Time Management Hacks for Business Development Teams (or any team!)

In the fast-paced world of business development, time is a valuable resource that can make or break our endeavours. Effective time management is the cornerstone of productivity, allowing us to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and make the most out of every working day. In this blog, I’ll explore some misconceptions about time management, some practical way you can improve and how Adobe is supporting its sales teams:

Misconceptions about time management

A common myth about time management is that multi-tasking is an effective way to manage your tasks, deliverables and activity. There have been numerous studies that have shown that avoiding distractions and concentrating on your work increases your attention span, improves your efficiency and maximises output. One of the best value adds of focus work is that you become more and more efficient at completing the task at hand as time goes on.

Another misconception is that time management means working longer hours. Time management is more about being productive and focused on the tasks that need to be completed, not necessarily working longer hours. It's about getting the most out of your hours and making sure that your activity is focused on what needs to be done in an efficient and timely manner.

Time management challenges

One of the biggest challenges I have faced in sales is getting distracted with tasks, deliverables or projects that don't "move the needle". It's incredibly important to regularly review what you're working on and ensure it is aligned to the broader organisational goals, will contribute to hitting your target (or milestones) or will remove obstacles that may be limiting your productivity. Not only is this a great way to stay focused and ensure you are making the most of your time, but it also helps to identify where you can automate certain processes or tasks to free up more time for higher value activities.

Another challenge in modern workplaces is the number of internal meetings that we're required to attend. While there is a lot of value to be derived from coming together as a team, excessive meeting times can be a major hindrance to productivity and progress. That's why it's so important to set an agenda before the meeting, stick to it and ensure the objectives of the meeting are met. Equally important is ensuring that the right people are present. Too many people in a meeting means that the conversation can become diluted, and issues can become muddled.

Improving Time Management for Greater Effectiveness

The most important tactic a salesperson can employ to improve their time management is to have a thorough understanding of their funnel metrics and plan accordingly. Starting with your target and using average deal sizes and conversion ratios, you can reverse engineer your funnel to set yourself activity metrics. There are several tactics such as the Pomodoro Technique or time blocking that will allow you to plan your days and weeks to maximise your efficiency.  

The next most important tactic you will need to employ is diligence and ruthless prioritisation. It's easy to get distracted with meetings, chasing whales, solving problems, and so on. Which is why it's so important to maintain focus and not lose sight of feeding the top of your funnel with new pipe. Set yourself deadlines on important tasks, block out times of your day for specific tasks (I recommend filling your morning with picking up inbound leads, calling prospects and outbound prospecting and your afternoon can focus on a second call block, kicking off new outbound messaging sequences and admin).

Make sure you take a little break when switching from one focus activity to the next to avoid burnout.

How Adobe supports its sales teams

Adobe has several tools and resources that allow us to effectively manage our time. Our tech stack is second to none with sales activity tools, automated processes, and an integrated ecosystem of systems.

We also have a culture of flexibility and work/life balance, with benefits such as telecommuting and flex scheduling. The company encourages collaboration and efficiency by providing access to resources, such as training and mentorship programs, that support our teams' professional development. The Adobe Digital University has a plethora of training resources available to our employees that cover every topic imaginable including time management and productivity.

I prioritise my professional development and consider myself lucky to have access to such a world-class library of resources.