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But one needs to know that the time spent has been productive and not devoted to activities that will have little influence on sales and income. Great salespeople are ruthless about the use of their time. They are proactive and use a well-designed strategy to generate leads and sales. They set goals and then arrange daily activities to enable them to spend most of their time in revenue-generating activities.

1. Make every call count. Focus on those clients that are likely to give you the most business.

2. Save time by qualifying every prospect. As quickly as possible determine if the potential buyer

   • needs your product/service

   • can afford it

   • is an acceptable credit risk

3. Put a low priority on social calls. Certainly these visits are fun and have a low stress factor, but they don't put bread on the table. Perhaps you might indulge in such visits as an occasional "treat" after a very successful day.

4. Pace yourself. Don't try to do everything at once. Make a list of things that need to be done and allocate them to different days, depending on their need to get done.

5. Plan each day the afternoon or evening before. Doing this will give you the assurance that your day will be productive and enable you to have a good night's sleep.

6. If you are a travelling representative and depend on a vehicle, keep your car in tip-top condition. Driving a clean, dependable car will make you feel better about being on the road for many hours and will avoid the cost of unscheduled maintenance.

7. Demonstrate to your customers how concerned you are about time — yours and theirs. Have an agenda at meetings. Tell the potential customer what you would like to achieve, how to get there, and how long it should take.

8. Keep healthy. Look after yourself. Eat well and exercise. It will make you feel wonderful about yourself and increase your confidence and sales.

9. Take vacations. Sure, time away from work is costly, but it is necessary. Time away from the office will give you time to charge your batteries, and to think about what you are doing and the things you could be doing better.

10. If you're always busy and never accomplishing the things you need done, you are either doing the wrong things or doing the right things inefficiently. The first step is to make a list of things that have to get done (leaving room for unforeseen contingencies). Do everything on the list — and don't do the things that are not on it.

11. Rank the things on your list according to the following criteria:

    • anything relating to existing or potential customers

    • anything important to your reputation within the company

    • anything deferrable or social

    Act upon them in the order outlined above.

12. When you're working down your list, do one thing at a time. Don't worry about the next items. This will only slow you down.

13. Take advantage of every available moment to get things done. Are you doing all of the following?

    • using a cell phone to optimize travel time

    • using e-mail — including portable e-mail — to ensure swift and easy response to issues as they arise

    • taking public transit to give you time to go through minor paperwork

    • coming to meetings with an agenda. The hit-or-miss approach wastes time.

    • keeping up with your professional development at opportune times. Keep important articles with you. Read them when you're waiting for a client or standing in line.

    • working from a convenient location. If you're spending hours commuting, you're squandering productivity.

14. Don't let meetings eat up your time.

    • Set an example by showing up on time. And starting on time. Reward promptness rather than tardiness.

    • Establish a time for the meeting to end. If you are not in charge, ask the chair. Doing so will encourage everyone to stay focused.

    • Ask permission to leave when agenda items do not concern you. There is no point wasting your time or the company's time.

    • Be the time-cop, that is, the timekeeper. It will be your job to blow the whistle when speakers are using more than their allotted time on an agenda item.

15. Don't let others waste the time that you have carefully saved. Social chatter costs you money and opportunity. Here's how to avoid time-wasters without giving offense.

    • Limit social contact to lunch or some other established time. Social time is important. It unclogs the mind and eases communication with others. Just don't overdo it.

    • Make your office a sanctuary. Do you have a secretary? Ask him or her to guard the door. If you don't, keep your door closed when you have something important to do.

    • Get out of your chair when a time-waster arrives. This will prevent him or her from sitting down for a long conversation.

    • Just as you seek eye contact with those you want to show interest in, avoid eye contact with those you do not want to encourage.

16. Use your environment to your advantage.

    • Try not to meet people in your office. That way you can end a meeting without giving offense.

    • Don't invite chit-chatters into your space. If you have comfortable chairs arrayed around your desk, you are encouraging others to sit. Get rid of the chairs.

    • Sit so that you're not facing other people. This will discourage idle conversation.

    • Find the ideal location for your desk. Try to save time by moving close to the people you work with and away from social traffic.

17. Don't exhaust yourself. You don't work well when you're cramped and tired.

    • Take breaks to stretch and unclutter your mind.

    • Exercise.

18. Work during quiet times. Can you come in early or leave late?

19. Use a time-saving device like a day-timer or similar software. Look for the following features:

    • calendar and "to-do" sections

    • in the case of software, on-screen reminders, schedule-sharing, and integrated e-mail