Sales Archives - Page 24 of 28

Outsourced Sales vs Hiring In-House – The Debate Continues…

Posted on 30 April 20193 June 2025 by Doug Roots

As a business owner, you want to grow your company, you want to increase your sales and marketing function and you want to build your sales pipeline. However, should you outsource this to the experts or try and do it yourself, in-house? As a topic that is discussed by businesses on a daily basis, the debate between outsourced vs in-house sales is rife. It’s important to note that outsourcing your sales and marketing is, on paper, no different to outsourcing your recruitment, accountancy, HR, IT and so on. We know that all of the above, as well as sales and marketing are specialist areas which are needed within a business to ensure a smooth operation. We also know that all of the above require time, expertise, resources and dedication and that is exactly why you should outsource, to take the pressure away and allow you to focus on what you do best. If you’re thinking about outsourcing your sales and marketing or hiring an internal team, there are quite a few elements to consider, before making that final decision:

Do you have the office space/capacity/management structure to manage new team members internally?
Are you fully up to date with GDPR compliancy? Are your systems and processes GDPR compliant?
Do you have a call recording function? Can you record calls for training purposes?
Do you have a system for recording transactions?
Do you have in house data analytics? Do you know what you’re looking for when it comes to reporting and data analysis?
Have you thought about recruitment costs? What happens if the first few aren’t performing for you? If you let them go, have you thought about the cost of re-hiring?
What about sickness / holiday impacting productivity and dialling?
Do you have a quality assurance team?
Do you have in-house expertise when it comes to creating and managing an outbound calling campaign?

With the costs, time and resource strain associated with hiring internally, most companies eventually decide to leave it to the experts. Of course, this comes at a price, but the value and return are usually far greater than trying to do it in house. Not only that, but the flexibility of outsourced providers can be far more attractive than the rigidity of an in-house team. Let’s look at the benefits of outsourcing to us and why companies decide to use Air:

We are GDPR compliant, offering expert advice, systems and processes.
We have access to UK based data providers at reduced rates.
We manage the agents, we manage the entire recruitment process and we take the pain away when it comes to finding the right talent for your campaign.
We have the resources to cater for sickness and holiday time to prevent it impacting productivity.
We have purpose-built systems and processes which feed directly into a live time portal, where you can see exactly what we are doing on a daily basis.
We have a team of in-house data analysts who can spot trends and provide feedback.
We are experts within our field and have a proven, open questioned and permission-based scripting structure – designed to engage in high level conversations with key decision makers.
We have a GDPR compliant call recording functionality, all calls are recorded and can be accessed by the client.
We have an in-house Quality Assurance team who provide valuable feedback to the diallers/campaigns and improve quality and productivity.
We have an in-house learning and development team to ensure the quality of work we produce is as high as it can be.

Certainly, there are a few things to consider before making your final decision but most of the clients that decide to work with us have either tried it internally and it hasn’t worked or, they want to benchmark their internal performance alongside the experts. If outsourcing is your preferred solution, then we can help. We position ourselves as an extension to your sales team and everything we do is totally transparent. In short, we position ourselves as part of your team, we aim to replicate your corporate identity and we see ourselves as a true partner, being honest and proactive with everything we do whilst taking the pain and hassle away from managing this internally and allowing you to focus on the bigger picture. If outsourcing your B2B sales is something that you’re interested in discovering more about, why not get in touch? Call: 0345 241 3038, or email contact@air-marketing.co.uk Opinion Piece by Marco Alfano-Rodgers, Client Services Director, Air Marketing Group

How our 5* incentives have contributed towards client success

Posted on 1 March 20193 June 2025 by Doug Roots

Lost employees can cost a company up to double an individual’s annual salary. The eye watering reality is that this cost alone is unlikely to address recruitment costs, the time lost through learning and upselling, and the detrimental impact that a high employee turnover has on the relationship you build with your clients.

Now, you maybe questioning why a telemarketing company, involved in an industry notorious for poor staff retention rates, has grounds to comment on improving employee turnover? Well, we know it pays to keep our team happy and encourage them to be the best that they can be. Not only for the benefits of our employees and our company, but so our clients can receive the best possible service from our team.

