In the past, when I had little contact with salespeople, I always thought that those with high sales volumes and good performance must be very busy, constantly making and receiving calls, always developing or maintaining clients, and never having time to stay in the office. But as I got to know more of them, I found the opposite to be true: top performers actually spend more time in the office, while average performers are very busy. You only see them in the office in the morning when they arrive; if you need to talk to them, you have to catch them within half an hour of their arrival, or they'll be gone. Even when you do talk to them, they're either on the phone or about to make a call. When you try to discuss something, they might urge you to hurry up because they have clients to see. If the company asks them to do market research or take a profile photo, they'll say, "I'm too busy for that."
In reality, most salespeople handle more than one client. Even those working at distributors are responsible for several counties or towns. So, most of their time is spent on the road visiting clients. However, some salespeople become more efficient as they get familiar with the job, while others see their performance decline and their workload increase. I've asked several successful salespeople, and they all agree that you need to use your head. To make your work easier over time, you should at least do the following:
Manage your time wisely and prioritize tasks. Many salespeople claim to be busy, but those who manage their time well become more fulfilled as they get busier, while those who don't become more overwhelmed. The former are market-driven, with plans and goals, while the latter focus on handling ad-hoc issues, becoming more chaotic and aimless, leading to worse performance. For example, when I was responsible for a model market, I met several distributor salespeople. One of them was the type who became more fulfilled with work. Each salesperson was responsible for several counties' distribution and maintenance. After arriving at work, he didn't rush to finance or the warehouse like others, then hurry out. Instead, he wrote in his notebooks (one for each county) every morning. At first, I thought he was recording daily shipments or inventory, but one day I accidentally flipped through his notebook and found he wrote down his work plan for the day every morning, checked off completion in the evening, and did a weekly summary. For a company report, I once copied a passage from his notebook: "(1) Zhang Xing Mobile Business Hall: Last week we planned a promotion, and the owner agreed to let me set up a dedicated counter. Today I'll bring the materials for the counter. This client hasn't cooperated long and isn't familiar with our products, so I can also train him while setting up. (2) Yesterday, the owner of Hufang called saying they were almost out of low-end models, so I asked the warehouse to arrange shipment today. (3) Yesterday, the owner of Shishi said they had a returned unit, so I asked ** to pick it up and bring it to me. (4) The owner of the county mobile store plans a promotion for ** brand next month. I need to ask the marketing department if I can plan ahead. I must talk to the store owner today to try to get an early start." His evening summary recorded not only whether he completed his tasks but also store owners' requests and things he thought needed changing, including competitor information. I asked him why he didn't deliver the goods himself instead of having the warehouse ship (since salespeople bear the shipping cost). He said he couldn't delay the shipment for 10 yuan in freight, and his schedule didn't include that route, so he couldn't make a special trip. Moreover, that client had a long cooperation history and had previously sold low-end models, so no training was needed; shipping would solve the problem. The other client, who had just had a promotion, was different: although they had the full range on display, only two models were selling. Without timely follow-up, they might stop cooperating. So he had to go set up the display and train the owner. From this salesperson's notes, it's clear that to make work easier, you need to identify which tasks are urgent (training new clients, discussing promotions early), which can be postponed, which can be delegated (asking someone to bring back a returned unit), which don't require personal handling (letting marketing plan), and which shouldn't be neglected for minor gains (paying freight to ship). Once you clarify these, you can arrange your work reasonably.
Learn to say no to clients. Many salespeople are busy because they lack plans and goals, but also because they're constantly called by clients. Some clients, especially small-town ones, call for trivial matters and sometimes demand a visit, threatening consequences if you don't come. Some salespeople think the customer is always right and must solve every problem. That mindset isn't wrong, but if you plan your visits based on that, problems will multiply and you'll get busier. In the model market, I saw a salesperson who told every client he could solve any problem. But time is limited; even with a company car, you can only visit so many clients a day. This led to clients complaining that he didn't keep promises, turning small issues into big ones. The worst part was he prioritized by call frequency. Some clients, out of face, didn't call repeatedly, so important issues (like stockouts) were ignored, while others called constantly about trivial things (like delivering a battery or accessory), and he'd make a trip. It's not that you should ignore small matters, but you must distinguish important from unimportant. If you only handle small things, problems will grow. So salespeople must learn to say no, so clients don't think you're at their beck and call. If clients get used to that, your work becomes reactive.
Face unsolvable problems calmly and actively seek solutions. Everyone encounters problems that can't be solved immediately. Some salespeople demand immediate resolution and complain endlessly, becoming emotional and neglecting other tasks. Others handle it calmly. Let me give an example: We launched a new product, and the first batch to the distributor was missing memory cards due to factory oversight or other reasons. We didn't know at first, and neither did the distributor's salespeople. Since the new product arrived, we sent promotion staff with salespeople to visit clients and see how it was selling. The distributor had many salespeople, so they split into teams. That evening, when they reported back, everyone mentioned the missing memory cards (we'd discovered it in the morning; the promotion staff called me, I contacted the factory, and they said they'd send them ASAP). Based on the promotion staff's reports, we could categorize the salespeople's reactions into three types:
Type 1: Upon seeing the missing memory card, they started complaining—about the card, about the slow launch, about competitors' advantages, about how hard the market was, about their company's unfairness, about the boss being cheap, etc. When they finally reached the client, they didn't even show the new product. When the promotion staff suggested showing it, they said, "Who'd want it without a memory card? No need to show it. The person responsible should be fired." It was all complaints. The promotion staff told us that from the moment they learned about the missing card, the salesperson's face turned sour, as if we owed him money. He ruined their lunch mood. He joked, "Secretary Mi, I have low psychological tolerance. Next time you send me with this salesperson, I'd rather hit a wall."
Type 2: The salesperson knew about the missing card but still showed the product and explained, promising to bring the card next time. They suggested using the store's own memory card if available. Most clients accepted this, though some didn't. Overall, the new product distribution went fairly well.
Type 3: The salesperson told the store owner about the new product, had the promotion staff explain it, discussed how to sell it, and checked competitors' products in the same price range. Finally, they told the owner that the phone didn't come with a memory card, but if they ordered 10 units at once, the company warehouse could send the cards the next day. If they didn't order that many, they could use the store's own cards. This way, they'd sell both phones and cards, making double profit per customer. As a result, every store they visited ordered the new product, and most agreed to make it a main push.
Every salesperson encounters such immediate problems. If their reaction is "It's not my fault, why should I solve it?" they'll feel frustrated and end up like Type 1. If they think "It's not my fault, I'll wait until someone handles it," they'll be like Type 2. If they think "Since it's happened, I need to find a solution," they'll be like Type 3. But regardless of their thoughts, the company's requirements remain the same—e.g., the new product must achieve a certain order volume within a set time. If you wait for the problem to be solved (like the memory cards arriving) before proceeding, you'll only get busier.
So, top performers become increasingly "idle," while underperformers become busier and busier, often not even knowing what they're busy with.
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