As a professional salesperson, I feel our time is as valuable as that of any other professional whether that’s a doctor, lawyer, dentist or whoever. But, we have to establish that value and hold ourselves to it. By creating a sense of value in your time you elevate your status as a professional in the eyes of your customers, prospects and colleagues.

                 Do You Really Value Your Time?

It’s an important step as we work to “professionalize” our profession.

For instance, unless it were an emergency could you get an appointment with your doctor or dentist by just walking in out of the cold? I doubt it. At the same time, what does that say to a prospect if your schedule is such that you can just pop in unannounced and expect an appointment?

“This guy must not be too busy,” is probably what they think.

When booking appointments, it’s best to work in about a two week window. If today is the 10th, you should be booking appointments for the week of the 17th and 24th. Any closer and you give that illusion of not being busy—any further out and you stand a good chance of being forgotten. (Always confirm appointments)

However, there are some things you can do to create a sense of value in your time—even if you aren’t slammed busy every day.

If you have extra time and want to pop in on a prospect, here is what I would suggest: “Mr. Prospect, I had an appointment cancel and I was in the area. I know you’re busy, but I’d like to try to get on your calendar in the next couple of weeks.”

What have we done here?

We’ve established that we work by appointment, our time has value and that they only reason we’re able to just drop by is we had an appointment cancel. The last thing you want them to think is that you’re just driving around hoping to find someone to talk to.

The true value of your time starts with YOU. Nobody else will value it until you do.

Understand that every minute of the day means something to you—every minute should be moving you closer to your goals and should be invested wisely. Once you set a value on your time, you’ll be surprised at how quickly that value increases.