Effective Tech: Background Data and Goal Setting
Next up in our Effective Tech series, we’ll unpack the necessity of gathering background data to maximize your success and how to set goals that your tech can help you achieve.
We’ll assume you’ve already built your strong foundation and are basically a rockstar at:
Prioritization
Organization
Focus, and
Discipline.
Give yourself a pat on the back because you’re awesome.
Now, it’s time to begin integrating technology that can help maximize your time and ultimately, leverage that time to make you more money. Cha-ching!
In this next phase, we’ll build upon that disciplined foundation in order to give technology what it needs to be effective. And that requires some data entry. No, it’s not the sexiest or most glamorous task we sales professionals get to do. The most glamorous parts of our job is probably those long business lunches at fancy restaurants paid for by our ritzy clients or getting invited to a weekend away at a private island owned by that fascinating CEO you’ve bonded with, or maybe...wait, I think I’ve gotten off track here. You won’t get invited to that fancy yacht without doing the legwork first, which brings us back to the decidedly non-glamorous task of data entry.
The first question I ask every one of my coaching clients, no matter how good their numbers are, is “How many calls are you making each week and how are you tracking that?” If you don’t have any background data, you don’t actually know how successful or unsuccessful you are. You just know you’re not satisfied with your quarterly commission check. Before you decide what kind of technology, software, or program will work best for you, you need to collect the necessary data the technology needs to succeed. Meaning, you’ll set a weekly goal for calls you’ll make, record when you make the calls, the relevant data regarding each call, and the result.
Once you’ve begun collecting this all-important data, you’re free to set goals for the technology to help you achieve. The reality is that every sales division (and sales professional!) will have different specific needs for their technology. So, it’s not wise to use our time discussing particular apps, operating systems, or software. BUT, there are a few activities that universally apply to all sales professionals when making smart tech decisions.
Let’s unpack some:
Tracking
Choose technology that will help you track metrics. Tech is particularly good at analyzing data and quickly providing you with valuable information. It’s critical for successful sales professionals to have as many metrics as they can manage. Without metrics, you can’t effectively manage your time, which is PARAMOUNT.
Speaking of time tracking...you should be holding every minute of your work day accountable. Knowing how you spend your time will help you make smart technology choices. And letting technology help you track your time (maybe use that online calendar a little more!) is a wonderful way to implement effective tech.
An example of why this is important: Let’s say you’re trying to determine the effectiveness of your sales calls. You set a super reasonable goal of 20 calls per week. You make the calls. You log the calls. You start to level up on how effective your calls are and make. That. CASH. Then, you’re looking for ways to maximize your time and turn to tech to help you. After some research, you decide you’ll utilize an automated email system to cut down on call time each week. This starts to work and you get replies from clients. It seems to be going ok...BUT, you never initially tracked how much time you spent on calls every week. Now, you’re answering emails from clients responding to your automated system. Is this tech more effective? It’s really impossible to say without proper time tracking.
Bring in technology to help you track EVERYTHING. That includes your time.
Categorization
The importance of categorization ties into tracking a bit, but let’s dive a little deeper. Tech can and should help you categorize (and through this, prioritize) your daily tasks. Ask yourself (and your tech): What type of task are you working on? How often do you work on this type of task? What other tasks demand your time throughout the day?
After collecting data on where your time goes and categorizing it appropriately, you’ll be able to discern which tasks you can delegate and where you need to spend more time personally. This skill takes practice and can be costly, since categorizing a task incorrectly can cause you to lose time and money. Looking critically at a task and being able to see where it goes on your calendar and accurately estimating how long it will take you is an invaluable skill for a sales professional. While technology can help you hone this skill, remember that discipline from your strong foundation. Be honest with yourself about your time and your needs to really level up your sales career. Remember, you can’t rely on technology to do it for you. It’s merely a valuable tool -- don’t let it steer the ship!
Effectiveness
Don’t focus on finding the best, newest or most flashy “guaranteed” app or technology. Ultimately, this can cause you to form the unhealthy habit of changing technologies too often, reorganizing your systems over and over again, and losing time chasing the latest fads instead of building client relationships and boosting that commission check. As sales professionals, we know a good pitch when we see one. But a good sales pitch doesn’t mean it’ll be the best for you. In choosing your technology I encourage you to fire up that sales immunity and look for what works best (often that’s the simplest tool) for you as opposed to what’s newest and most expensive, or has the most customizable options. The old schoolground adage of K.I.S.S. applies: Keep It Simple Stupid.
Research
Do your research on individual tech options, but don’t get bogged down in this phase. Go with your gut and don’t overthink it. And definitely scope out what other successful sales professionals are using. How do your colleagues organize their calendars? What tracking software works best for your mentor? Why is it that Jana always has the best numbers on your team? Maybe she’s got some effective tech backing her up.
Background data and goal setting before deciding on what technology will best serve your specific needs is paramount to putting together what tech will assist you most effectively. And yet, don’t allow yourself to become too enamored or obsessed with your “first choice.” Or worse, remain rigid in your decision-making. You may get into the weeds and realize you have different needs for your tech than you originally assumed. This is not a problem at all -- it’s more information you can use to succeed! To quote Polish-American scientist and philosopher Alfred Korzybski, “the map is not the territory”. Having a plan is essential to your success. Once you’re actually in the mud exploring your sales territory, however, it’s a good (and humble) idea to allow yourself space to adjust along the way.
Next time we’ll look at ways to treat our technology the same way we would an employee, with regular evaluations, solid communication, and tangible quarterly goal setting.
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As we wrap up our series on effective tech, I’d like to pause a moment to look backward on what we’ve discussed and look forward towards what’s next. To a large degree, taking that adjustment time to integrate tech successfully into our workflow is what makes it effective.