Time Management Hacks for Account Executives and SDRs

Jens Hutzschenreuter
updated on
01.08.2024

Time is the most crucial resource in Sales.

This article reviews dedicated strategies for Individual Contributors to maximize time used for selling

We structured the hacks into 4 different categories:

Time Management for Account Executives

Here are key tips and tricks for time management and prioritization as a full cycle software seller:

  1. Focus your day on the right deals
    • Focus is everything: Work with your manager to not drown in 500 opportunities in your name. Avoid the desire to do land-grabbing and be the owner of every opportunity.
    • Use a proven sales methodology: Implement a sales framework like MEDDPICC (at least for yourself) to qualify deals and understand where each opportunity stands. This helps prioritize which deals to focus on.
      Example: Review your pipeline weekly and score each deal on the MEDDPICC criteria.
    • Focus on the right deals: Especially for larger deals, prioritize quality over quantity. Invest your time in moving a small number of high-value opportunities forward vs. spreading yourself too thin.
      Example: Identify the top 3-5 deals to focus on each quarter based on deal size and likelihood to close.
    • Qualify out bad-fit prospects early: Don’t waste time on deals that are unlikely to close. Disqualify poor-fit prospects as early as possible based on budget, timeline, decision making process, etc.
      Example: Ask about budget and purchasing process on the first discovery call.
  2. Time block your calendar: Schedule dedicated time for different activities like prospecting, follow-ups, internal meetings, etc.
    Example: Block 1-2pm every day for responding to emails and doing CRM updates.
    • Stick to the schedule to stay on track
    • Protect the slots against internal meetings and medium priority customers – this is usually the hardest challenge.
    • Do not let others take control over your calendar!
  3. Ruthlessly prioritize revenue-generating activities: Focus the majority of your time on activities that directly lead to sales, such as prospecting, running demos, and working active deals. Minimize time spent on administrative tasks. Ask yourself: will this make me money?
    Example: Block off 2-3 hours every morning for prospecting calls and emails.
  4. Leverage sales automation tools: Use software to streamline repetitive tasks like logging activities, sending follow-up emails, and scheduling meetings. This frees up more time for selling.
    Example: Set up email sequences in a tool like Outreach to automatically send follow-ups.
  5. Create email templates: Develop a library of effective email templates for different scenarios – intro emails, meeting confirmations, proposals, etc. Customize as needed but start with a proven template to save time.
    Example: Write 3-4 compelling value prop intro emails you can quickly personalize and send to new prospects.
  6. Maximize your selling hours: Prospect and schedule meetings during times when you’re most likely to reach decision makers live. Do administrative work outside core hours. Example: Call prospects first thing in the morning before they get tied up in meetings.
  7. Minimize distractions: Reduce disruptions systematically
    • Answer your emails 3x max per day, only scan over messages in the meantime. Only answer immediately, if it’s below 2 mins
    • Prepare your calling lists ahead of the next day
    • Tasks are your friend in the CRM, if they are used correctly
  8. Cold Calling = get offline! When you are cold calling, reduce any distractions as much as you can. These tools should all be closed when you are cold-calling
    • Slack, Teams or other chat-based tools
    • E-mail
    • Ticketing systems
    • Youtube
    • Save tabs for later and close all unnecessary browser windows
  9. Delegate to technical experts: Bring in sales engineers, product specialists or executives at the right time to handle in-depth technical discussions. Don’t try to become an expert in everything yourself.
    Example: Conduct the intro call yourself but have a sales engineer join ASAP.

The key is to relentlessly prioritize the activities that have the biggest impact on revenue. By planning your time strategically, using tools to be more efficient, and qualifying deals rigorously, you can make the most of your selling time. Focus on moving the needle on high-value deals vs. getting bogged down in non-sales activities.

In doubt about your priorities? Conduct a task analysis and go through your calendar of last week. How much time was spent on selling vs. administrative tasks?

A wise Sales Manager

Additional hacks for Sales Development / SDRs / BDRs

Here are some additional hacks for Sales Development Representatives (SDRs)

