📝 Your Daily To-Do List Is Sabotaging Your Sales

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When s*** goes south, don't freak out. This week’s newsletter is all about keeping your cool when things hit the fan.

I've been chatting with agencies, service providers, SaaS folks, and all sorts of companies throughout April, and let me tell you, everyone is feeling the crunch. Not a single business has said, “Hey, we're killing it!” It's just a weird time right now. Also, it’s an election year, which means buyers are holding back. And to top it off, it's tax season. People are either celebrating their refunds or cursing their bills. No matter how you slice it, it's a tough month.

But here's the thing—it's never over until it's over. We still have a couple of working days left in April, and anything can happen. So if you're reading this and feeling like everything is going south, remember, it's not time to throw in the towel. You have to fight for your numbers and push through, even if it means playing catch-up in the next month.

I've been in this game for almost 20 years, and let me tell you, May is always a rockin' month. After the uncertainty of March and April, people are ready to spend. But here's the catch: you have to double down on your sales, marketing, and revenue-generating activities. This is when you build momentum, and when it finally pays off, it feels amazing.

So if you're struggling right now, don't give up. Keep pushing, and May will be your comeback month. And while you're at it, take a look at your business model. Are you relying too much on one-off sales? If so, it's time to rethink your strategy. Recurring revenue is your safety net, the thing that keeps you afloat during the hard times. It's the key to stability, growth, and, ultimately, a successful business you can be proud of.

If you ever want to sell your business for top dollar, having that consistent revenue stream is a must. So if you're feeling like you’ve plateaued, start building a business that supports you year-round. It'll save you a ton of stress and keep the cash flowing. Cash is oxygen. You like breathing, don’t you?

To everyone grinding it out in April, I see you. We're all in this together, but remember, focus on what moves the needle. May is going to be awesome. You just have to hang in there and keep pushing.

Sell baby sell!
Michelle

In this issue:

• Is a to-do list sabotaging your business? Megan Sumrell has an interesting take on this

• Ask a CRO: The right way to follow up when it’s the end of the month and you need to hit quota

• Are you on TikTok? Hope it’s not your main traffic source! Diversify ASAP

• If you smile and dial, you’ll love this tool I found

• …And so much more!

The Deep Dive

Your Daily To-Do List Is Sabotaging Your Sales
By Megan Sumrell

We're constantly bombarded with tasks, deadlines, and goals. We've been taught that the key to productivity simply lies in our ability to organize our time effectively. And what better way to do that than with a trusty daily to-do list? But what if I told you that this innocent tool could be the very thing holding you back from achieving your sales targets? As a time management expert, I'm here to tell you that your daily to-do list, while well-intentioned, can often sabotage your sales success along with personal goals and desires.

To-do lists create an illusion of productivity

First, let's address the illusion of productivity that the daily to-do list creates. It gives us a false sense of accomplishment simply by checking off items, regardless of their significance or impact on our bottom line. We fill our daily lists with a mixture of things such as mundane administrative tasks, responding to emails, scheduling meetings, and organizing our workspace, all under the guise of being productive. However, while these tasks may be necessary, they often do little to drive sales or generate revenue.

To-do lists distract you from the bigger picture

Moreover, the daily to-do list can become a crutch, a security blanket that we cling to in times of uncertainty. We become so fixated on completing each item on our list that we lose sight of the bigger picture – closing deals and making sales. We prioritize the quick dopamine hit that the checkmark gives us over the crucial, more important work that requires more time and focus. When we start each day doing a “brain dump” and then working through our list, larger projects and tasks that need to be planned and broken down into multiple days are generally left off our list.

To-do lists make you reactive

In addition, the daily to-do list perpetuates a reactive rather than proactive approach to sales. Instead of taking initiative to plan and pursue leads with intention, we react and respond to the items that distract and interrupt our focus. We become responders to interruptions and distractions instead of salespeople. Soon, our day is filled with answering a ringing phone, text notification or pinging email. We fill our time replying to others rather than actively seeking out opportunities and driving the sales process forward.

To-do lists prevent you from developing relationships

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, your daily to-do list distracts you from building relationships and adding value to our customers' lives. Sales is fundamentally a people-centric profession, relying on trust and meaningful interactions to foster connections. Yet, when we're laser focused on checking off all the boxes each day, we lose sight of the human element.

While the daily to-do list may seem like a harmless organizational tool, its negative effects on sales success cannot be overstated. It creates a false sense of productivity, promotes a reactive rather than proactive mindset, and distracts us from the essence of sales – building relationships.

As sales professionals, it's time we break free from the safety of our to-do lists and reclaim control over our time and priorities through intentional planning. Only then can we truly get back in the driver's seat of time and calendar allowing us to reach our full potential.

Struggling to find a morning routine?

I’m hosting a free event the week of May 13 called Master Your Morning. If you’re struggling to find the right morning routine that sets you up for the day, the first step is to STOP trying to execute someone else’s morning routine. I’ll show you how to create a morning routine based on your personality type and home life realities. Register for free here.

About Megan Sumrell

Megan Sumrell is a former corporate executive turned entrepreneur. As a business owner, mom, and wife, she knows exactly how hard it is to juggle #allthethings while still maintaining your own sense of self and purpose. As the CEO and Founder of The Pink Bee, she took her 20+ year career in systems and processes and applied it to all things time management, organization and productivity. She is the creator of the TOP Program and TOP Planner, the #1 Time Management System for Women.

Ask a CRO (Chief Revenue Officer)

The right way to follow up when it’s the end of the month and you need to hit quota.

• The reason why a lot of sales follow-up fails [01:20]

• Where good follow-up begins [02:06]

• Examples of good and bad follow up [03:28]

• Michelle's ask of anyone who watches this [05:01]

• …And more!

Got a sales, marketing, leadership or entrepreneurship question you’d like Michelle to answer in “Ask a CRO?” Hit reply and let us know.