In the past, when I had little contact with salespeople, I always assumed that those with high sales volumes and good performance must be very busy, constantly on the phone, 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 always busy. The only time I see them in the office is 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 a call or need to make one. When you're trying to tell them 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 promotional photo, they'll say, "I'm too busy for that."

In reality, most salespeople handle more than one client, and even those working for 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 busyness increase. I've asked several successful salespeople, and they all agree that you need to use your head to make your work easier. At the very least, you should do the following:

  1. 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 empty. The former are market-driven, with plans and goals, while the latter focus on handling ad-hoc tasks, becoming more chaotic and directionless, leading to worse performance. For example, when I was managing a model market, I met several distributor salespeople. One of them was the type who became more fulfilled with busyness. 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 dash out. Instead, he wrote in his notebooks (one per 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 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 display 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 train him while setting up. (2) The owner from Hufang called yesterday saying they're almost out of low-end models, so I'll arrange for the warehouse to ship today. (3) The owner from Shishi mentioned a warranty return, so I asked ** to pick it up and bring it to me. (4) The owner of the county mobile store wants a promotion for ** brand next month. I need to ask the marketing department if I can plan it early. 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 arranging warehouse shipment (which costs the salesperson freight). He said he couldn't let a 10-yuan freight fee delay sales, and his schedule didn't include that route, so he couldn't make a special trip. Also, 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 just had a promotion, was different: although they had the full range on display, only two models were selling. If he didn't follow up promptly, the client might stop cooperating. So he had to go today to 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 warranty 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 understand these, you can arrange your work reasonably.

  2. Learn to say no to clients. Many salespeople are busy because they're constantly called by clients, especially small-town ones who 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, you'll end up with more problems and more busyness. In my model market, I saw a salesperson who told every client he could solve any problem. But time is limited, even with a company car, so he couldn't visit everyone. This led to clients complaining that he broke promises, turning small issues into big ones. The worst part was he prioritized by call frequency, so some clients, out of politeness, didn't call repeatedly, and important issues (like stockouts) went unaddressed, 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 need to distinguish important from unimportant. If you only handle small things, problems will multiply. So salespeople must learn to say no, so clients don't think you're at their beck and call. If they get used to that, your work becomes reactive.

  3. Face unsolvable problems calmly and actively seek solutions. Everyone encounters problems they can't solve immediately. Some salespeople demand immediate resolution and complain endlessly if not, 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, possibly due to factory oversight. We didn't know initially, nor did the distributor's salespeople. Since the new product arrived, we sent promotion staff with salespeople to visit clients and gauge the launch. The distributor had many salespeople, so they split into teams. That evening, when they reported back, all 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 saw three types of reactions:

    • Type 1: Upon seeing the missing card, they started complaining—about the card, the slow launch, the competitor's advantages, the difficult market, the company's unfairness, the boss's greed, 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 said the salesperson's face turned sour from the moment they knew, as if we owed them money, ruining their lunch mood. They joked, "Secretary Mi, I can't handle this. If you send me with that salesperson again, I'd rather hit a wall."

    • Type 2: The salesperson knew about the missing card but still showed the product, explained it, and promised to bring the card next time. They suggested using the store's own card if available. Most clients accepted this, though some didn't. Overall, the launch went reasonably 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 competitor products in the same price range. Finally, they told the owner that the model didn't come with a card, but if they ordered 10 units, the company warehouse would send the cards the next day. If not, they could use the store's cards, selling both phone and card for double profit. As a result, every store they visited ordered the new product, and most agreed to make it a main push.

    Every salesperson faces such immediate problems. If their reaction is "It's not my fault, why should I solve it?" they'll be 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, such as achieving a certain number of units within a timeframe. 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, often without knowing what they're busy with.

-END-

Excellent Product Promotion

China's first brain-gold beverage "Shanlong" Brain Gold Drink is now recruiting national distributors. Reasons to recommend:

  1. Category Innovation: The first DHA brain-gold drink in China, beneficial for adolescent brain development, opening a new blue ocean in the beverage market.
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National blank market hot recruitment, don't miss out.

Long press the QR code below to add Manager Lin's WeChat: Guangdong Province Heyuan Fengsheng Food & Beverage Co., Ltd. Website: WWW.FOODSUN.CN

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