PER WEEK.

It’s an interesting formula that works! It does not take into consideration new account development, additional seasonal orders and accounts that order on a more periodic basis, which will only increase your daily average above 4 orders. Begin by setting an initial objective of 3 orders each day with an eye toward that 4th order. If you are currently averaging 4 per day, is there an opportunity to achieve a 5th order?

This process has already been proven successful within our organization. The key element is not to rely on only two appointments each day to attain your goal. The objective is to consistently have 3 and 4 appointments on a daily basis.

It is accepted that manufacturers of everything from fork lifts to chewing gum all expect growth in a given year. These fundamentals, taken to heart, will provide you with the annual growth anticipated by this organization.

Now is the time to incorporate the elements of this program into your daily routine. This should not require additional hours beyond those of a territory serviced by a full-time sales associate. Please take this challenge to heart. It should be your highest goal. Define your target and expect it to happen.

Using a concept such as this will reinforce your objectives as a manager. Fairness and consistency are critical to any program’s success. Bring visibility to your objectives. Use them in your conversations and future correspondence. Take advantage of the fact that your sales force is focused on a single thought process. Finally, be sure to acknowledge and reward those who achieve their goal.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2008. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM