Slack in sales
Every metric is built on efficiency with the objective of generating maximum output with minimum waste.
However, very few organizations measure if you look for the right output in the right market. In other words, if you are doing the right thing in the first place.
Focusing on efficiency can result in doing the wrong thing in the most efficient way. But, how can salespeople know if they are doing the right thing?
The answer is slack!
According to Britannica, slack means being “not busy”. Most people associate slack with being lazy. The famous Farnam Street blog defines slack as “excess capacity allowing for responsiveness and flexibility.” (http://fs.blog/slack/)
I define it as a “relaxed time for reflection”.
As a salesperson, if you feel like you cannot respond to new opportunities because you are too busy, you need more slack. And having enough slack means no backlog of tasks. It also means thinking about what you are doing and why you are doing it.
Slack enables more productivity in the long run. If you don’t take time to think if you are doing the right thing, (meaning working with the right customers, in the right market with the right products/services with the most profitable price) it is very likely that you sacrifice productivity in favor of efficiency.
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