So, what’s the secret to creating the loyal, motivated and results driven individuals that have become familiar faces among our team? The truth is, we have always placed strong emphasis on recognising and rewarding individual excellence and creating a positive team culture. We have tried and tested many ways of achieving this, but our recent 5* incentive scheme is one that has allowed our individual team members, the company as a collective and our clients to really reap the rewards.

At the start of this financial year, our 5 Star incentive put a playful challenge in place for every member of team Air: showcase your outstanding performance or team spirit throughout the year and win a paid for trip to Edinburgh, Dublin or Paris – for you and a person of your choice, we’ll even throw in spending money.

This scheme has not only drawn Team Air’s attention to what’s really important, awarding the people who outperform expectations and continue to win new opportunities for our business and our clients, it’s also delivered improvements in multiple areas:

Impressive results for our clients driven by the buzz of healthy competition amongst our team
Elevated team spirit and heightened sense of wellbeing created through employee appraisal
Our strongest team members continuing to progress within our company, ensuring our clients have a dedicated campaign team that are familiar and confident in selling their products and services
An electric culture which continues to encourage new sales talent to become a part of our family and our clients’ campaigns
Increased motivation that pushes our team to outperform competitors, better handle gate keepers and in turn secure the success of their team, our company and our clients’ new business.

Having started our incentives as a trial, we have experienced an overwhelmingly positive result. With 5 hardworking team members having won well deserved breaks with their friends and family throughout the financial year, the 5* incentive is measuring up to remain a deep-rooted tradition for Team Air. So, we pose the question – what 5* incentive will you be using this year? We’re already working on a new idea to reward our lucky 2019 winners. After all, it’s only right that our MD tops sending someone on holiday, isn’t it?

If you feel that your business could benefit from the support of an exceptionally driven outsourced telemarketing team, then get in touch today – Team Air are always on hand to help. Call: 03452413038

Ethical Selling: A Priority for Team Air

Posted on 28 February 20193 June 2025 by Doug Roots

Ethical selling is not often something which springs to mind when people picture a sales person. Only 3% of people asked trust sales reps, so it’s not surprising that businesses can be reluctant to outsource their sales to an external team that they don’t know on a personal or professional level.

However, at Air we want to change that. We want to show that the vast majority of professionals in the outsourced sales industry are trustworthy people, looking to help businesses develop and grow. Of course, we have targets to meet and we are ultimately accountable to that, but what actually drives Team Air is people and, more importantly, our ability to build relationships with them.

From day one we are upfront and honest with both our clients and prospects, we base our entire sales journey on ethical selling. Offering a consultative approach, we work with our prospects and clients to help them to make smart businesses decisions.

We know it’s all well and good to hear us saying that, but let’s break down how we achieve it:

Realistic campaigns and goals: If a prospect approaches us and we know that they simply can’t afford to work with us, or at least can’t afford to work with us in the way they want to, we tell them. We will never sell our services to a prospect who doesn’t stand a strong chance of generating tangible success with us, whether that is through ROI, conversations with decision makers or leads. That’s not to say that we won’t work with them full-stop, but we will arrange further conversations to better understand their budget and goals. From this, we either recommend a reduced campaign or other approaches that may work for them – such as digital marketing, utilising the services of our internal marketing company, Roots to Market.

Transparency: At Air, we don’t just take your money and run with a campaign – we want you to be involved at every stage. When you express an interest in starting a campaign with us, we will invite you to the office to meet the team and view our office culture before you even start working with us. From there, you will be invited in to assist with the training of your dedicated dialling team and provide insight as well as getting a clear understanding of our approach. As the campaign runs you will receive weekly reports and calls as well as having access to our live time reporting system in the client portal.

Accountability: Our campaigns are driven by learnings and so the strategy or approach may change throughout depending on the results that we generate. However, through your weekly calls and reports you will be made aware of this and able to see our reasoning and the difference in results. As well as reports, you also have access to every call made on your campaign, upon request, so that you can listen to how we handle your calls and prospects, ensuring that you are happy and can voice any concerns or questions that you may have.