  1. Prioritize based on impact: Focus on the activities that will have the biggest impact on your goals, like booking qualified meetings. Don’t get bogged down in busy work to make you feel “busy”
    Example: Aim to spend 60-70% of your daily time on outbound outreach.
  2. Maximize your “golden hours”: Prospect during the times you’re most likely to reach decision makers live. Do admin work outside those hours.
    Example: Analyze your data on best connectivity by hour of day / geo. Call prospects first thing in the morning (8-10am) and right after lunch (1-3pm).
  3. Use a sales cadence tool: Automate sequences of calls, emails and social touches using a tool like SalesLoft or Outreach. Let the tool handle the busywork while you focus on selling. Example: Set up a 14-day sequence with 8 touchpoints for each new prospect.
  4. Master your tech stack: Get training on your key tools – CRM, sales engagement, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, etc. The better you know them, the faster you can work.
    Example: Learn all the shortcuts in Salesforce to log activities quickly.
  5. Research in batches: Set aside time to research prospects and accounts in batches vs. ad-hoc. Doing similar tasks in chunks is more efficient.
    Example: Spend an hour every morning adding contacts and account info into Salesforce.
  6. Delegate and collaborate: Partner closely with your AEs and leverage their knowledge. Let them handle technical discussions and later-stage activities when appropriate.
    Example: Have an AE join the first demo with a prospect you’ve qualified.

The key is to focus relentlessly on the highest-impact activities, automate what you can, and partner with your team. Protect your prime selling hours, disqualify bad fits fast, and always be prepared. Master these hacks and you’ll be well on your way to crushing your quota!

Suggested time blocks for calendar management

Full Sales Cycle RoleSales Development Roles
Prospecting and Research (1-2 hours): Set aside focused time, ideally in the morning, to research target accounts, find contact information, and build out your prospect lists.

Well-researched lists set you up for success.
Prospecting and Research (1-2 hours): Set aside focused time, ideally in the morning, to research target accounts, find contact information, and build out your prospect lists.

Having a well-researched list sets you up for more effective outreach.
Outbound Outreach (2-3 hours): Block off your prime calling hours, usually in the morning from 9am-12pm, to make your outbound calls and send personalized emails.

Aim for a high volume of touches, broken up into focused sprints. Prioritize this time for generating new opportunities.
Cold Calling (2-3 hours): Block off your prime calling hours, usually in the morning from 9am-12pm, to make your dials. Aim for 50-100 calls per day, broken up into focused sprints using techniques like the Pomodoro method (25 min of calling followed by a 5 min break). Prioritize this time for outbound calls.
Customer Meetings (2-3 hours): Sche+dule your customer meetings, including discovery calls, demos, and closing calls, in blocks during the middle of the day. Aim to book these meetings in advance and batch them together to maximize your customer-facing time.Emails and Social Selling (2-3 hours): Dedicate time to sending personalized emails and LinkedIn messages to your prospects. Aim to send 20-50 targeted emails per day. Many SDRs do this right after their main calling block.
Internal Collaboration (1 hour): Plan for time to sync with your manager, collaborate with sales engineers or executives who may join customer calls, and attend any necessary team meetings. Try to batch these together to protect your prime selling hours.Internal Meetings (1 hour): Plan for time to sync with your manager, collaborate with AEs, and attend any necessary team meetings or training sessions. Try to batch these together to protect your prime selling hours.
Deal Management and Follow-Up (1-2 hours): Block off time, ideally later in the day, for updating deal statuses, writing follow-up emails, creating proposals, and strategizing next steps on your opportunities.

Staying organized on deal management sets you up for success.
Administrative Tasks (30 min – 1 hour): Block off time, ideally later in the day, for CRM management, logging activities, updating deal statuses, etc. Staying on top of your admin work keeps you organized.
Planning and Admin (30 min – 1 hour): Set aside time at the beginning and end of your day to review your pipeline, plan your upcoming tasks and outreach, and handle any necessary administrative work.

Ending your day with planning keeps you organized and on track.
Learning and Preparation (30 min – 1 hour): Set aside time to review your calls, learn from top performers, refine your pitch, and prepare for the next day.

Dedicating time to continuous improvement is key to your long-term success.
Exemplary overview of time blocks

Illustrative task priorities for an Account Executive

To illustrate how an AE could approach their day, here are priorities in a decreasing order (highly dependent on your sales process)

  1. Hot inbound leads (be in touch within 30 min)
  2. Opportunities in the final stages
  3. Tasks due today
    • on high priority
    • on medium priority
    • on low priority
  4. Tasks overdue
  5. Prepare for upcoming meetings
  6. (High priority) opportunities mid of funnel with no contact in last 30 days
  7. (High priority) opportunities mid of funnel with no contact in last 90 days
  8. Enrich data for call lists
  9. Other opportunities
  10. and so forth

Illustrative task priorities for an Sales Development Representatives

(to be developed further)

Jens Hutzschenreuter

Jens Hutzschenreuter

Jens is a previous B2B Sales leader (Groupon, ryd), ex-Management Consultant with Boston Consulting Group and is now supporting ~50 B2B sales organizations annually in developing systems, structure and processes to scale an organization up to 250 sellers.