Time is money.

And sales people know that better than anyone - or at least, they should.

Sales people are crucial to any company, particularly growing companies, because they are the driving force behind revenue generation. They directly impact a company’s growth by bringing in new customers, closing deals, and expanding the business’s market share. Without a strong sales team, even the best products or services might not reach their intended market, resulting in missed revenue opportunities and stagnant growth.

But almost all of us experienced bad sales attempts, and probably one of our reactions was: ‘Such a bad try. Why this person is wasting its time, and trying to sell me this in such a stupid way?’

The things are not that complicated - there are few common factors that are dividing bad and successful sales representatives. In this blog we’re going to discover those factors, and how sales manager & executives can remove common factors of wasting time in their sales team.

What Are Sales People Needed For

First of all, we must understand why sales people are so important to each & every business that exists and that will ever exists.

Sales people play a vital role in building and maintaining customer relationships.

They act as the face of the company, representing its values and offerings. In growing companies, where establishing a brand and building trust with customers are key, sales people are often the first point of contact and can make or break a customer’s perception of the company. They help to understand customer needs, provide solutions, and ensure customer satisfaction, which leads to repeat business and referrals.

Momir Gataric, CEO of Veza Reception, emphasizes this role, stating, "In today’s hyper-competitive market, it’s not just about selling a product—it’s about creating an experience. Sales teams are often the first ambassadors of that experience. Their ability to connect with customers, truly understand their pain points, and offer tailored solutions is what drives long-term relationships and ultimately determines the success of a company".

We know that the first impression matters. Usually, when you would like to test some product/service, you would book a demo with the company’s team. And, during the demo, the sales representative will be your first connection with that company. Based on their behaviour, way of thinking, based on how they listen to you, how they answer to your questions, and based on how much space they give to you, you’re create an opinion about that company in general.

If you like the product even more after the meeting, and if you’re willing to make the purchase and/or to spread the good word about it to other, that means that the sales team did some good job ✅

But in so many cases, the situation is totally different. 😢

You’re angry, unmotivated, dissatisfied, and you’re just realised that you wasted 30 minutes of your life that will never come back.

And if you’re sales guy that’s reading this, you wouldn’t like to have the leads that will feel like you just wasted their time.

Because of that, let’s learn how sales people are usually wasting their time, and how that can affect company’s results (and waste not just theirs, but time of others too).

How Sales People Often Waste Their Time

According to ZenBusiness’s AI study for businesses, nearly 70% of professionals report losing significant time each week due to inefficient workflows and lack of automation tools. Sales teams are no exception - repetitive manual tasks, poor tool usage, and weak follow-up systems often consume hours that could be spent actually selling or nurturing leads.
Time management is crucial in sales, as it directly impacts the success of the sales process, deal closures, and key performance indicators (KPIs).

But people (oh yes, sales representatives are people as well) love to waste their time.

Everyone’s waiting for the right moment to do something. ‘Oh, I’ll wait until that and that is finished, and then my perfect start of the task is guaranteed’.

People also hate to change.

And when you have bad results (which many of the sales people have experienced), you’ll first need to:

• realise that the change is needed ❗
• change how you’re using your time ❗
• remove common time wasters. ❗

Instead of that, the main task of the sales people can be divided into three main parts:

1. They need to maximise the number of opportunities 🥇
2. They need to convert the highest possible numbers of those opportunities 🥇
3. They need to do both of above segments for a very long period of time 🥇

How they can do that? 🤔

By avoiding next things 👇

1️⃣ Not Following-Up

A follow-up is a subsequent action or communication that occurs after an initial interaction or event. It is typically used to maintain contact, provide additional information, ensure completion of a task, or address any outstanding issues.

Follow-ups help ensure that communication is ongoing and that nothing important is overlooked or forgotten. They demonstrate professionalism and attentiveness, and can help build stronger relationships.

And your sales success is based on a successful relationships, because:

• By making follow-ups a regular part of your sales strategy, you can turn casual leads into deals.
• By following-up consistently you’re always keeping the chances to turn another connection into customer.
• By not following-up, you’ll show the first bad habit of a bad sales representative: lack of persistency.

2️⃣ Not Using The Right Tools For Their Sales Tasks

One common time-waster is not fully using available resources, such as sales technology and tools. To avoid this, sales professionals should inventory their resources, understand their capabilities, and integrate them into their daily routines.

The time we’re living in overwhelms us with the informations, which often can cause that we forget something important.

That just can’t happen to sales people.

They must have their tasks, leads, and informations organised, because in that way their sales process will become smoother, and easier for future improving.

Some of the tools are: HubSpot, Salesforce, Zapier, or Tapni For Business (can integrate with mentioned CRMs + you can create custom lead generation forms).

Moreover, performance management software can help track individual and team progress, ensuring that sales representatives meet their KPIs and continuously improve their performance.

3️⃣ Not Expanding Their Network

The more you know, the more you grow.

And the more people you know, you’ll have more (business) opportunities to grow.

Sales people should expand their network: all the time. It’s important not to lose the time on bad-fit leads, but they won’t be able to separate good & bad leads if they don’t have new leads at all.