If you are looking for an outsourced sales team, who place an emphasis on ethical selling, get in touch today. Email: contact@air-marketing.co.uk or call: 0345 241 3038.

Outsourced Inside Sales – Your secret weapon

Posted on 27 February 20193 June 2025 by Doug Roots

As your business grows, you’ll find yourself having more and more conversations (both in person and over the phone) with potential leads. Whilst this is great news and shows that your business is developing good traction, do you really have the time to sift through all of those conversations to find the diamond in the rough? Unless you have an in-house sales team, the simple answer is probably no.

In order to close qualified leads, you need to be able to spend time talking to prospects after the initial stages of the sales cycle. This is where outsourced Inside Sales comes in.

Some people may be dubious of the benefits of inside sales at first, asking, “is it not just telemarketing?” Whilst both are predominantly phone-based selling, they deal with opposite ends of the sales cycle. Whereas telemarketers are often cold calling and forming a first point of contact between a business and potential client, inside sales reps act as a final touchpoint, being the ‘expert’ and nurturing or closing warm leads.

With continuous developments in technology, inside sales is growing 15 times faster than field sales and buyers are becoming increasingly comfortable holding remote conversations and making remote purchases. But how does inside sales differ from traditional sales? And how can it become your secret weapon?

Location

Similar to telemarketers, inside sales reps work in the office, contacting their leads via phone, email or video calls. This method of sales is both time and cost effective when compared to field sales reps who may find themselves travelling up and down the country attending dinners, presentations and meetings. By having your sales team all in one place, they are always contactable and not prey to delayed transport or miscommunication of locations.

Technology

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools are vital in assisting inside sales team and ensuring a smooth sales operation. In having a CRM assisting your sales, all prospect information, campaign updates, messages and appointments can be kept in one place and visible to both your team and yourself. Also, if you do choose to employ both inside sales and field sales, your inside sales can do the ground work and then pass key information on to your field sales team. At Air, we also offer full reporting. We understand that it can be daunting to outsource your sales activity which is why we created a unique client portal where you can see your campaign and it’s results in live time.

Scalability

You may have the best field sales rep in the world or be amazing at closing yourself but if you’re generating a large sales pipeline, who is going to manage all of those leads. By having inside sales reps that work as a first touch point, a relationship can be built and solidified before you or your field sales rep gets to the prospect. It also allows you to reach a broader audience, even a global one if you see your market growing to that extent. Team Air are experts at holding conversations with senior decision makers in businesses of all sizes and locations – we’ve even worked with a company in Bermuda.

At Air, our inside sales team is driven and dedicated to getting you the results that you want, often exceeding expectations. If you feel that you could benefit from working with our expert team then get in touch – call: 0345 241 3038 or email: contact@air-marketing.co.uk

Why is market segmentation vital to your business?

Posted on 28 January 20193 June 2025 by Doug Roots

In the era of GDPR, unwarranted contact should be a distant memory. To be truly business savvy is now, and always should have been, demonstrated by a company’s ability to target customers based on their wants and needs, not your own. Sales are increasingly determined by the trust that a customer has for a brand, if you are honest and transparent with them upfront they are more likely to buy into you as a brand. People value a brand they can trust.

A simple and effective way to build a trustworthy brand is by implementing a segmentation strategy – it shows that you have taken the time to understand the various groups within your target market. We’ve created the infographic below to highlight 5 key reasons to segment your data and customers:

But many businesses are still failing to hit the mark, with 20% of respondents to an Avention survey feeling that segmentation was one of the biggest challenges facing their organisation. Segmentation is a tried and tested means of delivering results to your customers. We only have to look to email campaigns, where Mailchimp showed that clicks are 74.53% higher than non-segmented campaigns, to see these results.

By taking the time to highlight the different needs and barriers that may be important to your potential clients, you will be better able to sell to them. Not only will it allow you to understand them, but it will allow you to forge personal relationships with them through meaningful interactions – which is essential in the telemarketing industry in particular. So, how can you segment your customers?

