Introduction: Time Crunch: An Essential Guide to Control your Time and Increase your Sales

Time is a unique resource. Of the other major resources, money is actually quite plentiful. People – the third limiting resource – one can hire.

But one cannot rent, hire, buy or otherwise obtain more time. The supply of time is totally inelastic. No matter how high the demand, the supply will not go up. Moreover, time is totally perishable and cannot be stored. Yesterday’s time is gone forever and will never come back.

Time is, therefore, always in exceedingly short supply.

Peter Drucker
The Effective Executive, pp. 25-27

The majority of my coaching clients are sales professionals. When a client begins working with me, we discuss, during our first session, what he hopes to gain from the process. We also explore areas of his business in which he experiences the most difficulty.

Often salespeople say, "I want more business" or ask, "How do I maintain motivation?" However, time management is the skill most commonly cited as needing improvement. Salespeople will make statements such as, "I need to control my time better" or, "I just don't have enough time in my day to get everything done."

This need is so common I eventually created a workshop for salespeople (and sales managers) to help them overcome this challenge more effectively.
However, the number of salespeople I can assist in this manner is limited.
Why? The lack of time!

The writing of this book is an example of time management; I am able to leverage my knowledge and thereby help many more people than I could possibly impact in my workshops.

The purpose of this book is to help you identify how you currently use your selling time and give you specific and practical tips for using your time more effectively. If you leverage this precious tool -time-you will rapidly improve your sales results and, hopefully, enjoy life more too!

As we begin our journey together it is vital that you understand two principles of time management. First, your time is a valuable, irreplaceable resource. Second, realize you will never handle your time perfectly. It takes consistent practice throughout your lifetime. You will always be honing your time-management skills and perfecting the way in which you allocate your time.

I will never forget when I learned how valuable time is. During the early years of my sales career, a wonderful client and mentor suggested I attend a two-day workshop, Quantum Leap, facilitated by Gary Keller, cofounder and chairman of Keller Williams Realty. Over the span of two days we explored many topics. Most of them had profitable and positive effects on my business. Even today the ideas and concepts I learned then impact and shape my life. One of the comments stuck in my head so profoundly that when I share it with others the hair on the back of my neck stands on end.

Keller was standing at the front of the ballroom facing the audience.
With his hands in front of him and about a foot apart, he said, "Most people live their lives as if time moves like this." With his hands and arms remaining static he moved his body step-by-step to the right.
During his walk to the right he was saying, "People live their lives as if time moves like this. I'll start tomorrow, maybe someday I will do that, next year we will begin to..." He continued, "Most people live their lives as if they have an endless supply of time; they always wait to do the important things, falsely believing they can start tomorrow."

Suddenly he stopped and moved back to the center of the room. With his hands still in front of him, he said, "Unfortunately, time doesn't move like that.
It moves like this..." With his right arm perfectly still, he swiftly pulled his left arm behind him and then abruptly brought it back and slammed his left hand into his right palm. A loud clap resounded throughout the room.

My response to that image and his words hit me hard instantly, radically changing my perspective of life and its precious time. Yes, time! People move through life running "slam into the end." Minutes cannot be stockpiled and used later. They are gone forever. Everything eventually ends. A sense of urgency overcame me. I thought-and really felt for the first time-that once a day ends, it is gone forever. How your days are spent will either create a valuable legacy or it will lead to nowhere.

Not only is time a highly valuable resource that should be used wisely, there is also a second very important principle of using time. No matter how hard you try, no matter how many time-management seminars you attend or books you read, time is never managed perfectly. Life happens. Distractions happen. Unexpected events will require you to postpone or give up your best designed plans. You can only prepare to use time well by learning tools and concepts to handle this limited resource. Learning to use time is an ongoing, life-long process of incremental improvement.

Over the years I have been extremely fortunate to have many wise mentors to guide me successfully through the maze of professional development-beginning as a working college student, through my selling and management years to my present-day status as a business owner. In this book, these valuable lessons passed on to me about the importance of time and how to use it well are shared. By learning and using these lessons in your sales business you will enjoy a huge burst in your productivity and experience more joy in your everyday work.