How to Manage Your Selling Priorities
When you are in an airplane, you may or may not pay much attention to what is going on in the cockpit. You may happen to glance at the massive control panel (dashboard) with all the switches, gauges, knobs, and buttons, but it’s just a glance before you hustle on to your seat to get settled in for the flight. Most passengers don’t think twice about the complexity of what’s happening up front, but the pilot does, thankfully, because their job depends on constant attention to every detail and reading every instrument correctly. Much like a successful salesperson must track their selling priorities to stay in control of their flight path, your success depends on what you monitor and adjust each day.
Your Sales “Dashboard”
When you are getting ready to start your day as a professional salesperson or sales manager, you may not pay a lot of attention to what is happening in the cockpit of your sales aircraft or to “the dashboard” that provides critical information about the state of your business. Normally, you jump in the pilot’s chair and fly off into your day. You have a pretty good idea of where you’re going that day, so you probably don’t give much thought to the “preflight plans” for the rest of the week, month, or quarter. Yet, much like a pilot, your ability to navigate successfully depends on the data and indicators you monitor before takeoff.
If you stop to think about your flight, or your business, in longer terms, you know that over the course of a year, you’ll likely encounter a lot of turbulence. Markets shift, prospects change course, and conditions evolve. If used properly, your business dashboard, like the control panel of a 757, can provide you with the critical information needed to make smart, timely decisions at those key moments. It would be nice to have a system of alerts to give you warning before you’re on the verge of crashing. Pilots trust their dashboards for survival; sales professionals should do the same to stay on course and avoid costly surprises.
Have you looked at your dashboard lately? What does it tell you? What alerts or warning systems do you have in place to let you know when you’re losing altitude and attitude? How do you know if all systems are working properly and that your sales aircraft will get you safely to your destination, on time and on target? What should you be monitoring and doing every day, during your “preflight inspection,” to make sure you’re improving the probability of getting there?
Your Key Selling Priorities
Here’s my suggested short list of selling priorities:
Prospecting
Talking to people
Scheduling appointments
Conducting qualifying (and disqualifying) appointments
Presenting and getting decisions
Just like each engine of the aircraft, each of your priorities should have a gauge (a standard of performance) and an RPM, or required ground speed (a set time frame), necessary for safely lifting off and landing your aircraft at the proper destination.
Having a thoroughly monitored dashboard of sales priorities to help you execute a safe landing—your goal—is a must. When you rely on your instruments, track your progress, and make adjustments in real time, you increase your chances of not just reaching your destination, but doing so efficiently, confidently, and with the satisfaction of a smooth flight.
FAQs
1. How do I know which sales activities should be my top priority each day?
Focus on the activities that directly drive revenue — prospecting, qualifying, and advancing real opportunities — and schedule them before anything else.
2. What’s the best way to balance servicing existing clients while pursuing new business?
Protect time for both by blocking dedicated hours each week for client care and prospecting so neither gets neglected.
3. How can I stay focused when unexpected issues or distractions arise?
Start your day with 3–5 clear priorities and ask, “Does this help me reach my sales goal?” before reacting to distractions.
Author:
Tony Cole
Founder, Anthony Cole Training Group
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