Staying in the Zone
It is kind of a difficult problem to understand, but sometimes when people are working, and they can’t figure out what to do next, they can stall out. The stalling may last minutes, it may last hours. One example of the problem is in the context of a sales team. When confronted with the decision of whom to call next, a sales rep must switch his thinking from selling to scheduling and prioritizing. Scheduling and prioritizing, it might be argued, are part of the sales reps job. And this assertion is fair. But the administrative tasks that must be performed by a sales rep are really just a necessary evil. Necessary, because a sales rep can’t reach blindly into their list of leads and evil because when you’re looking for it, there is a lot of administrative work to be done. And it can easily expand to fill the time of a sales rep. It is work that does little to make sales reps better at selling.
Lead Management software automatically prioritizes leads to put the one lead at the top of the list that is most in need of a contact attempt. Lead prioritization rules can be configured to fit any workflow. But at a glance, here’s how they work out of the box: Any lead with a scheduled appointment in the next few minutes tops your list of prioritized leads. Then come brand new leads with zero contact attempts. Then leads are listed according to an optimal lead follow-up strategy that dictates that each lead receives six call attempts before being shifted into a nurture status. The six calls attempts are scheduled at strategic intervals and cause leads to appear at the top of the prioritized list only when the time has come for their next contact attempt.
Switching out of selling mode into administrative mode is not just costly in terms of how much time it takes. Making this cognitive switch takes a sales rep out of the selling zone. The selling zone is where each call is preparation for the next and success compounds success. The selling zone is where sales reps gather momentum and gain confidence. Minimizing administrative decision making keeps a sales reps mind fresh and focused on selling.