However, it is important to remember the earlier point about customer trust. With increasingly personalised sales and marketing materials out there it isn’t enough to take your data and simply spilt everyone into superficial segments. You need to gain insight into the people behind the numbers, otherwise your will simply be working from conjecture.

To gain insight and create genuine, informed personas for these groups, it is vital that you demonstrate a desire to know more when in conversation with your prospects. It is with this in mind that the scripts used by TeamAir are only there as prompts, we encourage our BDEs to engage in meaningful, personal conversations when on the phone. This helps us to nurture a sense of human connection whilst carrying out the vital research that is needed to lead a successful campaign and enrich the data that is held.

If you feel that you could benefit from working with a reputable, award winning telemarketing company, who work with a customer-centric focus, get in touch. You can call us: 0345 241 3038 or email: contact@air-marketing.co.uk.

Hunting Down Leads for your Sales Pipeline Using PPC

Posted on 25 January 20193 June 2025 by Doug Roots

Photo by Javi Lorbada on Unsplash

However your sales team operates, there’s a place in their work for Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising. A properly constructed PPC account will act like a pack of automated hunters, sniffing out potential leads from every search anyone does on the internet, and chasing them into your website. The trick is to train these hunters to bring those potential leads into your existing pipeline as seamlessly as possible.

Singling searchers out to get the right message in front of the right person at the right time involves planning your strategy in advance and then adapting it to the data you acquire. Too many PPC accounts simply show the same message to everyone who searches for a vaguely relevant keyword (or an overly specific keyword). You need to understand the mindset of a potential lead and learn how to recognise their intent from what they type into that search engine. Once you’ve learned this, you can herd them into your existing sales pipeline at the point it matches their decision-making process and significantly increase your chance of converting a lead into a sale.

Fitting Leads into Your Pipeline

If you sell office equipment and someone types, “office equipment,” into Google’s search box, then you can be fairly certain they’re close to the beginning of pipeline. They know they want office furniture and they’re seeing what’s out there. These are the people you can flag your services to, let them become aware of what you have to offer. If you’re in a complex industry where public perception is lacking, you can use this opportunity to become the voice of authority to them, increasing the chances they will come back to you when they are closer to making a final decision. These people are those you fit into the top of your pipeline.

Longer, more specific searches tend to come after someone has been thinking for a while or has a definite and often immediate need. If someone types in, “adjustable height computer monitor bracket,” it’s fairly likely that they need an adjustable height computer monitor bracket and they need it soon. These people come in around the middle of your pipeline.

The longest tail keywords are from those searchers who need to be herded towards the bottom of the pipeline. “Brand-X Model-Y monitor bracket next day delivery,” is about as specific as it’s possible to get. You know this person has made the decision of what they are getting, they are just looking for where to get it from. They’ve even included a handy USP that you can hook; “Next Day Delivery.” These are the people who you can drop exactly what they want into their lap.

Getting the right message to these people requires having your PPC account structured correctly. For the broader searches you have to use broader messages. As the user intent becomes more specific with longer tail search queries, you can narrow down the message you convey (both in the ad copy and on the landing page the user is directed to). At every stage it doesn’t hurt to have the user get in touch; a simple call back form is ideal, the shorter the better, just a name and a phone number is all you need – once you have those you have far more control in the sales process.

Matching Tactics to Intent

Unfortunately, it’s not always this simple to slot searchers into their correct slot on the funnel. Although it’s safer to assume that they’re higher in the funnel, the broader search terms make it harder to infer the true intent of the person typing it. The best you can do is give them options: Sitelinks on your ad allows you to link people through to other pages which might be of interest. These sitelinks give the user the opportunity to find their own place in your sales pipeline.

For example: If someone searches for, “office equipment,” you can show them a link to your home page, which is broad enough to have something of relevance to them on it. But on top of that you can have links to your products catalogue, to your most popular lines, and to your services/FAQ page which explains that you offer not only next-day delivery but a free installation service as well. And again, give a quick and simple means for them to give you their contact info at every step.

The Remarkable Power of Remarketing

Another tool in populating your sales pipeline from PPC is remarketing. Targeting specific ads to people who have already seen your website, or a specific page on your website, or performed certain actions means you can recapture their attention. This is a balancing act, you have to have an audience of sufficient size to guarantee anonymity.

