Get organized.

Carefully assess and prioritize your activities. Understand any scheduling constraints imposed by your geographic area or market. Make sure your time management plan accommodates both your needs and those of your prospects and clients.

Schedule selling time first.

Since selling is most important, make sure you schedule it first. That also includes activities that keep your stream of on-profile prospects flowing. Everything else should be worked around your prospecting, initial meetings, fact-finding, and closing.

Set aside periods for non-sales work.

These tasks include administrative tasks like record keeping, accounting, continuing education, business reading, firm meetings, sessions with your General Agent or trainer, correspondence, paperwork, and service calls. It also includes having a regular time to plan the next week's activities.

Use your activity ratios.

Know well in advance how many prospects, telephone calls, contacts, and meetings you need to schedule. The Weekly Activity Report presents suggested activity levels — use those as minimum standards.

Don't wait until Friday afternoon to determine how many calls you have to make Monday morning. Do your meeting scheduling for the next week, not the current week. This will provide a safeguard against postponements or cancellations (which run as high as 25 to 30 percent), and you'll project an image of success if you ask people for scheduled meetings a week or more in advance.