In the dynamic and fast-paced world of sales, it’s all too familiar to find yourself engulfed in the whirlwind of daily tasks, only to realize that crucial next steps to grow your book of business are overlooked. As a sales rep, navigating this chaos without a reliable compass can feel daunting.
When creating the perfect week, it’s important to have a system that empowers you to stay organized and be more productive.
Keeping important tasks, activities, and next steps in order can be challenging without one.
In this guide, you’ll explore the transformative power of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform and see how it can help you to:
- Better manage your time in the field so you can connect with more referral sources
- Be more prepared by having referral and market data at your fingertips
- Monitor and track how you’re pacing toward your activity goals
Let’s dive in and unveil the secret to crafting the perfect week.
Planning for the perfect week
Review last week’s events and referrals
As a sales rep, the first thing you should do after making your coffee on Monday morning is log into your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform and check last week’s events and referrals.
To clarify:
When reviewing events, you’ll examine various activities, including calls, emails, and follow-ups with referrals.
In reviewing referrals, consider whether any events need scheduling for specific referrals and whether any new referrals require attention or admission.
You may be thinking: “Why should this be my first activity on Monday? I already did this on Friday, and I should be focused on this new week and hitting goals.”
That’s a good point – but like most of us on Friday, you’re ready for the weekend and could accidentally forget to hit complete or finish follow-up notes from an afternoon meeting with a referral.
So, it may take some extra time, but reviewing last week’s events and referrals is crucial to starting your Monday off right and getting a head start on the perfect week.
Below are a few tasks you should check when reviewing last week’s events and referrals.
Last week’s events you should be looking at:
- What follow-ups still need action?
- Are there any tasks left unfinished?
- Have you rescheduled or deleted any incomplete events?
Last week’s referrals you should be looking at:
- Which referrals are pending, and what is needed to be admitted?
- Do any events need to be scheduled this week to increase success?
- Did any referrals come in during the weekend?
Tip: If your organization uses Trella Health’s Marketscape CRM – you can easily pull a report to see last week’s call activity and your notes from an event in the Advanced AE (Account Executive) Summary Report.
Review this week’s events
With last week’s review of events and referrals completed – you can now focus on what tasks need to be tackled this week to be successful and hit your targeted goals.
By using the calendar feature in your CRM – you can sync the activities that need to be done along with the events you have this week, staying organized and focused on what’s important.
Tip: In Marketscape CRM – your current week’s tasks can be run as a report (if you prefer); however, the best way for you to manage your week’s tasks is in the calendar feature in your CRM where updates can be easily made, and you can filter by “event type.” Also, don’t forget to update “Event Purpose” and “Expected Outcome” to align with your team’s goals.
Route planning and scheduling
Before you start your journey connecting with referrals – you need to plan your route and prioritize client visits based on:
- Urgency
- Potential sales value
- Other relevant factors, such as location
When route planning and scheduling, it’s important to focus on one specific area within your assigned territory that you plan to visit and review the opportunities with top referrals.
Note: Some sales teams have different ways they are required to track routes based on their organization. Other sales reps might be required to have trackers to ensure they are genuinely going to meetings. Be sure to check with your sales leader on how they want route planning and scheduling done.
Tip: In Marketscape CRM mobile, you can easily plan your route and access directions to the referral’s office via Apple or Google Maps, making travel to each referral meeting easier.
Event prep
Now it’s time to do a final event prep before heading out.
Event prep shouldn’t be considered another activity to set aside time and prep for – it should be viewed as a mindset.
When event prepping, you should review the following:
- Recent historical notes
- Latest referrals
- Market data
- CRM profile information
Note: If your team also has Marketscape Insights, you can easily create presentations in the platform and have access to high-quality market data to help you perfect your talk track and show your value to each referral.
Executing the Perfect Week
You’ve made it to the fun part of the week: meeting with referrals!
Leveraging your CRM to create more meaningful connections
Before heading into each meeting – utilize the insights from your CRM to tailor your conversation and personalize your approach by looking at:
- Recent historical notes
- Latest referrals
- Market data
Remember, every referral is different, so it’s crucial not to have the same robotic speech for everyone – hoping it resonates with at least one or two referrals. Tailor your conversation with data that’s important to each referral.
To help you create data-driven conversations that resonate with referrals, check out the blog Data-Driven Conversations: Showcasing Value, Building Credibility, and Earning More Referrals.
Completing the event
As you continue your week’s journey, remembering important details from each meeting can be challenging.
Therefore, before heading to the next appointment, you should allocate time to reflect on your most recent conversation.
Think about what worked well, identify areas for improvement, and update your CRM accordingly. This reflection process enhances your ability to iterate and optimize your relationships.
In addition, you should be scheduling follow-up meetings from the current event to transfer notes from the latest interaction with the referral and any expenses that occurred before, during, or after the meeting.
Tip: If you have Marketscape CRM mobile, you can easily record meeting notes in the app, create expenses from your meeting with referrals, and create a follow-up meeting immediately afterward from your car. No more looking for the post-it note or trying to remember every little detail of the meeting until you return to your computer.
Ending the perfect week
Reporting and updating referral notes
It’s finally the end of the week!
You’ve had a busy week of prepping, reviewing, and meeting with top referrals in your territory. Now, as the week comes to a close – it’s important to review events, such as any follow-ups and time-sensitive tasks that need to be completed before you leave for the weekend.
Even though it’s Friday and you may be in weekend mode, completing these tasks and follow-ups is essential to stay top-of-mind. In addition, on Monday morning, you’re not struggling to remember what you needed to do from the previous week and miss something important for a referral.
Update goals and identify gaps
As a sales rep, having weekly check-ins with your sales leaders is vital to ensure you are on track to hit your monthly goals. Also, it’s important to review your activities and events at the end of the week to identify gaps and opportunities for engagement with referrals you may be unable to connect with.
Remember, the perfect week is not just about completing tasks; it’s about building relationships, showcasing value, and setting the stage for ongoing success. By effectively executing your plan and leveraging the power of your CRM – you’ll be well on your way to a consistently productive and rewarding sales journey.
Did you have the perfect week?
As you finish your reporting and end-of-the-week tasks – ask yourself, “did I have a perfect week?”
Spoiler alert: No week unfolds perfectly, and that’s ok. Unexpected turns may lead you to discover opportunities not in your initial plan. And if you didn’t stumble upon gold – assess the reasons, make adjustments, and get back on track for the next week.
By having a CRM that can help you review, prep, and keep track of your events – you can stay organized and know early on if you’ll have the perfect week.
If you’re struggling to know where to start when planning the perfect week and feel disorganized throughout the week – it may be time to start looking into utilizing your CRM to help you tackle your sales goals.
Want to learn more about how Trella Health’s Marketscape CRM can help you feel empowered to have and hit your targets?
