5 Incredible practices I use to monetise a productive day!

The single greatest asset, the single most important currency that everyone uses on this planet, the one thing that is so often wasted or used frivolously, the one currency that you cannot trade, the one thing we cannot buy, the one thing that has created empires, and destroyed Countries…

Time.

Time is the single thing that we will never be able to gain back and it is one of the only things on this planet that you cannot buy! It’s moves at a steady pace, marching on, it is the once currency on this planet that can be bought — but the one currency we are ALL responsible to!

No one person gets more than the other, even the greatest Entrepreneurs alive have the same 24 hours in a given day, but the one factor that separates them from everyone else is their ability to master the art of leverage.

This is what I want to explore with you as you travel into the world of prospecting, leverage, the singular ability to grow your Business by utilizing multiple platforms and marketing mediums successfully, and most importantly, to your financial benefit. Let’s explore some concepts to really ensure that you are maximising your time, and energy so you can begin to truly make a difference in your day!

The number one question I’m asked in a given day… “How do I schedule myself to get the most done?” We’re going to explore that a little further and I want to give you some strong strategies, and things to avoid in your day to really get the most out of your prospecting efforts.

Secret #1 — Omnipresence:

“… To be present in all places at all times.” — Marriam Webster English Dictionary

The first thing that I want to focus your mind on is omnipresence, the ability to be anywhere, and everywhere at the same time. When someone asks me “if I’ve ever heard about (insert social media platform here)…” if I’m not on it, it’s usually not long before I am or attempt to make a way to get on it!

This method can be exhausting, even more so it can be exhausting coming up with ways in order for you to successfully appeal to those mediums as well, as not all marketing mediums for your prospecting efforts are created equal!

I want to make sure however that everyone knows who I am above all else. Good or bad, I want to ensure that the Community that I am prospecting for Business is somehow aware of who I am or what I am about. This is the goal, you want everyone in your inner network almost annoyed by the amount of stuff you create, and everyone outside of your inner network should be who you’re looking to reach! Being a Social Media is unavoidable, being in everything at the same time, is what you’re looking to do!

The second method toward initial omnipresence… If you haven’t figured out that cold calling is NOT in fact dead and simply one of the best ways to generate new Business, the fastest way to generate new awareness and grow your income — then I’ve got some news for you. It’s still relevant and one of the quickest ways to truly grow your Business, get in touch with the people that make the decisions, and grow your income and your Business. It is still ground zero for a lot of companies, and it is the one place many Business remain and create entire departments surrounding — just ask the Google AdWords team!

And finally, more guerrilla marketing tactics from pens, to flyers, to posters, to almost everything in between! There are hundred of ideas available, all it’s going to take is a little creativity, some negotiation for ad space, and some work putting it up but before you know it — people will recognise you everywhere! Recognition all over your community is what you’re striving for, what you’re looking to accomplish, and the space that you are ultimately looking to grow within! Don’t ignore any of these three methods! If you can’t afford it, get creative, negotiate time for space, there are a million ways you can grow your company and your income! Especially if you’re a “one man/ woman operation” it’s going to be as important as ever that you take some time out of your day to really grow!

I usually look at a marketing medium, let’s say… Twitter for example. I’ll study the platform for a week or two to understand it a little better, and I will decide in that moment that I’m going to double down on that particular platform for a couple of months! When I started doing this, we grew out little following from around 95 people to in the last 2 months just short of 3000 people! Not a bad trend upwards if you ask me! We made a goal of around 5000 followers and will scale back our efforts when we get there knowing that at this point, so long as we’re creating content on a regular basis for the platform, that we’re going to slowly grow on these platforms over time until one day, we turn around and say we’re going to put more effort into that platform once again! Cycle around different mediums! Inside and Outside! Put a lot of effort into one until you can afford to put a tremendous effort into all of them!

Being everywhere is important, but the point is, you’re going to want to focus on a particular area for a number of months of you truly want to grow into a certain space! Managing your time to do this is going to be a little bit of a challenge however and I’m going to move onto some time management strategies to do exactly that!

However, I do need to go over the dark of side of really travelling down this endeavour first — because the reality of it all is, it’s not going to be easy… simple… not easy…

Secret #2 — The real sacrifice —

Everyone is so focused on somehow getting to this so-called “work life balance” mentality that they can’t see the forest through the trees. Again, there is no such thing as work life balance.

There is sacrifice.

There is change.

There are Challenges.

There is Work.

It’s all going to be a grind.

Get over it and start hammering on it.

The first thing that is going to need to change in order for you to make a tremendous amount of money and get everything else done is the realization that it’s going to be a ton of work. There is no magic formula. There is no single methodology that is going to save you. I’m not going to give you some magic blue pill that’s going to take you down a rabbit hole… it’s ALL WORK!

