13 Best Time Management Strategies for Sales Reps

Are you a sales rep struggling to fit all your tasks into each workday?

If so, know that you’re not alone. It’s way too common for salespeople to be overworked, exhausted, and unsure of how to make things better.

But what if I told you that a different reality isn’t so far off?

Today, I’m going to share 13 of the top time management strategies for salespeople so that you can finally catch your breath.

Here we go!

💡Key takeaways:

Sales cycle times are getting longer. That means your time is more valuable than ever — and you’ve got to use it wisely.
Some of the best techniques to improve your time management are tracking your time, avoiding distractions, and prioritizing the right tasks.
There’s a TON of great technology that can speed up your day-to-day tasks, such as CRM software, task managers, and email plug-ins. Don’t miss out on these amazing tools.

Why is time management important in sales?

Time management is truly a universal skill, but sales reps in particular have a lot to gain from being more intentional with their time.

One reason why is that sales reps actually spend the majority of their time (around 65%) on tasks other than selling, such as administrative needs, product issues, research, and so on.

Meanwhile, sales cycle times have been growing. According to one recent study, some 53% of companies reported an increase in the length of their sales cycle during the prior 12 months.

So, what do these statistics tell us?

Basically, the better you manage your time, the more time you’ll have to sell. Even just a few more hours spent selling each week can lead to a significant increase in revenue over time.

That said, the benefits of good time management go beyond the balance sheet. They include:

Increased productivity
Reduced stress levels
Improved self-confidence
And much more

We saw these benefits take shape for Anita Mikhail, a client of ours who works in sales for a major Fortune 500 company.

Anita used to struggle a lot with setting time-related boundaries and prioritizing her various projects.

But like so many of us, she knew she was capable of more. That’s why she joined the Lifehack Tribe and later enrolled in our 60-day intensive boot camp.

Nowadays, she spends reasonable hours at the office, knows exactly where to dedicate her energy… and is even enjoying work as well!

Check out her story here:

Best time management strategies for salespeople

Before we get into the strategies, a quick word about control.

As a sales rep, there’s a lot that’s out of your hands. I’m thinking about unpredictable customers, tough competition, volatile markets, and so on.

But one thing you do have control over — or at least should have control over – is your time.

That’s where the following time management strategies for salespeople can make a BIG difference.

With that in mind, let’s jump in!

1. Plan your week

For starters, let’s get one thing out of the way: Planning ahead is essential to success.

That may sound pretty obvious. But I’ve spoken to thousands of professionals, and even though most acknowledge the importance of planning, almost none of them actually do enough of it.

So, how can you plan adequately?

Back when I was working way too much and ended up in the hospital as a result, I developed a framework that changed my life. It’s called the Winning The Week Formula.

It takes just thirty minutes or less, but it can make a massive difference.

Here are the basic elements:

Review your past week for lessons learned
Get clarity on what’s really important
Take accurate inventory of your supply of time
Get an accurate picture of the demands (bids) for your time
Match time supply to time demand

I go into much more detail in this post.

2. Track your time

Here’s a question that we’ve all faced at some point: Where did all my time go!?

Finding the answer to that question can be trickier than you might think. If you just make some general guesses, it probably won’t result in any significant changes.

That’s because people are terrible estimators — and we need data to be successful.

Luckily, there’s a much better way to address your apparent lack of time. It’s called a time audit.

Basically, a time audit involves four simple steps:

Choose a time-tracking tool
Keep a time diary for 2 weeks
Analyze your results
Change the way you use your time

The key to the audit is being able to identify — and eliminate — parts of your routine that aren’t contributing to your success and well-being.

You’ll find a useful time-tracking template in this detailed guide.

I also discuss time audits in more detail here:

3. Manage your sales pipeline

Did you know that, on average, sales reps spend an equal amount of effort across all prospects?

That’s despite an important sales truth: All prospects aren’t equally likely to convert.

