If you’re an outside sales rep, you’re probably used to having a busy schedule and being in and out of the office regularly. You also have to spend a lot of time on mundane, time-consuming tasks that interfere with more important work. In fact, statistics reveal that many outside sales reps spend less than 30% of their time actually selling.

When these tasks start to pile up, sales reps can start to get into trouble. That's why it's important to focus on your schedule and see what you can do to optimize it. 

Successful sales time management is vital for increasing revenue and establishing consistent practices that contribute to sustainable growth. 

So let’s help you do that with these 5 time management hacks for sales teams!

In a sales team, optimizing "sales time" is crucial for productivity. The less time they can spend on non sales related tasks the better. Effective time management is about maximizing your time – your ultimate asset as a sales rep. 

Sales time management isn't just a strategy, it's your golden ticket to sustained sales success. Time is money, after all, and in sales, every tick of the clock counts. Mastering time management opens the door for sales reps and teams to boost sales efficiency and achieve long-term growth.

Looking to boost sales efficiency? Check out this helpful guide that offers you 8 effective strategies for your sales team!

To navigate the challenges of hectic schedules and prioritize tasks efficiently, sales teams can benefit from a set of strategic time management hacks. 

These practical techniques not only streamline daily operations but also empower sales professionals to make the most of their valuable time, fostering a culture of productivity and success within the team. 

Here we’re going to break down 5 time management hacks for sales teams interested in eliminating busy work and increasing sales productivity.

Sales reps often switch between multiple programs in their day to get through their workflow. This is time-consuming and cumbersome. This is where the importance of automating your workflow comes into play.

Automating your workflow is crucial as it reduces the time spent on repetitive tasks, allowing sales professionals to focus on high-value activities like building relationships and closing deals. This not only enhances overall efficiency but also leads to increased productivity and, ultimately, improved sales performance.

According to HubSpot, a remarkable 60% of sales professionals consider AI/automation tools important to their overall sales strategy. 

Sales automation tools, such as Badger Maps, streamline the entire sales process, making sales representatives more time-efficient. 

Badger Maps is a route-planning app designed specifically for field salespeople. It allows sales reps to automatically plan, route, and maximize their time in the field by cutting down driving time by 20%. 

Sales reps save an average of 8 hours a week from better planning, becoming more focused and organized, and driving more efficient routes. The time savings can be used on productive sales activities, which has resulted in the average team of 10 Reps selling $936k more the year they start using Badger Maps.

With other important sales features such as lead generation on the go, customer data visualization, follow-ups, and check-ins, Badger Maps helps field salespeople optimize their time in the field by automating important sales processes.

Badger Maps also integrates with your existing CRM, enabling your reps to leverage the data in the CRM on a map and update the CRM quickly from the app on their phone.

Badger Maps can integrate with leading CRMs such as Zoho, Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, Insightly, and many more.

If you're looking for better ways to manage your time in the field, look no further than Badger Maps. 

Reducing sales reps’ average drive time by 20% and freeing up an average of 8 hours a week is one of the best sales time management hacks there is. 

Sign up for a free trial today or schedule a demo to see how you can start optimizing your time in the field today!

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Using a CRM system is one of the best time management hacks sales teams can benefit from. 

A CRM helps sales teams and managers gain control over important customer data to automate workflows, organize and manage important customer data, and use that data to generate reports and sales forecasts. 

Today’s CRM software even implements AI to give sales reps more accurate results and a helping hand that can give them an extra boost of motivation during sales slumps. Some specific CRM capabilities that can help you save time include lead scoring, routing, call and meeting logging and recording, scheduling, and list building.

Making use of a CRM empowers salespeople to prioritize important tasks such as face-to-face meetings and phone calls with customers. These tasks are where salespeople should be spending most of their time, so with a CRM system at their disposal, they can manage their time better and ensure they are spending the majority of it on activities that fuel sales growth. Sounds pretty good, right?

When choosing Sales CRM software, consider your organization's specific needs. Enterprise solutions like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Microsoft Dynamics are powerful but can take time to implement, depending on complexity. 

For smaller sales teams, explore smaller CRMs that better suit your needs to help maximize your time. The right CRM unites your sales team and helps them improve their time management, enhancing overall productivity.

Check out this detailed guide with the 10 Best B2B CRM Software recommendations for your sales team!

Effective internal communication is vital for sales teams aiming to master time management.  One common problem is two reps working with the same customer simultaneously, causing unnecessary overlaps. 

To avoid such pitfalls and save time, explore communication platforms like Slack, a tool that can foster real-time collaboration between sales teams. The Slack Future of Work study reported that 87% of those who participated in the study were able to increase their productivity levels using the software. An internal communication software can clearly reap its benefits. 

Having quick team meetings or check-ins regularly helps improve communication and over time it helps increase efficiency within your sales team. It makes sure everyone is on the same page and promotes a collaborative atmosphere.

Making sure your entire business is successful means aligning with different departments. Check out this helpful guide that offers actionable tips to master sales and marketing alignment!

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Prioritize your sales tasks by creating a to-do list and beginning with the most important ones to ensure progress on your most important sales goals.

Allocate specific time slots for different tasks and include short breaks in between to enhance effectiveness.

If traditional planners and notebooks aren't your style, no need to worry! There are alternatives in the form of task management software, with popular choices like Asana and Trello leading the way. 

With them, sales reps can assign tasks to themselves, add followers to tasks, comment on them, and organize tasks into sections that work best for your sales team. This is just as important as internal communication software because it shows what everyone in the office is working on.

We understand that it might get confusing to use several different programs at once. Luckily, task management software tends to have powerful integrations with internal communication software. 

If two reps are on Slack and they come up with a great idea, they can simply turn a message into an assignment on Asana instead of going into Asana and manually making the task. This goes back to automating workflows, which is essentially killing two birds with one stone when it comes to improving time management.

Listen to this Outside Sales Talk podcast episode with Sales Gravy CEO Jeb Blount to learn his time-management strategies for becoming an ultra-high performer in sales!

Everyone wants to reduce the amount of distractions they are faced with when working. 

There are limitless distractions in the world today from your mobile phone, emails, social media, and co-worker interruptions. The ability to work on a single task at any time can be impeded by these distractions, with a study by the University of California finding that we only spend an average of 12 minutes on a task before being interrupted. 

The need to reduce these distractions is real.

To stay focused, eliminate these distractions with tools like Blocksite, which can block time-wasting sites. Additionally, keep your phone out of sight or use the "do not disturb" mode to resist the temptation of checking social media or messages. 

These simple steps help sales teams stay on track, control external disruptions, and manage time efficiently. By following these strategies, sales professionals can achieve greater success in their roles.

In the realm of sales, effective time management is essential. These hacks, tailored for sales teams and sales reps, highlight the significance of minimizing distractions, utilizing tools, and strategic sales planning. 

Embracing these practices enhances productivity and ensures success. Whether controlling disruptions, adopting efficient time management strategies, or staying organized, these tips maximize time for optimal performance. 

Ultimately, the goal is to work smarter - not harder!

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About the Author: Reuben Yonatan is the founder GetVoIP - an industry-leading business comparison guide that helps companies understand and choose a VoIP system for their specific needs. You can follow him on Twitter @ReubenYonatan.