We have come a long way in The ABCs of Sales, and thank you
for tagging along! We hope you're learning from our experiences as much as we
learned them the hard way.
Today, we delve into the letter M: Management.
Specifically, I want to talk about the most finite, non-renewable
resource you have: Time Management. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. You
can’t rewind the clock. This realization hit me hardest when my career scaled
from selling squirrels to hunting elephants.
The Tender Trap: Hunting Elephants
Every salesperson has that one necessary task they dread. For me, it
was, and often still is, tender preparation. It’s mind-engaging,
detail-oriented, and feels exactly like sitting for a high-stakes exam. Yet, in
B2B sales—especially when chasing major projects—competitive tendering is the
gatekeeper to the biggest deals.
Early in my career, when I transitioned into technology sales, the deal
sizes exploded. I went from conversations in the tens of millions to the
hundreds of millions. Naturally, this meant I had to become fluent in the
language of tenders.
I was hungry. I wanted every deal—the big "elephants" and the
smaller "squirrels"—all at once. There's nothing wrong with ambition,
but here's the flip side I painfully learned: winning a squirrel might
cost you an antelope.
The Crisis Mode Culture
My strategy was simple: jump on every opportunity. The result? The
support teams I worked with were constantly in crisis mode. We were
perpetually behind, rushing documents, and operating in a state of high-stress
adrenaline. This chaos led to a painful losing streak. Frustration turned into
blaming, and animosity crept into the team.
Unsurprisingly, as the effort I put in increased, my sales results
tanked. Why? I was spreading myself thin, working on tasks with the intention
of just getting to the next one, rather than committing to quality. I was
confusing activity with productivity.
Then came the thunderbolt.
My colleague, Chris, who had patiently observed the pattern, finally
looked me in the eye and said, "I don't like how you work. Why are
all your projects always on crisis mode?"
He was right.
It hit me how different mentally knowing something is from actually
practicing and living it. I had read books on time management, but I
was failing the practical exam.
From Crisis to Control
Chris's directness was the catalyst. In the following days, I committed
to changing my approach to deal management.
- Prioritization
& Decision-Making: I learned to take the "Go/No-Go"
decision seriously. I attended training to identify the financial and
technical landmines and curveballs before we invested
hundreds of hours in a bid. I stopped chasing every squirrel.
- Headroom for
Crises: I started setting personal deadlines at least two
days ahead of the official team deadline. This gave the entire
support team the "headroom" necessary to handle real,
unavoidable crises without operating on fumes.
- Deep Work
Blocks: Crucially, I implemented Time Blocking. I created
periods for "deep work"—usually the complex tender reviews or
proposal strategy—and guarded that time aggressively. If someone needed
me, I politely asked them to wait until my block was done.
In no time, my mojo returned. The same team that was frustrated with me
was now enjoying the work, and yes, we started winning again.
I still have a lot to learn, unlearn, and relearn about managing my
time, but I’ve learned that managing your time is simply a form of managing
your priorities and, ultimately, your mental health and win rate.
👂 Your Turn: Share
Your M-Moment!
We've shared our journey from the chaos of 'crisis mode' to the clarity
of control.
What about you? What was the pivotal experience, colleague's
blunt comment, or external training that forced you to learn (or re-learn) time
management in sales?
Share your story in the comments below! Let's help each other get better
at the Management that matters most.
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