For example, let’s say 10% of your leads from referrals convert, while 40% of your leads from trade shows convert. In that case, you’d want to dedicate much more of your resources (including time) to trade show prospects, right?

So, here’s the tip: If you’re been sorting your prospects by date, try sorting them according to priority instead. To do so, think about which ones will have the biggest impact on your pipeline and your targets.

Then, start each day with your top priority prospects.

4. Streamline repeatable tasks

Personalizing your approach for each potential customer is crucial to converting. But that doesn’t mean you need to start from scratch every time you send an email or make a call.

By streamlining certain repeat tasks, you’ll save tons of time that you can dedicate to bigger priorities.

There are a handful of excellent digital tools you can use for that — and many of them are incorporating AI technology in ways that’ll make your life much easier.

In fact, almost half of all companies say AI tools have enhanced lead generation.

Not sure where to begin?

Check out Asana, one of our favorite task managers. It can be used to create custom workflows, track progress, and develop useful templates.

Another popular tool is Growbots, an all-in-one sales platform. You can use it to create targeted prospect lists, develop multichannel sequences, manage cold emails, and much more.

Screenshot of Growbots campaign manager dashboard

Use Growbots to easily manage and automate email campaigns.

5. Say no

Saying “no” to people can be really tough, especially in a professional setting. After all, the last thing we want is to disappoint others or make them think less of us.

But saying no is actually one of the best time management tools for sales reps.

By saying no when it’s necessary, you can ensure that:

You’re not wasting resources
You’re respecting yourself and your time
You’re using your most productive hours for the top priorities
You’re not accepting tasks outside your sales responsibilities

Remember: Your time is valuable — and you’ve got to defend it!

All that said, if you’re not sure exactly how to say no, don’t worry.

We created this cheat sheet that’s full of ways to say no in various work (and life) situations, such as meetings, phone calls, and social engagements.

6. Stop multitasking

Back when I worked on Wall Street, there was practically no limit on how many tasks I’d take on at the same time. As long as another hand or ear was free, I’d be using it.

I thought multitasking was a skill to be proud of — and I know many sales reps think similarly.

But the reality is that multitasking doesn’t work.

In fact, it can reduce your productive time by as much as 40%.

Multitasking can also have some serious side effects, such as:

Stress
Memory issues
Sleep problems
Financial losses
Lower IQ
Depression and anxiety

So, how can you break the habit?

Here’s something to try: It’s called the Sticky Focus Game.

It’ll help you to not only maintain focus on the task at hand but also make fewer mistakes, work faster, and enjoy what you’re doing.

I explain the rules in this video:

7. Avoid distractions

These days, it feels like we’re surrounded by countless potential distractions:

Phone calls
Emails
Messages
Social media
Your office environment
And so on

As you’ve probably realized, these distractions tend to have a huge impact on productivity levels.

In fact, on average, employees lose 2 to 3 hours of productivity to distractions every day.

To reduce distractions, start with the things you can control.

For instance, adjust the settings for push notifications on your laptop and phone. Limit notifications for things like emails, messages, and various apps to the bare minimum.

Then it’s time to focus on the things you can’t prevent, such as interruptions from your colleagues or others who you share a space with.

Here are some hacks for that:

📚Find more tips for avoiding distractions here.

8. Hold more efficient meetings and sales calls

As a sales rep, you’re probably spending a lot of time in meetings and calls. It’s practically the name of the game.

But that doesn’t mean meetings need to take up all your time.

So, in order to keep your meetings short and sweet, focus on efficiency.

For example, one way to improve efficiency is to be very clear about your objectives before a meeting or call.

Remember to follow S.M.A.R.T objectives: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and — most importantly for our topic today — Time-bound.

Once you’ve got the objectives down, set the meeting agenda accordingly.

Another way to boost efficiency is to use talking points or call scripts.

Of course, that doesn’t mean saying the same thing on every call. But having a general idea of what you’d like to say and how can help you stay on track and feel more confident in your meetings.