The only thing that matters is plan > implement > execute > Test and Measure > Tweak and move forward.

I’m going to get real with you guys here! If you’re going to commit yourself down this path, you’re going to have to figure out what it is you’re willing to give up. That could be a lot of things, most people understand that they’re going to give up sleep, some understand that they’re going to give up fun…

Most however don’t understand the kind of strain starting down this path can put on their families… I’ve seen a lot of families break down and a lot of Sales Professionals tell me a couple of years ago that this was what they wanted despite my disclaimer, and they’re devastated when their wife up and leaves knowing full well that this may have been a apart of the journey and they spend years in regret after this! You have to come to terms with the fact that if you’re going to pursue this, those you love most around you might have enough, and they might change their minds about the lifestyle you’re leading!

You’re going to have to give something up, especially if you’re just starting out, this is no easy road! Believe me, fortunately, I’ve put together some INCREDIBLY effective time management tips to set you off on the right foot and help ensure that you’re doing right now only by your Business, but your family, and community as well! So hopefully you can avoid some of the traps of those before you!

Secret #3 — Breaking my day down, prospecting, kids, and creation —

For many of us, as Sales Professionals, we’re “solo-preneurs” especially those that are in the Sales field as a “straight juice/ pure commission” type sales Professional, this can be hard work! We have many plates to handle along with emotional roller coaster of incredible months coupled with pocket emptying defeats! This is why it is so tremendously important for you to be able to successfully break your day down in a way that allows you to get the absolute most accomplished in the shortest amount of time.

I typically have a couple of different methods I personally like to follow, and I should not that these are most definitely NOT set in stone. This book is as much about my giving you tools for an incredible career as it is about you injecting your art to make small tweaks along the way:

Day at a time method:

The first method that is one of my personal favorites is the single day method. I’m absolutely in love with this as it keep me relentlessly focused on every single day no matter what it is I do. I’ve created a printable version of my daily plan, it’s as simple as keeping it inside of a binder and working on it every night, setting it up before you go to bed and really getting the most out of every day.

• The Schedule:

As you can see in the guide, you’re getting a planner that essentially allows you to allot time to every 30 minute block with your day! This is important as it is going to help you maximise every single moment out of the day. It is absolutely essential to your income and career that you squeeze every moment out of the day you possible can, and breaking your day down in 30 minutes increments is going to allow you to accomplish exactly that!

• The Goals — Big 3:

The next area I want you take a look at is what I call the “Big 3”. Typically these are the big 3 goals that I’m working on for the year. The things that I want to accomplish more than anything! I find that if I focus on more than three goals at any given point in time, what usually ends up happening is that I have a bunch of half finished stuff and nothing is complete. Keeping your focus strictly, and relentlessly on three major goals throughout the year is dramatically going to increase your chances of getting all 3 accomplished!

For me personally, this is usually in regards to my child, my company, and my health. I maintain my spiritual needs on a regular basis without the need of writing something down, however, if you want to get more involved with your community, or want to grow your twitter following to 10,000 people this year, or want to gain 20 clients, you can put different things in here! It’s completely up to you!

If I haven’t accomplished one of those three things at the end of the year I usually look very internally for a couple of days and ask myself if it was something that I genuinely wanted. It’s not very often that I don’t accomplish one of those three things so I don’t often do this reflective exercise but it is always something to keep top of mind!

• Coming up to do’s —

You’ve already got your schedule in place for the day. This is what you’re looking to accomplish for that day — however, you need space to come up with a game plan for tomorrows items as well. As things come up through the day that you can put off to tomorrow, write them down in this column — from there I’ve given you an index at the top of the page.

What you’re going to do with this is first and foremost figure out which tasks you can delegate off. It’s important that you focus on the things that you are the best at, the fastest at and then figure out which things can be delegated to someone else who might be better at them. This is going to increase personal productivity as well as company productivity EXPONENTIALLY as you are keeping within their strong suits and leaving them to do the things that they most enjoy.

The next point I’ve put on there is that you should be numbering them from “first to execute — most important; last to execute — least important” system is going to help you dramatically with your productivity and help you better plan your day for the next days schedule.

• Daily quote:

I’m big on quotes, something about them is inspiring. I write them down everyday because there are a few I truly do remember and anytime I come across a hard situation or a situation I don’t know how to deal with, I’m reminded of the words by those much wiser before me and realize that there is usually a path, and a clever response, to everything!

• Daily Gratitude:

The last point that I’ve put on the page is to remind yourself of all of the things that are going right in your life! We’re too focused on what we haven’t accomplished and often do not take the time to focus on the things that are most important to us — being incredibly grateful for the things that we do have, the things we have accomplished, the things that we have earned! Take a few moments to write even one thing in this column during your day and I promise you, you’re going to start feeling much happier as a result of the practice!

