Let Your Sales People Sell

Statistically, salespeople spend 70% of their time on non-sales activities and 30% of that time is spent on administrative tasks. Think of the additional time they could spend on sales if you reassign those tasks to the appropriate employees. For example, a delivery problem should be handled by someone in shipping. Billing problems should be handled by your collection manager. Notices of disputes should be typed and circulated by an administrative assistant. Your sales staff should not be asked to solve problems outside their bailiwick.

The other 30% of sales people's time is spent traveling from one account to another. You can increase productivity by giving portable office equipment to every salesperson. Phones, laptops and fax machines should be as common in a salesperson's car as the PC on your administrative assistant's desk.

Salespeople can use their cars as an office in-between appointments for recordkeeping, calling customers and minor administrative tasks. More importantly, they can provide immediate follow-up on customers' needs and provide immediate information to the office staff.

Look closely at how your salespeople spend their time. The greater the time spent on selling, the higher their sales and your profits will be.