Let’s talk Pareto, people. Here’s a reality check: Most people are focusing on the wrong damn things.
Your calendar is full. Your Slack is blowing up. You’ve got 17 tabs open right now. But are you actually moving the needle? Let me guess – you’re spending 80% of your time on activities that generate 20% of your results.
Your Key Accounts Are Collecting Dust
You’ve got 30 accounts, but only 6 of them will make or break your quarter. So naturally, you’re:
- Writing detailed proposals for tire-kickers
- Having “catch-up calls” with that nice but broke prospect
- Perfecting a slide deck for a $5K deal
Meanwhile, your $2M whale is getting lukewarm attention because “they’re already in the pipeline.”
Genius.
Your Workflow Is From 2010
“I don’t have time to set up automation,” says the rep manually copying and pasting the same follow-up email 14 times a day.
Look at your daily tasks. How many are repetitive? How many could be:
- Templated
- Automated
- Delegated
- Eliminated entirely
I observed a sales rep spend half of her workday formatting a document – that’s not selling, it’s digital arts and crafts.
Your Outreach Strategy Is Quantity Over Quality
“I sent 300 emails this week!”
Congrats. Did any of them matter? Or did you just spam 300 people with the same “Hope you’re doing well in these unprecedented times” garbage?
Five personalized, researched outreaches to the right people will outperform your 300 copypasta attempts every time.
The Pareto Principle
Stop confusing activity with achievement. Your manager (hi, that could be me) doesn’t care about your busy-ness. I care about your business.
- Identify the 20% of your accounts that generate 80% of your revenue
- List the 20% of your activities that drive 80% of your results
- Find three repetitive tasks you can automate
Work smarter. Focus harder. Kill the fluff.
