Big Rock

Sales Leadership: Take Care of the Big Stuff First

How often do you catch yourself putting off long-term strategic tasks to take care of “a few little things” that need to be done right now?

It’s a tempting trap. The stuff has to be done. The deadlines are right now. And it won’t take long, right?

Sales coach Bill Cates tells this story about the importance of setting priorities on how we spend our time and energy.

A speaker at a conference put two glass jars, two bowls of stones, two bowls of pebbles, and two bowls of sand on the table in front of him. He poured sand into the first jar and shook it a little. Then he poured the pebbles into the jar and shook it again. He tried to pour the stones in, but only a couple fit.

He turned to the second jar and began by pouring in the stones. They all fit. He then poured in the pebbles, and  with a little shaking they all fit, too. Finally he poured the sand into the jar and it fit as well. The contents of all three bowls fit into the second jar.

The big rocks go first
The moral of this story? Deal with the big rocks first! Do the important things first, every day. Plan each day – as best you can – so you work on the important things first, the not-so-important things next and least important last. There’s a good chance they’ll all fit!

See if you can structure the whole day the same way. Focus on the important stuff and fill in gaps with less important tasks. You don’t have to look at every e-mail when it comes in; save them for when you need a break from a bigger task, like following up with sales prospects or finishing up that presentation for the CEO.

Of course, this is often easier said than done. But it helps to have a clear vision of what you’d like your days to look like –  even if you’re just planning the next day. Just a little bit of focus – and a little bit of discipline –  will yield big results.

About the Author

Michael Boyette is the managing editor of Selling Essentials newsletter, executive editor of the Rapid Learning Institute’s e-learning site www.selling-essentials.com, and editor of the Top Sales Dog blog. He’s also managed marketing/PR programs for DuPont, Tyco Electronics, and US Healthcare, among others. In addition, he’s authored ten books on a variety of subjects for such publishers as Simon & Schuster, Dutton and Holt. Contact Michael via email at topsalesdog@rapidlearninginstitute.com.

The Big Rock Candy Mountain

The Big Rock Candy Mountain (Peguin Classics) $8.24 Bo Mason, his wife, Elsa, and their two boys live a transient life of poverty and despair. Drifting from town to town and from state to state, the violent, ruthless Bo seeks out his fortune-in the hotel business, in new farmland, and, eventually, in illegal rum-running through the treacherous back roads of the American Northwest. In this affecting narrative, Wallace Stegner portrays over three dec…

The Big Bang Theory and Philosophy: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Aristotle, Locke (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series) $11.90 A lighthearted meditation on the philosophical quandaries of the hit television show The Big Bang TheoryEver wonder what Aristotle might say about the life Sheldon Cooper leads? Why Thomas Hobbes would applaud the roommate agreement? Who Immanuel Kant would treat with “haughty derision” for weaving “un-unravelable webs?” And—most importantly—whether Wil Wheaton is truly evil? Of course you hav…

Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock $12.11 The first biography of Yo La Tengo, the massively influential band who all but defined indie music. Yo La Tengo has lit up the indie scene for three decades, part of an underground revolution that defied corporate music conglomerates, eschewed pop radio, and found a third way. Going behind the scenes of one of the most remarkable eras in American music history, Big Day Coming traces the patient ri…

…

Jack’s Big Music Show: Let’s Rock $3.57 Groundhog Day 207 “Hip hip hooray, it’s Ground Hog Day!” Jack is so excited for his favorite holiday and can’t wait to find out if the ground hog will see her shadow or not! But he might not find out because a scared Gertrude the Ground Hog runs into the clubhouse and nervously peeks out the window, “Are they out there yet? Are they?” Jack and the gang learn that today is Gertrude’s fir…

More Hot Rocks: Big Hits & Fazed Cookies $14.00 When you’re anthologizing the Rolling Stones, one of the first things you must accept is that you’re doomed to failure. No one album can possibly tell the story of the band that’s explored so many different musical avenues and recorded so many memorable songs. Still, the double-disc best of HOT ROCKS, and this, its sequel, come perilously close. This set wisely doesn’t attempt to be comprehensive….

…

12 Pairs of 80′s Shutter Shade Sunglasses – Party Favors $5.00 Have a blast from the past at your next summer party. This set of 12 “Shutter Shade” style sunglasses make awesome party favors for your next 80s party. Assorted colors of purple, blue, pink and green. Fun for adults and children alike !…

Dwayne The Rock Johnson 11×17 HD Photo Poster Wrestler Actor #04 $13.99 Here at HDQ we offer unmatched quality, unmatched durability and unmatched shipping speed. After you buy from us once you’ll never buy a photo from anyone else on amazon again. 11×17 inches Hi-def photo of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson….

Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock Shirt We’ll be honest here. We hadn’t heard of Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock until that episode of The Big Bang Theory. You could say that prior to that day we were traditional roshamboists. When we heard Sheldon explain how it works and why it’s superior to your standard-grade RPS, we immediately paused the TV and went over to teh Intarwebs to do research. And indeed, we found the page by Sam Kass, …