When is the best time to make a sales call, hold a meeting or even take a day off? Intrigued, I set out to find the best advice online - here's what I found
When is the best time to make a sales call?
According to
HubSpot (and common sense) there is no one magical time to make those sales calls, it will be dependant upon the client, the type of sale and the relationship however they have carried out some research to recommend times you are more likely to catch your prospect at their desk and importantly when they may be more receptive to taking your call.
They suggest that the best time for cold calling is between 16.00 – 17.00
– the logic being that most people are wrapping up their day and are more open to disruptions than at other times of day. They're also more likely to be at their desks.
HubSpot also cite research that indicates the best days of the week are Wednesday and Thursday
(best = greatest chance of having a conversation on first attempt) and that the second-best time is 11.00 – 12.00, based on a similar principle to the end of the day, people are starting to wind down before lunch.
When is the best time to send emails?
Understandably there are lots of answers online for this one, basically ‘it depends’ however
CoSchedule's article is based on 14 studies into email effectiveness ( including studies from Mailchimp, Experiens and HubSpot) and their findings are pretty straightforward – the best time (statistically) is Tuesday at 10.00.
When is the best time to post on LinkedIn?
With far too many guides, blogs, and infographics to reference here the consensus appears to be that LinkedIn is busiest between
10.00 – 14.00 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. With the highest level of engagement (clicks & Shares) on
Tuesday 10.00 – 11.00.
However one
interesting article noted that, when you are looking to grow your network, the best time to send connection requests is
Friday morning as people are more likely to be in a positive, and hence more receptive, mood.
When is the best time to hold a meeting?
Findings show that the highest level of meeting acceptance is for
Tuesday at 15.00.
During the late afternoon employees have recovered from the after-lunch slump and probably have the same amount of high energy from before lunch.
Starting at 3 p.m., people have had time to reflect and prepare anything for the meeting and won’t be as affected by late arrivals than a 9.00 start. Pus, at 15.00 with most of the day gone attendees will want to handle business efficiently so they can go home in good time.
When is the best time to plan your day?
Tony Robbins offers some practical advice on this, “Human beings have limited willpower” he writes. “When you attempt to plan your day in the morning, you deplete your supply of willpower first thing. Why do that to yourself, when you can just as easily
plan your day out the night before?”
Planning out the next day as your last task is effectively giving yourself a ‘heads up’ on what tomorrow will look like, so that you’re more mentally prepared – no need to waste time and energy trying to get focused when your day’s plan is ready and waiting.
One point I would add is to plan out Monday as the last task on a Friday evening not on a Sunday evening – having a clear plan by the end of Friday avoids you starting to think about work on a Sunday evening, as the other danger for a Sunday evening is that planning can easily turn into working.
When is the best time to set new goals?
Looking at the weekly schedule above Monday is looking pretty quiet – not the best time to try and engage with others as everyone settle into a new week – so if the phone and emails are quieter plus less meetings planned then
Monday morning is a great time to set new goals for the week.
Rhett Power, writing for
Inc. recommends setting new goals should be part of your Monday morning routine, reflecting on the success of last week’s goal and any areas that need improving before setting out clear goals for the week ahead.
When is the best time to take a day off?
This one may surprise you, as like me you probably book a Monday or Friday for an odd day’s holiday to extend the weekend – however an article in
Inc. put up a pretty good case to avoid those days as they can end up causing you more stress.
If you plan a Friday off, you may feel stressed about finishing up your week and getting everything done a day early. If you are taking Monday off, you may feel anxious about what you are missing and what you will be facing come Tuesday morning. So what do they suggest?
Choose
Wednesday instead.
Taking a day off on Wednesday means you only have two working days each side from one weekend to the next which can make you more focussed and productive. Plus if you are planning to go shopping or eat, as most people are at work, you get to avoid the crowds.
Of course, many different factors apply to each individual business, so the overall advice is
trial and error to see what works for you, but I hope this article offers a good place to start.
Janet Doran , works as a Strategic Business Coach across North Yorkshire, UK. enabling small business owners in creative and professional service industries to win in competitive markets.
Find out more at www.thepositivepen.co.uk or call 07505 120051
I post daily, information/inspiration for small business owners, on twitter @ thepositivepen
One of the key benefits business owners get from working with a coach is that ‘protected’ time to work on the business instead of it in. If you are thinking about working with a business coach please get in touch.
