Selling - It's a Matter of Time

Do you realize the number one excuse for anything and everything in this world involves TIME?

I got up late, I don’t have time, it took longer than I thought, I went to bed too late, there’s not enough time in the day, I’m too busy, if I had the time I’d do something else, I never have time for myself, and I never have time for anything. These are all poor excuses for not planning and scheduling your time. The number one excuse is, I JUST DON’T HAVE TIME.

We all have time to do everything in life we want to do. The functional word is want. No matter how busy you might be, you will find time for those things you truly want to do. Conversely, there will never be enough time to do the dreaded, difficult, painful, dirty rotten things life sends your way. Salespeople never have time to prepare, study, prospect, respond to a request, follow-up, submit call reports, collect, ask for referrals, and request endorsements. My children never had time to put their clothes away, but always had time to play. They never had time to clean their room, but would go with their friends at the drop of a hat.

Salespeople have time to daydream, but they don’t have time to call back. Salespeople have time to drive an hour to see a guy who isn’t there, but they don’t have time to call for an appointment. The average salesperson spends less than four hours each day engaged in meaningful sales activities, even though they will be on the time clock for eight hours or more. Time is the most valuable commodity in the world. If you don’t believe me, ask someone sixty years or older what they wish they had more of and they will tell you time; money, by-the-way, is the second most common answer to that question. There is a shocking reality concerning time. More time is wasted each day than is planned or scheduled.

Time and money, money and time, they go together in a very unique way. If you use time wisely, you will have the money you need. If you waste and squander your time, you will always want for money. People who manage their time have both the time and the money to do the things they want. For those who truly understand the value of time, given the choice, they would choose time over money. The value of money is defined in terms of worth. There are no limits to the value of time, its worth is what you make of it. What is your time worth and if you really knew, would you use it more wisely?

Recently, I was working with a salesperson who had quite a remarkable sales month. He was paid only a commission, no base or draw. I asked him how many hours he had worked that month to earn his $12,000 commission check. He responded, eight hours every day during the month. Now he knew and I knew that was not the truth and after several minutes of discussion he admitted he probably only worked at selling four hours a day or about eighty-six hours for the month. I asked him to divide eighty-six hours into twelve thousand dollars and tell me what his hourly wage was. He responded with $139.54. His eyes were about the size of silver dollars. For the first time in his life he realized what his time was worth in dollars and cents. He was quite humbled by the reality of his time wasting folly. Each wasted hour meant $139.54 that would never enter his pocket. He could have earned another twelve thousand dollars if he had diligently worked eight hours at selling each day.

What is your time worth and how much money are you losing by not valuing your time? There is only one way to maximize your time and that is to plan and schedule your time every day. There will always be excuses for not having time, but that is all they are, excuses. Time is the most precious commodity in the world. Don’t live your life making excuses for not having time. Don’t conclude your life wishing for the return of time you wasted. The only way you will ever have all the time you want and need is to plan and schedule every day.