I was once a Salesperson and over the years, I've discovered that when sales people tell me that they have prospecting on their "to do" list, what they really are saying is that they "intend" to prospect. When sales people tell me that they are going to call a prospect and get a decision, they do call and they intend on getting a decision, but they really aren't committed to the intention. Finally, when sales people tell me that this is the year that they are going to self-manage to extraordinary performance, what they are really telling me is that they are going to get ready to get ready and not move any rocks that are consistent with successful selling. As harsh as this may seem, I would ask you- Does this look or sound anything like you in the past? If so, then join me and the multitude of others who struggle with prioritizing their time so that their rocks get moved, the "to do's" get done and the intentions get ignored. Let me tell you that I will be the first in line this year to correct this problem, because I may be one of the biggest offenders.
Perfect example- Last Tuesday, prospecting was on my rock list. When did I get to it? Friday at 2:30 pm and I had success. I scheduled three appointments and moved the rocks a little further up the hill. But what would I have done if an emergency, a real one, had shown up on Friday? I would have put myself in a position to make the lame excuse: "I had an emergency and couldn't get it done". The reality was that I put other stuff first on Tuesday and made myself vulnerable to failure on Friday.
Lesson #1 Be a slave to the schedule. Schedule your prospecting and make sure you do it when you have it scheduled.
Lesson #2 Rocks are rocks- these are the non-negotiable objectives of your business. When you state something as a rock, then nothing short of an emergency gets in the way.
Lessons #3 "To do" lists are, for the most part, horse pucks. How do I know? The stuff on the list doesn't usually get done. Make sure you clearly identify "to do" from intention.
Lesson #4 Intentions are just that, things you intend to do and would be nice to do and might bring you some self satisfaction, but in reality they have nothing to do with moving rocks.
Lesson #5 You must find a way to hold yourself to high standards of accountability. I am holding huddles with my staff weekly and my COO and co-owner every week to make sure the rocks get moved and the "to do's" get done.
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