• A note on change in your goal setting plan:

The last point and something that too often goes missed when we are planning our days and what we want to achieve is that goals can change. You DO NOT need to change them on a yearly basis, you only need a slow Monday! Never forget that nothing is ever set in stone, everything is moveable. But you are also going to have to keep in mind that if you’re changing your goal, you’re abandoning an old part of your dream, and old part of yourself. You’re growing, just make sure that before you put something down, that what you are picking up is worthy of the thing that you are replacing it with.

The to-do list methodology:

I’ve used another method that is far simpler, takes a lot less time, and is really good in a pinch when you feel like you’re losing direction in a day. I have a To-do methodology, I didn’t invent this, truth is I don’t know who did, but I’ve included the method for you in the same email that you would have signed up for if you’ve been reading this guide! If you haven’t, here you go:

This package has also come with a template on how to successfully utilize the to-do list methodology. Listen, I get it, we’re all human. Hell, it was just the other day I woke up late, had no time for a shower, came barreling down my stairs damn near late for a meeting. You’re not always going to have time to wake up in the morning to plan out your entire day, and you’re not always going to do it the night before!

Fortunately for you, I’ve already made something for you! Congratulations!

Simply create your to do list for the day, prioritize it really quickly, figure out what you need to delegate and start hammering on it as fast as you possibly can so you stay productive throughout the entire day!

Default Calendar

Now, the default calendar is where all of this comes together and it is yet again another strategy I’ve used to keep incredibly productive and something that can be used. It’s as simple as creating an excel document, having a time frame down the left side of the document, having the days in the horizontal at the top of the document and filling in all of the blanks with what you might be doing that day!

I’ve attached an example here so that you might be able to get an idea:

The whole point of this schedule is long term planning, and long term thinking! I usually create one of these once every 3 months. It’s a quarterly activity and I keep it beside me by my desk. The reason for this is, I simply get tied up with a client during time that I should be prospecting. Many Sales Professionals and Business Owners tend to move very quickly, and many of us get distracted very easily.

For those of us that do get distracted quite easily, a default calendar is an incredible way to bring us right back on task in order to achieve the goals that we have set for ourselves. It brings us back to the “Ah right, that’s what I was up to…” which for many, is a vital tool required for the success of our Businesses.

For Business owners and Sales Professionals, there are some activities that are required of us throughout our days in order to maximise profitability, gain new clients, and keep out mental sanity!

Secret #4 — The reality of production and maximising every moment (leverage) —

Like was said in chapter two — it’s ALL going to be work! Everything you want to accomplish, whether it’s Family, Work, Community, Health, or Spirituality… it’s ALL going to be work! However, there are a couple of ways we can get some more done throughout our days in order to ensure that we’re getting all of it accomplished!

Leveraging Prospecting:

If you’re not prospecting for new Business, you’re dying as a Business. If your not looking to gain a new foothold in the marketplace, I guarantee that your competition is coming up with a way to take you income from you! The single most effective method of Prospecting personally in terms of leveraging time that I have found has been doing the following 2 things:

1. Lock yourself in a room and commit yourself to a minimum of a few hours per day. I personally will have my list pre-built by someone in my office so I can come in, my team knows that when I’m in my office prospecting for new Business that these are the only hours I am not accessible to them as a Manager. It helps me grow our brand, and of course, helps my Business out in a tremendous manner.
2. Make a cold call FIRST — why? The answer is simply — intel! That’s right, I used to drive all over my Province (I’m in Canada) and go and knock on doors in hopes that I would get in front of the prospect immediately. I found out this was a tremendous waste of time and money to do! So I started calling beforehand, I would find out who the decision maker was, I would find out the best time to contact them in office, and I would go to them during those times! This dramatically improved my overall results in terms of getting in touch with decision makers, which improved my close ratio and helped my Business grow!
3. The third method is of course an old and obvious classic — referral prospecting. But I want to throw a little bit of a twist into the mix! I’ve found a clever way of getting more referrals than I ever have before. I’m going to explain that later on however, I want you to make sure you’re always asking for a referral in your selling process — I’m going to make your life really easy later on in the book and give you a crazy method on how to do just that, just make sure for now, you’re leveraging the power of your referral market!

Leveraging Social Media:

There is absolutely no doubt that if you have a knack for online marketing, creating lead funnels, and target advertising that Social Media Advertising is an excellent way to grow your Business! Unfortunately, not all of us understand advanced level concepts to generating leads directly online and even more of us use it as the “time vampire” it can be instead of using it to drive results to our Business!

There is an incredibly useful tool at buffer.com, this is the single most productive social media app I have ever used in conjunction with my laptop! Do yourself a favor, go to their website, download the free trial, walk through the tutorial and learn how to effectively maximise this incredible asset to your Business so you can start generating an amazing following to the platforms it supports!