9. Use email in the right way

How many times a day do you check your email inbox? Five? Ten? Fifty?

Whatever your answer is, it’s time to reduce that number.

A quick email check can quickly turn into a HUGE time suck, and that’s exactly what we’re looking to avoid.

Instead, focus on sending the right messages to the right people at the right time.

Here are a few ways to work toward that goal:

First, schedule a few short blocks of time during the day to check your email. You can even set a reminder in your calendar to help you keep it consistent.

Second, if you notice that you’re spending more than a few minutes on an email, consider picking up your phone and calling instead. In many cases, it’ll save you a ton of time and energy.

Lastly, take advantage of the latest email-related plug-ins and apps to help you take control of your inbox. For example, you can use SaneBox to filter out messages you don’t need to read and cut down on pesky back-and-forth chains with Boomerang.

View of sample email with Boomerang scheduling feature active

Use apps like Boomerang to avoid seemingly endless email chains.

10. Prioritize the right tasks

With so many seemingly important tasks on your plate, how can you determine which ones to prioritize?

Here’s a method I use all the time. It’s called the Eisenhower Matrix.

To start, draw a two-by-two matrix and label the X-axis “importance” and the Y-axis “urgency.”

Then, label the quadrants as follows, starting with the top left and working clockwise:

Low Importance, High Urgency
High Importance, High Urgency
Low Importance, Low Urgency
High Importance, Low Urgency

Once you’ve ranked your tasks in the matrix, you should already have a better idea of what to start with.

If you’d like to take things a step further, transfer the tasks into a more formalized to-do list or a task manager, like Asana or Monday.com.

Sample of a weekly to-do list on Monday.com

Task managers like Monday.com are a great way to keep track of priorities.

💡Pro tip: To keep your list as clear as possible, start each item with a VERB:

Attend sales training
Call regional sales manager
Draft talking points

For additional to-do list ideas and related tips, check out this page.

11. Batch your time

We’ve already discussed the importance of focus and prioritization, but none of that will matter if you simply can’t get into a good workflow.

This is especially true if you’ve got a bunch of smaller, shorter tasks to take on. After all, it’s easy to get distracted if you’re constantly shifting from one thing to the next.

So, instead of treating each task individually, try to group similar or related ones into batches that you can tackle together in one go.

For example, you might create a batch for all of the day’s cold calls. Another batch could be dedicated to follow-up emails, and a third to prepping your schedule for the following day.

By clustering similar tasks into solid blocks of time, you’ll make it easier for your brain to process the information and stay focused for longer.

👉🏻Don’t forget to allocate a chunk of time for the unplanned items that inevitably arise!

12. Use a CRM

If you’re not already using a CRM (customer relationship management) system, it’s time to start.

CRMs offer SO many benefits for a sales operation, including everything from reducing costs to boosting efficiency.

But let’s focus on how a CRM can help you manage your time.

Using the CRM, you’ll be able to automate many of your often-mundane, day-to-day sales tasks, like:

Sending emails
Managing customer information
Gathering insights into customer interactions
Identifying leads
And much more

That means you can say goodbye to digging through files and updating spreadsheets. Instead, you can spend your time on more important things, like nurturing leads and closing deals.

💡It’s no wonder that sales reps who use a CRM report that their sales cycles are up to 14% faster, according to Nucleus Research.

13. Keep a self-care routine

Last but not least, let’s talk about self-care. I know that may sound like a luxury you don’t have time for.

But the thing is, you’ve got to fill your own cup before you can contribute to anyone else’s. If you’re not functioning at 100%, your work is going to reflect that.

That’s why we’re big fans of what we call Radical Self-Care.

Radical Self-Care means adopting goals such as:

Prioritizing your needs
Setting boundaries
Making time to reflect
Taking breaks
Avoiding shame

On a more tangible level, practicing self-care could mean forming some small, simple habits that help you clear your mind and feel more prepared for each day.

It could be anything from going on a walk after work to taking five deep breaths when you’re in the shower.