Salespeople spend most of their time on non-revenue producing activities. Really? A recent study found that salespeople spend more than 70% of their time doing things other than selling. Our research found that salespeople spend, at most, 30% of their time in face-to-face selling. The rest of the time is spent handling administrative tasks, making collections calls, resolving logistics issues, attending meetings, and filling out reports.

How can we call these folks "salespeople" anymore when less than half of their time is spent selling? Maybe we should call them "support account administrators who occasionally sell." Who is at fault--salespeople or management? Finger pointing does not really accomplish much other than scapegoating the blame.

It confounds me when salespeople tell me that they cannot make more face-to-face calls. Why not? Do buyers perceive little value in the meeting? Do managers require salespeople to yield to administrative distractions? Is traffic that bad?

I grew up in a sales culture where we were required to make eight face-to-face sales calls per day. If we were in the office between 8 AM and 5 PM, our bosses assumed we were goofing off, and we probably were. Sales managers scrutinized our phone credit card statements to make sure we did not spend the day doing phone work versus face-to-face selling. We did paperwork at night or on Saturday morning. If it sounds a bit Draconian, it was not. We were salespeople after all, not office people. I learned a work ethic that helped me start and run two successful businesses, and I am eternally grateful for the lesson. Maybe it is time for some old-school selling rules again.

Tom Reilly is the president of Tom Reilly Training. He is an authority on value-added selling, and speaks to thousands of salespeople and managers annually on increasing their value to their company and customers.

Share this article.   Share |

Start Setting Appointments in the next 24 Hours with Wendy Weiss Get your free copy of Wendy Weiss' e-book, The Cold Calling Survival Guide, and learn her secrets for setting appointments with highly qualified prospects. SalesDog's longtime friend and business partner, renowned business development expert Wendy Weiss, is giving this e-book to our readers. You'll learn how to identify real prospects fast, grab their attention in the first few seconds, and get more sales in today's tough selling environment. Download your e-book here.

Don't miss one issue! For your free subscription to this newsletter, click here.

Trivia: What character in Alice in Wonderland was always weeping, and also showed Alice how to dance the Lobster Quadrille? You'll find the answer here.

Interesting but useless fact. The snow scenes in It's a Wonderful Life were shot on a movie lot in Southern California during a record heat wave.

Surfeit is the featured word of the week. Find the definition, pronunciation key, and an example of it used in a sentence here.

Dogfucius Say: Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don't have film.

This is cool! Use the Power of Persuasion to sell yourself. Get Brian Tracy's free 15 page report Everyone is a Salesperson.

GET YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD HERE       The Best of the Sales Breakthrough Collection by Rochelle Togo-Figa Stop struggling in sales! Learn proven sales strategies and techniques to quickly increase your sales without being pushy or aggressive. Packed with valuable sales tips, this 32-page Special Report shows you how easy selling really is!   Click Here to Download

Don't miss one issue! For your free subscription to this newsletter, click here.

"These lessons are authentic and insightful and will have an impact on your thinking, your career, your success, and your personal fulfillment." — Jeffrey Gitomer, entrepreneur, bestselling author of Social BOOM!, and America's Leading Business Growth Expert Over $700 worth of FREE bonuses when you get your copy of Rules of the Hunt!         Get your copy today and receive all the bonuses on this page