That’s why they need to go out there (to the events, conferences, trade shows), and try to get to know as much people as possible.

Remember, everyone of us is a salesman in the end - we’re trying to make people to believe in our ideas, our services, products or plans.

✅ One Simple Rule To Realise Sales People Aren’t Doing What’s Needed

If you’re leading a sales team, the quality and quantity of metrics that someone explains about their job is going to tell you what they care about & what they pay attention to.

As simple as that.

If they don’t have numbers to prove their job & their results, they’re on the wrong path.

Just for you to know.

Wrap Up On Common Sales-Team’s Time-Wasters

In sales (just as in everything else in business), time is money, and managing it effectively is key to maintaining a productive and successful sales operation. Identifying and addressing time-wasters can help optimise activities and improve overall performance.

Neglecting follow-ups and failing to nurture customer relationships can result in missed opportunities. A systematic approach to follow-ups, using CRM tools, and personalising communication can help maintain strong relationships and unlock sales potential ✅

By not using modern & effective software tools and systems, sales people can easily forget their obligations, and they won’t be able to build clear system of procedures, rules, and wikis. ✅

At the end, if they don’t meet new people, they won’t be able to make new connections, and turn them into leads. Their network should become their net worth. ✅

Fancy fails - simple scales 🚀

🎁 Bonus: 4 Effective Tips On How To Close More Deals

When your sales team overcome the basic time-wasters, and get better, it’s time for a new level. Here are some of the best advices & tips you can give them and turn them into sales machines:

1. Book A Meeting from A Meeting - best sales people always know the next time when they’ll see potential leads 🔥

2. Kill Two Flys With One Shoot: Just before the sales call is finished, ask this: ‘Do you know anybody else that might be interested in this?’. 🔥

Or something like: ‘Who you also know that might benefit from this? Someone that’s good customer as you, and I don’t mean only on quantity, I mean on customer relationship as well.’

You see what you’re doing? You’re saying that you’re like them as customers, and that you want more customer just like them.

Here are a few more ideas that you can use as a call-to-action before you end the sales call:

→ ‘Give me name/email of three friends/leads, and you’ll receive 25% discount for future 3 orders.’ 🌟

→ ’Sure, I can give you discount of 15%, but I can give you 30% discount if you give me 2 more leads.’ 

→ ’Of course, I can give you 2 weeks more of trial, just send me three more leads for which you know they’ll buy the same stuff. Once they buy, we’ll give you 2 additional weeks of free-trial. 🌟

3. Turn Leads Into Future Referrals: Before you finish the call, make the following call-to-action: ‘Do you know how you can get this stuff for free? For every person you invite to us as a leads, we’ll give you an additional month of free dashboard/service/coaching’. They will bring you more leads, and you’ll give them more of your stuff for free. 🔥

4. Give Higher Value, Not Lower Prices: If you hear something like ‘Can you give us $10-20 of additional discount’, just say: ‘Hey, I’ll give you $100 of extra stuff for free. Is that okay?’. Keep them wanting your stuff by giving them even more value for free. Don’t attract them with discounts - attract them with higher value. 🔥

🎁 Bonus #2: What Positions Are Key For A Successful Sales Team

Business is a game.

Sales is a part of that game. And every game can be won if you have a winning-team. Here’s the recipe on how to create successful and a effective sales team:

• Chief Sales Officer (CSO): Usually an executive-level position, responsible for the overall sales function at the highest level. The CSO sets long-term sales strategies, manages large-scale sales operations, and often reports directly to the CEO. The CSO’s role is crucial for establishing and maintaining relationships with major clients, entering new markets, and ensuring the company’s competitive edge in sales. ✅
• Head of Sales: This person typically oversees the entire sales department, including the development and execution of sales strategies, managing sales teams, and ensuring that sales targets are met. This role involves close collaboration with marketing, product development, and other departments to ensure that the company’s sales efforts are aligned with its broader goals. ✅
• Sales Representatives: These are the frontline workers who actively reach out to potential customers, make sales presentations, and close deals. ✅
• Sales Managers: They oversee the sales team, set goals, monitor performance, and provide guidance to ensure targets are met. ✅
• Sales Development Representatives (SDRs): They focus on lead generation and initial outreach to potential customers, qualifying them before passing them on to sales representatives or account executives. ✅
• Business Development Managers: These individuals focus on building partnerships, expanding market reach, and identifying new business opportunities. ✅
• Sales Operations Managers: They handle the logistics, processes, and tools that support the sales team, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in sales activities. ✅
• Sales Engineers: These professionals provide technical support during the sales process, especially in industries where the product or service is highly technical or complex. ✅

Seems like an effective basketball team with three players on the bench. 🏀

Do some rotation here and there, and get the best out of each of them.

And if you want to learn more about sales processes and systems, read the following articles:

• How To Follow-Up Effectively
• 11 Business Card Titles For Business Owners + [Examples]
• How To Put A LinkedIn On Your Business Card

If you’re ready to gain more connections & leads, and turn them into long-term customers, then Tapni For Business is the right tool for you. You can try it for free, and see the actual return on investment for you and your sales team. Get the access now! 🚀