Leveraging your family:

You know, if there is one thing I look back on quite fondly, it’s actually bringing my daughter along to as many meetings with clients as long as they allowed it! She had a blast and oftentimes, for the convenience of my clients, I would go to their homes and let her play with their children as well!

It was an amazing point of rapport with my clients, my daughter was exposed to a variety of children who taught her all kinds of new things, and I had the opportunity to scope out a couple of Hanukkah gift ideas for her based on the toys she played with!

The number one thing that I did for making sure that I spent the absolute most time with my family however, was simply making a solid two day block for them, and only them. I made a point of letting my clients know every week when I was completely unavailable, and if I lost one or two contracts in the process of being greedy with my time with my family, it wasn’t much skin off my back as I’ve always aimed to support a “Hustle and Family” style culture within my Business. If a client didn’t want to play ball with the family, they didn’t get to enjoy the benefits of the hustle!

Leveraging your health:

Depending on your priorities, this one might be tough. I know that it has always been a challenge for me. However, being a Grappling, Judo, Jiu Jitsu aficionado, I make a point of going out a minimum of twice per week.

I’ve found this to be more about the love of what you do more than anything in the world. Listen, we all want to look like movie stars and spend a million hours in the gym, I understand… the truth though… is that it’s never going to happen. You didn’t do it with the first 20 years of your adult life, chances are good if you’re responsible for a company it’s not going to happen with the last 20 years of your life.

However, if you find something that you love, a sport, or an organization. Get involved in it and begin telling members there about what it is you do. How you can help them, it’s a great place to meet new friends and even create a couple of Business relationships along the way! Just ensure that whatever it is you’re doing, that you love it!

Time for your spiritual welfare/ Mental Health/ Escape time

Whatever it may mean, some find escape in faith, some find escape in Therapy, and others just find escape in sitting down with a case of Red Bull and hitting their favourite video game! I’m a little more partial to faith and reading but the point is simple, you need to MAKE time to escape.

Escapism is mandatory.

You need to make some time for yourself, as we got through the grind of the day to day. It is so vital to your success that you take some time to really find time to enjoy yourself! Even for just 15 minutes a day, sitting down and reading a couple pages of a good book you’ve been dying to get your hands on, going out and having a couple of beers with a family member you haven’t caught up with, or taking a nap are all good ways of getting through the weeks and months ahead. Believe me, you’ve got a grind ahead of you and that’s important, there’s going to be a lot of missed opportunities for fun the in future as you build your Business and Career. Spend some time allowing yourself to escape.

Secret #5 — Throw out your lunch & the art of Prospecting everywhere

I suppose the last strategy I can give you is this, absolve to maximise every moment in time you have during your day! I’m writing this as my daughter in napping, today is a day I focus on my kid and making sure that she is ok! But every now and again, I get a moment or two to myself, and I get to do what I love, create this message!

The point of the story however is, utilise every moment you possibly can! Make sure you’re spending as much time as you think you possibly need to truly grow your Business and your Profession!

The one area I see many new Sales Professionals under utilising is their lunch breaks. My question to them usually is, especially if they’re in their first year… “Why aren’t you using them to grow your Business? Why not take a client out and cement that relationship?”

The lunch break is one place where more time is wasted than any other during they day. Even if you get a half hour “break” in your day, you’re working 5 days a week, 50 weeks a month… you’re losing just over 3–40 hour work weeks worth of time to taking a half hour to yourself… double that up to an hour and you’re losing 6.5 work weeks to taking a lunch break.

What could 6.5 weeks of extra work do for your Business every single year?

Maximise every opportunity and grow!

Summary:

• Decide you’re going to be everywhere in the Marketing world, and then decided which platform you’re going to focus most on for a couple of months. This is going to have a tremendous impact in your Marketing efforts!
• There is no doubt in my mind that there is going to be a sacrifice of sleep, and time for fun! Don’t doubt that for a second. But consider the other sacrifices you might be making to your health, and family — especially if you’re just starting out. It’s important that you find a way to give yourself to all of these fields, but don’t surprised if in a couple of years, your whole world changes.
• Utilise one of the execution calendars I’ve given you above. If you have some time to plan, make some time to plan and work on everything you have to do that day. Break it down! If you’re in a rush and need to lunge out the door, utilise the “To-do methodology” I’ve also created for you above!
• The most successful people on the planet find ways to leverage time, they use systems and people to successfully leverage everything they possibly can out of their days! Ensure you’re making time for your family, your community or church, and most importantly, time to escape!
• Maximise every moment you can. One of the biggest missed opportunities on the planet to grow your income is the lunch break! Use this opportunity to cement clients for the future and grow your Business!

Matthew Gourley is the Founder of www.salestraininc.com. A company dedicated to educating Sales Professionals all over North America and providing incredible levels of service in the Digital Marketing Arena! Give his office a call at 1–403–331–5229.