By Todd Duncan

Linda calls it “the best business decision” she’s ever made. Work had become a burden. She was spending most of her time filing paperwork, filling out forms, crunching numbers, and fidgeting with broken technology. When she tallied the time she’d been spending on nonselling tasks, the numbers were staggering. Five hours a week at the photocopier. Four hours a week at the fax machine. Five hours a week reading and sending emails. Twenty hours a week on unnecessary phone calls.

All totaled, she was spending about thirty-four hours a week doing nothing but administrative tasks. In her efforts to become a successful saleswoman she’d become an administrative assistant. That wasn’t the plan.

The worst part was that she was not the only one suffering. Her clients were not receiving her full attention and she didn’t want to think about what that meant.

This was when her superwoman mentality seemed foolish. She decided to put a stop to what she called her “ego thing” and begin relying on her team. They stood willing to help all along and when given the opportunity they turned out to be far more capable than she realized.

The following year, having delegated all tasks but building relationships with customers, Linda’s business grew by 183 percent. It’s astounding what can happen when a salesperson stays focused on relationships, and trusts others to carry the bulk of the load.

Lesson Summary

If you’re a salesperson, focus your efforts on selling, not on paperwork or administration. Focus your talents on that which you do best and let others take care of the rest.

"Delegation to the right people makes everything easier, not only on the job but also in your life."

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