Great title from Justsell.com, don’t you think? From their monthly newsletter (sorry, no link):
Top 3 activities that can hobble a sales day…
1. Talking with people who can’t move the sales process along
2. Unnecessary research activities
What’s too much? There’s really no definitive answer. It’s particular to your sales world. Many people start to get a gut feel for when they should move on. The key is to act on it and make the call (rather than making sure every little thing is known before the call – fine line, of course). You might be surprised what you can learn by asking a straightforward question of the person who answers the phone or responds to an email.
3. “Crafting” or “drafting” a script, email, or letter
Needs to be done, but almost never during the money hours.
Always remember…
A real sales day is made of contact with people.
Number 1 is so important in this bad economy. The tirekickers are out in force right now so qualifying decision makers is a top priority. Safe to say that most decision making has been elevated to a higher level so salespeople will have to navigate up within a company. Mid-level managers are probably upset with their loss of power so it take a tactful salesperson to elevate the discussion.