Typically, the best way to accomplish this you need a single list of everyone who has visited your website, which you can then break down into progressively smaller groups based on the user action – the first tier may be all those who have visited any page in a particular category, and then those who have looked at more than one product. By creating progressively more targeted audiences you always have a working audience to work with, but if you have sufficient traffic for the smaller audiences you can use more carefully constructed messages. More carefully targeted messages always perform stronger.

Exactly how you integrate PPC into your existing sales pipeline does depend greatly on your own procedures, but the potential value is universal. The real knack lies in picking the best targets out of the herd of online searchers and potential customers. Only a small segment will match as a lead, and sorting these out to determine their place in your sales pipeline can be tricky, but very rewarding. Get it right and you’ll fuel your sales pipeline with a regular stream of leads across all stages – that’s enough to keep any sales team happy!

Guest Blog written for Air by Aquamarine Search and Social Agency

Quality Assurance, a New Year’s resolution to stick to!

Posted on 21 January 20193 June 2025 by Doug Roots

A renewed focus on Quality Assurance (QA) should be at the top of everyone’s resolution list this year. In the telemarketing industry small issues within company processes can often snowball and result in bigger, damaging issues if not nipped in the bud quickly. By implementing a QA system, you can make sure that best practise is followed by your team in every aspect of their calls – from introduction to close.

At Air, we rely on our QA system to maintain our reputation in the local and wider areas. We have taken many learnings from our system and this has allowed us to make sure that our services are of a high standard in a highly competitive market. Our focus on quality is what has allowed us to disrupt the industry and bring business to Exeter, rather than it being focused purely in London.

We want to distance ourselves from the traditional telemarketing reputation that telemarketing companies have of offering low quality services. We achieve this through our ability to be transparent. Part of our QA system is regular ‘calibration’ sessions with our clients, in which they have the ability to listen to our calls and offer training to ensure that we are delivering their brand message the way it should be.

From the outset of a client’s journey with us, QA is at the top of our priority list. Within our initial meetings we outline our typical sales cycle and method, allowing them to get involved and adapt it where they see fit. From there, we introduce their dialling team and we encourage them to discuss their product and services in as much detail as they can so that everyone has a thorough understanding of the offering and industry they will be selling in. We then set up a script and pitch for our diallers which provides them with a guide for their calls. Our scripts are important, offering company USPs and common objections, however, we don’t hire robots and we don’t want our calls to sound scripted, so we allow our expert diallers to tailor them as they see fit.

Once the diallers have made their calls, they then go through the next phase of our QA process – call screening. This involves us randomly selecting calls from each campaign and grading them against Air’s call framework, which is adjusted to suit each client. Owing to our transparent approach, clients can have as much involvement with this as they would like, for example one client calls us every Friday to catch up with the campaign and compare call notes. To follow up on these discussions, we then have a debrief with the dialler who’s call has been selected to ensure that they implement any feedback going forwards.

For us, QA helps us to meet our clients demands and expectations. By continuously offering services of a high quality, we build strong trust with our clients. It also allows us to save us and them costs, as we can pin point issues before they become damaging. Investing in QA is indispensable in many industries today. It is most effective when it’s in place from the start. When Quality Assurance is done right, confidence is guaranteed.

Opinion Piece by Jo Marshall, Quality Assurance Co-ordinator

Understanding your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Posted on 17 December 20183 June 2025 by Doug Roots

Today, very few businesses are one-of-a-kind. So, what makes a customer choose your company’s product or service over your competitors?

The truth, it’s not necessarily what you’re selling that sets you apart and grabs a customer’s attention, but the messaging you choose to focus on.

This can be achieved by implementing an effective sales strategy around a “Unique Selling Proposition” that differentiates your business and resonates with your desired customers. When your company goals and values match those of your desired customers you can bet your last penny that they will buy into your business over your competitors.

So, what is a USP?

A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is a statement that describes how your product, service or company is different and hopefully better than your competitions.

