Productivity is Defined by the Outcomes Achieved, with Mark Hunter, Ep #186

Mark Hunter believes that productivity is best defined by the incremental value you provide customers as you help them achieve outcomes. It isn’t about being busy or crossing items off of a to-do list. It is about providing value. What does that look like? How does a salesperson accomplish it? Learn more in this episode of SaleReinvented!

Mark—known as the ‘Sales Hunter’—is arguably one of the greatest minds in the world of sales. He is an accomplished speaker, consultant, and author of multiple best-selling books. With an astounding 30+ years of sales leadership experience, he repeatedly helps companies find and retain better prospects. Paul picks his brain in this episode—don’t miss it!

Outline of This Episode

• [0:57] What does productivity mean to Mark?
• [1:51] Why is productivity important?
• [2:41] Why aren’t sales professionals productive? 
• [3:59] How to improve day-to-day productivity
• [5:40] The mindset of a productive salesperson
• [7:50] Productivity hacks that Mark embraces
• [11:12] Top 3 productivity dos and don’ts
• [13:33] A productivity challenge that Mark has faced

Where you spend your time is determined by the outcomes you desire for your customer

Mark is adamant that you cannot get hung-up on a to-do list. Instead, you must determine the desired outcome for your day and client. Once you have the outcome nailed down, you backfill the activities that will fill your day. In this way, you are more focused and not distracted by your list. 

He recommends staying on task by preparing for each day the night before. He writes down exactly what he hopes to accomplish so that he doesn’t spend an hour of his morning ‘dinking around’ figuring out what his day will look like. 

Mark points out that any professional athlete goes into their game with a game plan in place to win. They have a clear vision in mind. Sales professionals need to view themselves in the same way—as professionals with clear goals and outcomes in mind. 

A productive salesperson has the right mindset 

Mark states that you cannot “Allow other people to define your level of success—only YOU can define your level of success”. He often sees salespeople get discouraged because their performance doesn’t measure up to someone else’s. His message is clear: you must stop defining your success by someone else’s accomplishments. Instead, measure yourself against yourself. 

If you start each day with the mindset of an optimist, you’ll start to notice the incredible amount of opportunities available to you. You just have to be ready, open, and conditioned to recognize them. Mark starts every activity with the desire to influence whoever it is he’s dealing with, create impact for each party—and exit a better person.

Throw your to-do list in the garbage

Instead of relying on a to-do list, Mark lives by time-blocking. Once you have your desired outcome nailed down, block time in your schedule for each activity that advances you towards that outcome. When you define your time, you stop allowing the work to expand and overtake your time. YOU compact the work into the time you’ve made available for it. 

Mark is ruthless with his calendar, and other top-performers such as Richard Branson and Mark Cuban do the same. 

His second sage piece of advice is to do your most difficult task first thing in the morning. In his words, “The mountains are never high as you think and the lows are never as low as you anticipated”. Whatever you may be dreading won’t ever be as bad as you anticipate!

Mark believes you must think and process in the long-term but live in the moment. Following that reasoning, he states that everyone NEEDS a 25-year goal. If you don’t set long-term goals, “You go through life reacting to things, not acting to create them”. 

Marks tips and strategies to stay productive 

Mark operates by the adage that ‘tomorrow begins today’. So what are the things he recommends doing to get a head start? How do you continue being productive?

• Build a list of outcomes and block your time accordingly. 
• Celebrate success at the end of every day. 
• Don’t start your day looking at emails—block them into your schedule. 
• Avoid starting your day on Social Media. It can be critical to sales (but also a complete time-suck). Set a timer and move on when your time is up. 
• Remember you don’t have to do it all. Delegate tasks and activities whenever you can. 

Lastly, Mark wants you to recognize that there will be times when you fail. He points out that every great baseball player strikes out more than they get to 1st base—but they’re still millionaires. 

Don’t kick yourself when you don’t get something accomplished. Stay positive and remember to focus on celebrating the good that has happened—because only YOU can motivate yourself. To hear the rest of Mark’s take on productivity and what you can do to achieve better outcomes for your clients, listen to the whole episode! 

Resources & People Mentioned

• Book: Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy
• Book: A Mind For Sales by Mark Hunter
• Book: High-Profit Selling by Mark Hunter
• Book: High-Profit Prospecting by Mark Hunter

Connect with Mark Hunter

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Mark’s website

Connect With Paul Watts

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

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