27 Feb Artful Agenda Careers: Planning with Sales
Did you know that as well as being the founder of Artful Agenda, I’m also a Senior Sales Leader at Usborne Books and More?
Some people ask me: Katy, how can you work in direct sales AND run your own business?
Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret: I owe my success to having and utilizing an Artful Agenda digital planner for myself.
Many of Artful Agenda’s features were created because I needed a planning solution for my direct sales job. I know first-hand just how much organization, goal-setting, and formulating is required to survive and thrive in the sales industry.
But just in case I missed the mark, I wanted to chat with a few fellow salespeople to see what THEY think about my digital planner as part of the “Artful Agenda Careers” blog post series.
Here’s what I found out.
Artful Agenda’s Syncing is Spectacular
Artful Agenda was created with syncing in mind, and the small business owners who subscribe LOVE that!
In fact, Business Owner and Training Specialist Amanda from Clearwater, FL goes one step further, stating that “being able to access it online, via PC or Mac, Android or iOS” in addition to “being able to sync it across all my devices” is a “god-send.”
Caitlin, a Business Owner in Mountain House, CA agrees: “A big plus for me is that I can sync to my other calendars, family, and business. I can see them all at the same time or each one individually. All the while it looks adorable!”
Artful Agenda syncing with your Google, iCal, or Outlook calendar. This means integration with other apps, which salespeople can’t seem to get enough of.
Brigitte, a Homeschool Mom, Direct Salesperson, and Business Owner from NC explains: “I can tell Siri to make an appointment and it’ll be integrated with Artful Agenda, so I have instant feedback if I’m double booking myself.”
Artful Agenda is like having a helpful pocket pal that you didn’t even know you needed!
Color-Coding Helps With Differentiation
Sure, syncing is all well and good, but what happens if a salesperson needs some differentiation?
Well, that’s where Artful Agenda’s color-coding feature comes in.
Direct Sales Non-Profit Executive Allyson from Nixa, MO explains: “I can color code my kids’ activities, my UBAM work, my full-time work, my husband’s calendar, and my employees’ calendars if I need to!”
“The lists and notes area” is also super handy for gathering information.
Allyson clarifies: “If I have questions for a meeting or appointment, specific tasks I need to do, or even websites I need to refer to, I can keep it all together.”
Ultimately, the question our direct sales users ask themselves is: Why should we sacrifice the practical and convenient in order to have pretty? Artful Agenda answers that question for them by making all of these a priority.
The Daily View Aids Time Management
Not only does Artful increase organization, but fellow salespeople are also adamant that Artful Agenda boosts productivity levels.
How, you ask? Well, according to them, it encourages time management.
Caitlin explains: “Time is my most valuable asset. Managing my time is my most valuable skill.”
She continues: “Time blocking is a life-saver for me to stay on track with specific projects or tasks. During tax season our schedule quickly gets out of control. If I am constantly moving around I get into trouble. Artful Agenda helps me to stay on track, on my list, productive, and focused!”
Specifically, Amanda likes that she can “prioritize my month/week/day and break my day up by the hour if I need to.” She can also “move tasks that don’t get done that day to another day.”
Essentially, Amanda says that she’s “able to have better time management” because “I can truly see what my day looks like ahead of time.”
Brigitte also claims that she’s “more efficient and less dependent on other things.”
A digital planner allows you to find the best possible strategy for YOU to increase your time management. The flexibility of doing, undoing, and doing again- without any crossing out or eraser marks!
A Digital Planner More Efficient Than a Paper Planner
Finally, my focus group expresses how happy they are to have made the switch from a paper planner.
Brigitte explains: “I don’t have to jot things down in my phone notes, post-it’s, and napkins, and hope to remember they’re there to transfer to my paper planner when I get back to it!”
Allyson agrees that being able to “always have my calendar on me” is very beneficial.
She continues: “Doctor’s appointments, meetings, etc. can all be scheduled so much easier. I’m not having to call people back to reschedule because I forgot about something.”
Then there’s Caitlin. When asked what she thought was Artful Agenda’s most useful tool, she said: “All of it?!”
It’s official: Artful Agenda directly impacts the ability of our direct sales user to streamline their planning process!
The Takeaway: Salespeople are Sold!
If you work in direct sales, you’re front-of-line in any business and your job is more than an employee- you are responsible for most of the hats including managing your business and influencing others.
Direct Sales bosses are the ones that come face-to-face with customers. They have to juggle meetings, appointments, and scheduling—all at once.
That’s why I’m so relieved to know that they find tools in Artful Agenda so helpful when it comes to being better managers of their time—and ultimately better salespeople. Can’t afford a personal assistant yet? Let us help bridge the gap with seamless, beautiful planning!
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