Historically, global brands have presented USPs in their slogans or expressed them in their positioning statements to make themselves more valuable to their customer group. You may have heard of theses famous examples:

Rolls Royce

“Trusted to deliver excellence; like nothing else on earth”

FedEx Corporation

“When it absolutely, positively has to be overnight”

TOMS Shoes

“We give a new pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair you purchase”

How do you establish yours?

Being ‘unique’ is rarely a strong USP and rarely true. Therefore, you must put your focus on an aspect which your desired customer cares about, otherwise your messaging won’t be nearly as effective. A compelling USP should:

Focus on the values of your ideal customer: Your desired customer must feel that you truly understand their needs and are therefore the best company to offer them the solution to their problem.
Assertive and defensible: Create a USP that encourages a consumer to make a case as to why they shouldn’t choose your competitor.
Leverage your industries reputation: Position yourself as the game changer in your industry. For example, the telemarketing industry struggles with a lingering reputation for being disruptive in favour of generating dishonest profits. However, knowing this about our own industry, Air have created a platform where our clients can see exactly how much time we spend on their campaigns minute by minute. This platform is truly transparent and shows us to be a collaborative partner who delivers exactly what we have promised our clients. By creating a USP that has changed the game of our industry we are now considered one of the leading telemarketing companies in the UK.
Avoid the “superstar effect”: A great USP is not claiming that your business is the best. How many times have you gone to a new city and seen “Best Restaurant” plastered on the doorway of multiple businesses? Companies often strive to be the best, but the first thing your USP should strive for is difference.
More than a slogan: While a slogan is one way your USP can be communicated, it’s also something your organisation should embody in other areas of your businesses. Don’t talk the talk if you can’t walk the walk.

Remember you’re still here to sell!

Just as Relationship Marketing is as much about the marketing as is it about the relationships, the same applies for creating a Unique Selling Proposition; it’s a form of differentiation that needs to be built around selling more products and services, not just to make your business into a quirky brand that stands out but can’t get traction.

Remember each piece of marketing material or conversation must say “Buy this product or service, for this specific benefit.”
Your proposition must be one that your competition cannot or does not offer; It must be unique either to your business or in a claim that your competitors have not made themselves.
Your proposition must attract new customers and be created with the intent to sell, not just stand out.

Would you like more help establishing your USP? At Air Marketing Group we help our clients form and execute USPs that really resonate with their desired customers, deliver rewarding ROI and differentiate their business in the market place. To get the most out of your USP contact our experienced team today: contact@air-marketing.co.uk or phone 0345 241 3038.

How can you keep your sales momentum going over the festive period?

Posted on 17 December 20183 June 2025 by Doug Roots

The lead up to Christmas is a fun and festive period. The office is draped with tinsel and twinkling lights, the team are adorned with Christmas jumpers and the Christmas tree is waiting in the door way to greet clients. But what about sales?

Whilst this time of year is fun, it is also stressful and a little tiring. With most people fixated on getting the perfect present, sales can often feel a little harder to win. So how can you keep the momentum of your sales and your team going over the festive period?

Embrace it

This is one is simple but effective. Have fun, it’s Christmas! Your team have been working hard all year and, whilst sales are important, their happiness comes first – happy team = happy clients! Now, this doesn’t mean you need to have an office party every day of December, but the odd bit of festive fun wouldn’t go unappreciated. Throw in a Christmas jumper day, some mince pies, after work drinks and maybe even the simple pleasure of an advent calendar. They’re all little things but they’ll make your team feel valued.

Be personable

Don’t just embrace the festivities with your staff, extend this to clients. Ask people about their festive plans, you may not want to talk about their child’s starring role as a donkey in their school nativity, but it is important to them and therefore important for your business. You could also employ a festive social media campaign, take photos of the office fun and share it with your clients – let them see the people behind the products and they’ll more than likely buy into your warm company climate.

Build your pipeline

Whilst people may not be looking to buy new products right before, or right after Christmas, it doesn’t mean you can’t work to build relationships with new and existing clients so that you can start strong in the new year. Many businesses will slow down all together during this time, so make the most of the quieter market and get your foot in the door. Implement a gentler nurture email or social media campaign so that prospects know you’re there to help but don’t feel overwhelmed at a busy time of year.

