Curing Disorganization

Marketing

Curing Disorganization
by Jim DeSena; www.salesleaders.com



I haven't observed too many disorganized salespeople. Disorganized salespeople usually don't last long. So even if you aren't a person who is normally highly organized, if you are successful in sales it's because you have worked to compensate for any inclination to be disorganized. But just in case you happen to be looking for ways to become more organized, here are some relevant thoughts on the some of the best ways to better organization.

Disorganization actually starts as a state of mind. Disorganized people tend to be comfortable with disorganization, seeing it as inevitable or appropriate. They may even wear it as a badge of honor. Unfortunately, others may perceive them as being ineffective, even if they aren't, because they will make a link between disorganization and effectiveness, whether that is valid or not.

How does disorganization become evident?

First and foremost is the desk, work area, cubicle, home office, or car. These are the most visible to you and give you the stark feedback about how badly disorganized you are. What I've found is that it usually takes a lot less time to clean up an area than you might think. And once you do clean it up, you will find yourself feeling much more organized. When we look at our desk or work area and it looks disorganized, we subconsciously think, "If I can't control my own desk, what can I control?" When we feel we don't have control, our stress level goes up. So one of the best ways to lower stress and be more productive is to clean up our work area.

The quickest way to clean up the work area is to get some boxes and take what's on top of the desk and place it in the boxes. Label the boxes "desktop as of such and such date." By doing this, you'll know where everything is, but things won't distract you on your desk. You can leave on the desk anything that is an active work project. The best thing is to put those items into vertical trays, not horizontal stacks. If your car is stacked with papers, do the same thing. The key is to ask when was the last time you used the papers and if you can't remember, pack them in the box. The rule is it always takes longer to find something than it takes to file it.

The second way that salespeople sometimes get disorganized is not planning for appointments. This is one of the three most common mistakes that salespeople make. The good thing is that it is correctable and usually with just some awareness of good planning strategies.


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Jim DeSena has advised over 200 prominent organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada. He is a resource for leadership teams building their companies and developing their salespeople. Call 1-800-4321-WIN for information about his leadership and sales tra