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Are you working from home? Probably yes. Has your firm given a date when you can return to the office? Probably no. Will your firm allow you to sit in the same room as prospects and clients? See the answer to the previous question. Many people are thinking of the lockdown and pandemic restrictions as temporary, like a bad dream: 'One day, everything will be back exactly the way it was.' But it's been eight months! You need to manage your time efficiently.
1. Thou shalt assume "now" is "forever." You need to structure your business assuming you will need to ring the cash register at 2019 levels and your office is now in your living room.
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2. Thou shalt not be late for video calls. This is your lifeline. It's like your firm has relocated you to the International Space Station, expecting you to conduct business as usual. In 2019 you might have been able to be 5 or 10 minutes late calling a client. In 2020, they are sitting at their screen, checking their watch, waiting for you to arrive.
3. Thou shalt check out thy technology beforehand. Zoom calls get lots of publicity. Don't forget Skype. FaceTime. WebEx. Clients in Asia use WeChat. Don't assume the technology will work perfectly. Go through the connection steps beforehand, making sure everything is working smoothly. You don't want to be the person texting "I can't get on." It looks bad, especially if you are delivering your sales presentation.
4. Thou shalt use the most current numbers available. In the good old days of 2019, you were presenting in a conference room. Everyone looked at the big screen. You delivered your presentation. It might involve numbers like YTD stock market index performance. Today, everyone is sitting isolated at home or their office. They've had eight month's practice calling up their portfolio values or doing Internet searches on the fly. If your information is dated, you will look unprepared. If the firm issues monthly statements, the closing values of the previous month are likely the oldest figures you can justify presenting.
5. Thou shalt not neglect the office phone or surface mail deliveries. Today we see email, texts, social media messaging and incoming ca;;s as our primary communication channels. What if a client called and their call wasn't forwarded? What if they called, fumbled the phone tree and left a message in the general mailbox? What if they send in a check and also enclose a letter? If something was overlooked, you would be scrambling to get things right. Head these problems off early by having a way to check periodically.
6. Thou shalt have a work schedule. Think back to a year ago. You arrive at the office. Hang up your coat. Get coffee. Turn on your computer. What did you do next? It was all on automatic pilot. You time blocked. You need the same routine while working from home, otherwise you will be distracted by family members who think you are just "Playing on your computer."
7. Thou shalt not dismiss the possibility of a 25% productivity boost. Commuting time has vanished. Suppose you left at 8:00 AM, arrived at work at 9:00 AM, worked until 5:00 and got home at 6:00 PM. That's a two hour commute and an eight hour workday. Today, there's no commute. You have the potential of a 10 hour workday. Two extra hours means 25% more time. You still spend the same amount of time with your family. Use that time productively.
8. Thou shalt dive into social media. How many people scroll through their feed, clicking "like" a few times and posting content automatically. You aren't paying enough attention. Unlike calling clients, you can be active early morning or late at night. Are you staying current on messages? Commenting on other people's posts? Joining and engaging in groups? Reviewing your notifications? Pick the social media channel most likely to yield business results and apply some focused time daily. Build your network, focusing on people who might do business. This is a good fit for that AM hour you might have spent commuting.
9. Focus on ringing the cash register. Back in 2019, your manager sat in their office, reviewing how much business everyone brought in that day or week. Today, they are sitting at home reviewing those same reports. Their managers are leaning on them. Someone up the chain is saying "Why are we paying these folks to sit at home? Why aren't they doing any business?" Prove them wrong. Become a star in the post pandemic environment.
10. Track prospecting. Remember when your manager would stand at your desk and ask: "What are you working on?" You don't ring the cash register all the time, but you convert names into suspects, then prospects and finally clients. You deepen existing relationships. No all these activities ring the cash register. Track these efforts daily. It helps keep potential business from falling through the cracks.
Time management in your 2020 WFH (-Work From Home) environment isn't too different from time management in your 2019 Work from the Office routine. You still need a routine.
Bryce Sanders is president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc. He provides HNW client acquisition training for the financial services industry. His book, "Captivating the Wealthy Investor" can be found on Amazon.
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Bryce Sanders
Bryce Sanders, president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc., has provided training for the financial services industry on high-net-worth client acquisition since 2001. He trains financial professionals on how to identify prospects within the wealthiest 2%-5% of their market, where to meet and socialize with them, how to talk with wealthy people and develop personal relationships, and how to transform wealthy friends into clients. Bryce spent 14 years with a major financial services firm as a successful financial advisor, two years as a district sales manager and four years as a home office manager. He developed personal relationships within the HNW community through his past involvement as a Trustee of the James A. Michener Art Museum, Board of Associates for the Bucks County Chapter of the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Board of Trustees for Stevens Institute of Technology and as a church lector. Bryce has been published in American City Business Journals, Barrons, InsuranceNewsNet, BenefitsPro, The Register, MDRT Round the Table, MDRT Blog, accountingweb.com, Advisorpedia and Horsesmouth.com. In Canada, his articles have appeared in Wealth Professional. He is the author of the book “Captivating the Wealthy Investor.”
