Have you ever forgotten something important? A crucial ingredient for an elaborate dinner recipe, a family member’s birthday, or an offsite meeting where everyone was relying on you to show up and work your magic?
If only there were a way to keep your commitments organized and scheduled all in one place. Wouldn’t that be convenient?
Have you tried calendar reminders? Calendar reminders are nothing new, and the last decade has seen a wave of innovative and creative solutions. As the cloud-based software of the digital era has evolved, it has given us countless options for electronically keeping track of our schedules. Those thick Day Planners are no longer a necessity, and you don’t need to a desktop computer to access a CRM or create a to-do list.
With reminder systems being more advanced, customizable, and easier to set up than ever, why doesn’t everyone use one religiously?
The short answer is that it does require forming a habit, and if you’re not fully invested in the idea of this type of system, it’s hard to find the motivation to do it the right way. However, if you’re in a sales role, then the effectiveness of your calendar reminder system will determine if you successfully reach your goals each month or if you struggle to make a quota.
The most significant benefit of having calendar reminders is that will automate the success of your sales team and keep them organized. Instead of forgetting to follow up on essential tasks and letting a valuable prospect slip through the cracks, implementing a calendar reminder system will ensure the success of your team.
Ten ways that calendar reminders will automate the success of any salesforce
- Clears Mental Space
Consider the following scenario: It’s the night before a big presentation or meeting, and you’re lying awake mentally checking off your to-do list. You think of everything that needs to be done in the morning, and your head starts to spin as you try to keep track of it all while also making sure you’ve allotted time to get everything done.
You might plan your outfit, think about what to eat for breakfast, and map which route you should take to get you to where you need to be the fastest. You mentally picture your entire day, try to remember all of your appointments and make sure you’ve got everything organized in your mind. And then, maybe you’ll be able to drift off to sleep.
The problem is that everything exists internally, in your head. It’s taking up space in your brain. When that happens, you can’t relax and let go. Plus, you’re more likely to forget something important.
However, if you list all of your obligations in your calendar, you can relax, knowing that your reminder system will do all the work. You’ve successfully planned your day, and you can free up your mind for more important jobs.
- Saves Time for Higher Value Activities
Similar to taking up space in your brain, trying to remember everything you need to do daily takes up a lot of time, too. And, you already know that time is money. Instead of manually tracking your activities and continually reviewing a calendar (that doesn’t have reminders), wouldn’t it be a better use of your time to prospect, build relationships, and nurture leads?
- Shared Accountability
Each person on your sales team likely has a goal. Maybe it’s reaching out to 10 prospects a day, securing two appointments or scheduling at least one demonstration. As a team, you can all agree to hold each other accountable by following up at a designated time each day or week.
Another option is to share your calendar with your team. If someone’s schedule looks empty, or they missed a check in, then a team leader or colleague can hold that person accountable.
- Keeps Your To-do List Organized
Do you have a desk filled with Post-It Notes or scraps of paper? Do you have several notebooks with different lists of tasks and activities that you’re supposed to do? In some professions, a messy desk is considered a mark of genius, but despite Albert Einstein’s brilliance, but if your office is so cluttered that you can’t find a scrap of paper reminding you of an important meeting, then your sales career is bound to suffer.
Instead of having your daily obligations scattered between your desk, home and cell phone, keeping everything in one place with reminders of when things are coming due will help you stay organized. And, in addition to empathy and persistence, being organized is one of the top success indicators of a salesperson.
- Reminders of Important Follow-up Activity
The key to success is in the follow-up. Not long ago, salespeople relied on electronic systems that had tickler files to remind them when it was time to contact a lead. Given that it can take multiple touchpoints to close a sale, remembering to keep in touch with a prospect can equal the difference between success and failure.
- Advances the Relationship
The sales profession isn’t just about following up trying to get appointments or close a sale. Creating a relationship and nurturing it over time is what helps a salesperson stand out from the competition. Remember, people buy from people, not businesses.
So, how can you make this work for you as a salesperson? We recommend treating your prospects like people you care about. In fact, these activities should also extend beyond the prospecting phase and continue after the lead becomes a client.
Here are some tips to evolve the relationship while keeping your organization top of mind:
- Contact them on their birthday. If you’re able to find out the date of the prospect’s birthday, then set up a reminder to send them a card or small gift. Even a phone call or email wishing them well is likely to be appreciated.
- Send them articles that might be of interest to them. If there’s industry news that’s relevant to their career or something that’s been published about an issue you’ve been discussing, send it their way. You can set up reminders to reach out to them regularly with news or forward the information immediately.
- Congratulate them when their college alma mater wins a major football game or tournament. To make sure you don’t forget, add the event to your calendar along with a reminder to check the score and reach out if their team wins.
- Integrates with Mobile Devices
The CRM and calendar systems of the past were tied to your desktop, so you usually needed to be at your desk or somewhere you could access your computer to even use them. Today, calendar reminders can be linked to virtually any device either needed to be at your desk or find so that you stay on task on the road.
- Keeps Clients on Track
Did you know that you can send calendar reminders to other people? So, let’s say you have a lunch meeting booked with a prospect. Veteran sales executives are accustomed to their leads canceling meetings at the last minute because they “forgot” or something came up unexpectedly.
However, if you send the calendar appointment to your prospect and set up a reminder, the chance of them forgetting decreases. You can even set up the system to send an email or text message, depending on what software you’re using.
- Keep Customers up to Date
Similar to keeping clients on track, you can also use calendar reminders to keep them in the loop about important events. Send reminders about a big sale, a special occasion or something notable that’s happening at your office.
As long as the information is useful, and you give your customers a way to opt out of receiving messages, you’ll be providing something helpful that your competitors probably haven’t thought of yet.
- Get Voice Updates
There are times when you simply can’t or won’t look down at your phone and see a reminder. When you’re driving, sleeping or your phone is tucked away in your purse, pocket or briefcase are prime examples. However, if you set up your calendar reminders to tell you what’s on your schedule verbally, you’re more likely to get the information right away.
A voice update also prevents fatigue, which could happen if you get dozens of alerts per day with a buzz and a ding and you stop checking them. When you hear exactly what the reminder is for, it’s harder to ignore.
Conclusion
Calendar reminder systems are packed with unique and innovative features that make life easier and help you stay more organized. You no longer have to fill your brain with long to-do lists and memorize every single task on your schedule for the week. By relying on calendar reminders to automate tracking your schedule, you can focus on the more meaningful parts of your job, like generating leads, closing the sale, and enhancing your existing relationships.
