Time Traps
Proven Strategies for Swamped Salespeople
By Todd Duncan
Nelson Books
$22.99 hard cover, 204 pages; ISBN 0-7852-6323-3 (2004).
Michael Hyatt, the President and COO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, writes a pretty interesting blog, called Working Smart. When he promoted this book a few months ago, I jumped at the chance to get a copy to review it. Unfortunately, I'm not overly impressed.
First of all, I hate books that seem like just a big sales pitch. Time Traps feels that way when reading it. The four pages of ads in the back of the book touting Todd Duncan's previous books, his Sales Mastery Club, his tapes, seminars and website are nothing but overkill. Nothing turns me off more than blatant sales pitches in books. I also don't care for books full of cute quotes that amount to little more than filler – this book is filled with them. It also contains an "Executive Summary" at the end of each chapter. While each chapter is typically 20 pages or so, the summary is often just a single page.
Time Traps, while not revolutionary, is a different approach to time mastery. What Duncan proposes is that instead of trying to manage time, you manage tasks. The first thing Duncan suggests is that you more properly balance time between work and other important things in your life. He believes that 75% of what you spend your time on at work is probably a waste of time.
One way to eliminate or taper wasting time is to stop doing what he calls unnecessary tasks:
1. Don't give your cell phone number, personal phone number or personal email address to clients;
2. Don't give your work number to friends;
3. Turn off instant messaging and email alert functions on your computer;
4. Don't answer the phone unless you're expecting a call; and
5. Avoid checking your personal email during work hours.
Next, Duncan advises folks to say "no" more often. Say "no" to the unnecessary tasks already described, as well as such things as chatting with co-workers, making personal phone calls, web surfing or playing computer games. Regulate your time investment on necessary tasks, things like goal setting, dealing with necessary paperwork, and future planning.
Most of your time, he stresses, should be devoted to productive tasks. These are "the activities that most effectively move your business in a positive direction and are the best use of your time." Duncan says that for salespeople, the two top activities are strategic prospecting and selling. For solo lawyers or those in small firms, it may mean acquiring new quality clients and adding value to your existing clients. In order to spend more time on your productive tasks, Duncan also advises delegating more often and building a team to assist you.
Finally, Duncan cautions that many people have become gadget happy. He believes that folks often lose more time with technology than they gain and that you should never use technology if an old, manual method is more efficient. He also has chapters on quotas, dealing with failures, partying less when success finally arrives, and instead focusing on your health, financial fitness, relationships, knowledge and purpose in life. While this may be sound advice, the last four chapters in the book were, in my opinion, what Duncan would call an unnecessary task.
Essentially, this book suggests that you manage tasks, not time; that you stop doing unproductive things at the office, that you say "no" more often and concentrate on the things you must do to acquire more business and make existing clients happier. This is the same type of common sense advice that some diet books give when you're told to eat less and exercise more. Knowing what to do is one thing, doing it – that's the tough part.
Comments