Productivity is always a concern in any workplace. That’s for the simple reason that productivity can really affect a business’ profitability. Productivity directly impacts the bottom line.
In sales, 79% of sales executives say a leading driver of hitting new targets is improving the productivity of existing sales reps. And yet, salespeople spend just one third of their day talking to prospects and spend 21% of their day writing emails. 50% of sales time is wasted on unproductive prospecting and 49% of organizations have zero or limited means to measure sales productivity.
Just like in any industry, productivity is very important in sales. So how do you make sure that sales reps are being efficient with their time and effective in their work methods? There are many strategies on improving sales productivity, but there is one productivity hack that may be worth looking into—especially given its proven track record.
This hack is nothing new. In fact, it’s 101 years old. The Ivy Lee Method was developed by productivity consultant Ivy Lee in 2018. It was so effective that the business owner who had hired Lee, Charles M. Schwab, president of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, then the largest shipbuilder and the second-largest steel producer in the U.S., paid him $25,000 (which would be the equivalent of $400,000 today).
Yes, $400,000. So you would think that the Ivy Lee strategy is a complex method, right? Well, it is actually quite simple. In fact, at the time, Lee only asked for 15 minutes with each of Schwab’s executives. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits and creator of the Habits Academy, explains what Lee did exactly:
During his 15 minutes with each executive, Ivy Lee explained his simple daily routine for achieving peak productivity:
- At the end of each work day, write down the six most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow. Do not write down more than six tasks.
- Prioritize those six items in order of their true importance.
- When you arrive tomorrow, concentrate only on the first task. Work until the first task is finished before moving on to the second task.
- Approach the rest of your list in the same fashion. At the end of the day, move any unfinished items to a new list of six tasks for the following day.
- Repeat this process every working day.
Clear explains that the strategy was so effective for these four reasons:
1. “It's simple enough to actually work.”
While others consider it too basic, it’s the method’s simple, straightforward approach that makes it work so well. And yes, even in sales’ dynamic environment—with a variety of emails, meetings, and phone calls—it can be done. Clear’s advice on this? “Yes, emergencies and unexpected distractions will arise. Ignore them as much as possible, deal with them when you must, and get back to your prioritized to-do list as soon as possible. Use simple rules to guide complex behavior.”
2. “It forces you to make tough decisions.”
Most sales reps will have more than six important tasks in a day. But the method encourages you to only list six for the day. It forces you to make the tough call of prioritizing tasks and, yes, possibly clients. But this also means that you commit to do these six priority tasks. And if, as a bonus, you finish all of them before the day ends, then you can work on the other tasks that didn’t initially make the cut.
But it’s very important to commit to these six tasks every day. As Clear says, “If you commit to nothing, you'll be distracted by everything.”
3. “It removes the friction of starting.”
Deciding on your priority tasks for the day the day or night before gives you a proper head start. You don’t waste the first few minutes or hours of the day deciding on what to do that day. This act alone already robs you of your time.
In our white paper, "The Sales and Marketing Checklist: What You Can Should Do Every Day to Close More Deals,” we did discuss the importance of making a to-do list the day before. Based on your assessment of the day, make your to-do list for tomorrow. It’s also easier to note what needs to be done the next day after you’ve assessed the day you just had.
4. “It requires you to single-task.”
It’s been decided that multi-tasking is a myth that’s breaking your brain and wasting your time. In fact, multi-tasking is not even a thing. You just think you’re doing multiple tasks at once, but you’re really not. Clear says that “having fewer priorities leads to better work.” That’s because it gives you focus.
Sales reps can get overwhelmed when dealing with multiple clients and prospects at the same time. But if they don’t prioritize and work on one account, one task, one project at a time, they are doomed to fail at all of them.
Photos from Unsplash. Main image by Corinne Kutz
