Time management tips for Medical Sales Representatives
When you work in Medical Sales, efficiency is everything. In an industry where hitting sales targets is vital, many sales reps put in hours of work for sometimes very little reward. What counts is making sales, and sometimes it may feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything you need to: follow up on leads, schedule appointments and meetings and hit the road to see GPs and convince them that your product is the thing they need to make a difference to the lives of their patients.
With many salespeople spending most of the working day on administrative tasks- and only 34% of the time selling- here’s how you can speed up the routine work, become more efficient with the time you spend, and focus on what really matters: doing your job well.
Track your time: how are you spending it?
One of the best ways to find out how you’re spending your time- and what you can do to improve your efficiency-
Investing in a tracking app like Toggl or Rescue Time will help you to keep track of what you’re doing and how much time you’re wasting. Once you know this, then you’ll be able to restructure your day, assign certain administrative tasks to other people- or even automate them- and be able to work out more concise and accurate deadlines for getting your work done.
Break up your day
Do you ever find yourself cycling between tasks- going from writing emails to meeting clients, then back to emails again? One way to tackle this is to break up your day and block out time for specific tasks. Assign half an hour at the start of the day to answering emails; an hour for making calls and another half hour after lunchtime for handling customer queries. Not only will this help you to focus but it’ll mean you get your work done quicker and save energy and stress without switching from job to job.
Work around your buyer
When it comes to making sales, you need to structure your day around your buyer, and when is most convenient for them: after all, it’s them you need to convince. GPs and surgeries are notoriously busy, so make the effort to schedule a meeting for a time that is favourable to them, as slotting yourself in during a hectic week is probably not going to lead to a fruitful discussion. To avoid wasted time and unanswered calls, know when their office hours are and avoid calling during the lunch break, or at the very start or end of the day when practice staff will be bogged down in administration.
Know when you’re most productive
Everybody has their ups and downs during the day. Some people are at their freshest first thing in the morning, whilst others feel best after lunch, or after they’ve drunk a few cups of coffee. Regardless, knowing how you work and when you’re most productive is essential if you want to get things done. Schedule the things you like doing least, or your hardest tasks, for the times in which you’re feeling most alert, and save the easier work like admin for when you’re feeling tired, or less enthusiastic.
Similarly, taking breaks is essential if you want to maintain your productivity. You may be the most
Avoid distractions
Stay
The most effective thing you can do, though, is to
Follow the 2-minute rule…
One of the biggest distractions from getting projects done is the build-up of short tasks that need doing- for instance, sending an email sending, or taking a telephone call there. A good way to deal with them is by following the ‘
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