Someone once said "Let no one say, ' I haven't enough time', because you have all the time there is!" Successful people know that time management is really a matter of self-management since time can't really be managed. Here are some sobering facts about (sales personnel) recruiters and their time:
- The average sales person is distracted every 11 minutes and it takes an average of 25 minutes to get back on track (University of California, 2008).
- The typical inside sales person is making 8.12 calls per day and logs an average total talk time of 33 minutes/day.
- 80% of sales calls result in leaving a voice mail.
Fact is that we all know that we need to make an average of 85-100 calls per day to experience success in the recruiting space. We don't need a university study to tell us that we frequently fail to meet that goal. Here are some suggestions for success:
- Have a plan - The number one reason for failure to achieve call goals is that our lists are not prepared when we sit down to work in the morning. Investing the last hour of the day in preparing for the next is the best spent hour of the day. Better yet, why not get all your lists organized on Friday afternoon (no one is answering their phone anyway)?
- Schedule call blocks - I recommend three call blocks of 90 minutes each with 15 minute breaks in between. These blocks should be balanced between sourcing and marketing, follow-up and cold calls.
- Hit it hard first thing in the morning - Get your three blocks done early in the day to ensure that they actually happen. This will build your momentum and confidence as well as ensure your routine success.
- Eliminate interruptions - Top three interruptions: (1) email, make it wait until noon, (2) telephone, send it to voicemail, (3) coworkers, inform them to leave alone until 12.30 PM every day.
Almost everyone knows what they need to do. Successful people actually figure out a way to routinely get the mission critical tasks done. Change the equation. Take draconian measures if necessary. Your future depends on today.
