SKILL
Here are some tips from the field. These folks know just how you feel. Brad Simon is a sales rep for a Chicago-based dental supply company. A big challenge for Simon has been trying to visit many dental offices spread out over a wide geo- graphic area in a limited amount of time. Now he groups his customers into categories based on profitability: A’s are present clients, B’s are poten- tial clients who are likely to become paying customers, and C’s are cold calls and prospects with little chance of becoming customers.
“This helps me schedule my time
Ways to Make More Time for Face-to-Face Selling
STEVE ATLAS
It’s just this simple: You need to get in front of your clients. If you don’t…well, the consequences are obvious. So look around and see what’s standing in the way. Then figure out how you can free up more time for face-to-face selling.
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more effectively,” says Simon. “I used to give equal priority to all three groups. Now, I plan around A and B accounts and only schedule C visits if I have extra time.” Sharon Collins, sales manager for a Pennsylvania-based office supply company, agrees that trying to cover too large a geographic area in one day makes it difficult to see enough people. Her company sends coupons in the mail to all households within designated geographic areas, offer- ing advertising exposure to any area business trying to reach consumers. A face-to-face meeting with an exist- ing or potential client is the primary method her reps use to make sales. “I advise our reps to plan each day so they can stay in the same geo- graphic area. That way, they can see more prospects in less time, because there is a shorter trip between visits.” Keeping up with CRM details and other necessary catch-up work can consume a lot of time that could otherwise be used to get in front of prospects. Collins coaches her reps to do this during early mornings and evenings – times that aren’t usually good for meeting with clients. Bad weather is another good time for catching up. “And 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. is the best time for selling,” says Collins.
Advance planning is important.
Simon’s clients are busy dental prac- tices. If he doesn’t plan ahead, a visit
SANNEBERG /
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Highlights for reps the
face-to-face time with customers.
importance of
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