I’ve got a quick time management tip for all of you super-busy frontline sales managers.
At 23, in my first sales management job, I was buried by everything my team needed and all the things I didn’t know how to help with. Sound familiar?
Here’s the best time management tip that you can learn that we teach in our quick and easy time management course for sales managers (it’s called Own Your Day)
It’s all about getting out of the reactive mode and into the proactive mode.
READ: 4 Time-Saving Tips for Sales Managers
And here is the most fun and hardest part of what we’re teaching.
You’ve got to learn to say NO. Why?
Because that team of 8 to 15, new, experienced reps that you’re there to lead, serve, motivate, and nurture, will suck you dry.
I’m telling you, it will happen.
Because we’re all in the business of making money and doing it as fast and as easy as possible.
That makes you the go-to for all their questions.
And my goodness, they’re going to keep asking until you teach them to fish, which takes longer.
So it is a vicious, vicious cycle.
READ: Top 8 Sales Management Productivity Hacks
One of the most important skills that we teach new managers (who literally hug me afterward) is what to focus on first, second, third, and fourth, what to get rid of, what to delegate, what to do immediately, what to schedule for later, etc.
But here’s the crux of the skill: it’s saying NO to the rep request that’s coming at you right now.
You know the ones—people telling you about the call they just had, the deal they closed, or asking a product question. And all of that hits you before 9 am.
But here’s how to say no without being a jerk:
Scheduled meetings. When you build a sales management cadence, you’re not saying no, you’re saying, “This is so important, let’s talk about it in our scheduled call coaching,” or, “Bring that story to the huddle.” That way, you’re acknowledging their need but pushing it into the cadence.
This is probably the #1 best time management skill you’ll learn to take back your day and stop working before it’s dark (winter excluded 😉). You’re welcome.
Don’t have a cadence yet? Or a way to manage the requests? We’ve got you covered. Join our certification program, Own Your Sales Manager Role.