Take the time to re-strategize

A slower sales period isn’t always a bad thing. It can give you back some much-needed time to sit back and re-evaluate what went well and not so well over the year. By focusing on finding out where your efforts best lie, you can come back stronger in the New Year with ideas ready to go and a team who know what they are aiming for.

Team initiatives and incentives

Engage with your team, make sure they know where they are headed and what you expect of them over this period. If they generate strong leads or close a certain amount of sales by the end of the week then reward them, have buzz meetings where you shout about their successes. Include them in meetings or catch up with them where you can to cultivate a transparent and honest culture.

Set a theme for the New Year

Looking back on the year, set a theme or goal for the New Year and get your team to begin working on this in December. Do you want to better your sales techniques, customer service, team culture or client relationships? Tell your team that this is what you’re looking to work towards and get them to implement this in their day to day activities.

Team Air hope you have a merry and successful Christmas period. If you feel like you could benefit from any of our services, then why not get in touch to see how we can help you in the New Year? Call: 0345 241 3038 or email: contact@air-marketing.co.uk

Time management is vital to business – how can you better yours?

Posted on 10 December 20183 June 2025 by Doug Roots

We’ve all had those days where we come into work and just don’t feel up to the day; tasks have been stacking up for days, deadlines have been pushed back and our workload just seems to be taking over our lives. And on days like these we often don’t help ourselves. Instead of tackling the more pressing tasks, we chose to do admin and smaller jobs which don’t take up as much of our time. Of course, this doesn’t solve the issue and we continue to get increasingly behind on our work and become even more stressed, leading to poor mental health – 1 in 6.8 people experience mental health problems in the workplace.

I know it’s sometimes easier said than done but in business we just need to grab the bull by the horns and take on the tasks that we don’t always feel up to – only 37% of teams in the UK report completing their project on time. An easy way to balance our workload is to simply invest proper time management. By effectively managing our time we reduce stress and increase productivity.

My top tips for time management:

Wind down and plan

Allowing yourself 15 minutes at the end of your day to wind the day down and go over the tasks which need focusing on the following day will allow you to create a structure to follow when you get in.

Book it in

Use your calendar – it’s right there to remind you to do what you need to do! By booking tasks into your calendar you will basically have a virtual PA which nudges you when it’s time to wrap up a task and move on to the next.

Eliminate distractions

Put your phone back in your bag (on silent), pop in your headphones and turn off anything that will distract you. This includes team chat notifications and emails, sometimes you just need to cut yourself off and work for an hour.

Colour code it

Sit down and work out which jobs are high priority and which jobs can be left for a while – then flag them with a colour code, ranking them in order of importance.

Training

Make the most of training opportunities available to you. Sometimes sitting down with your team and/or a trainer and discussing various techniques which other people implement is a great way of making your day, and the business, run more smoothly.

My favourite Time Management concepts:

Follow The Pareto Principle

I am a strong believer in this time management concept – it’s tried and tested, based on the work of the Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, in 1906.

To put it simply, 8/10 tasks on your daily to do list are as important as your top 2.

So, take your daily to do list and write down 10 things that you want to achieve today. Of these 10, select the 2 that are most important. Make these your priority. Work towards these throughout the day, resisting the urge to procrastinate and take up smaller tasks.

In working towards your 2 most important tasks, you know that the key tasks can be crossed off and time can be given to the smaller tasks when you have the capacity to fulfil them.

Implement The Eisenhower Matrix

This concept was born from Dwight Eisenhower’s famous quote, “what is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important”, and again it’s pretty straight forward.

The basic premise is that some tasks are simply more important to a business than others. Often it pays to be able to delegate, if you have an assistant (or a colleague with a lighter work load) then hand it over and save yourself the time to work on your more important tasks.

There really is nothing worse than coming to work and feeling like you can’t face the day. So, if you’re feeling a little snowed under, why not implement these hints and tips?

Opinion Piece by Nicolette Karides, Learning and Development Coordinator, Air Marketing Group

Category: Sales