How much of your workday do you actually spend selling?

The New Year is in full swing. Now is the time to kick your prospecting efforts into overdrive, build a strong pipeline for 2014, and determine if you’re really getting the most traction out of each and every day. Chances are, you’re not.

Most salespeople only spend about 10 percent of their workdays actively selling, and another 10 percent on prospecting, according to Augusoft. That’s a mere 20 percent of your day dedicated to building your pipeline and bringing in new business. Staggering!

So how do you get more out of your day? By focusing on the sales activities that matter—talking to your clients, building your referral network, and asking for referral introductions. Block out at least two hours every day to talk to prospects and clients. It’s amazing what you’ll learn. They might even have more business for you. Remember my adage: ABA (Always Be Asking).

Check out the latest from No More Cold Calling for referral-selling practices that will save you time and money, and fill your pipeline for 2014 and beyond:

No Toys at the Table

Over the past several months, we’ve discussed how technology addiction can be detrimental to your sales career. But just as importantly, it can also negatively impact your kids’ future careers. (Read “No Toys at the Table.”)

Digital Socialites Still Need to Sparkle

Woody Allen said that 80 percent of success is showing up. We show up a lot differently today than when he made that quip. We show up in person and online. But the goals are still the same—to develop connections and build relationships. In this month’s guest post from Megan Totka, chief editor of ChamberofCommerce.com, you’ll learn how to seal the deal by becoming more social. (Read “Digital Socialites Still Need to Sparkle.”)

Message to Management: The No. 1 Resolution That Matters

The media is flooded with articles about resolutions right now. (I Googled “New Year’s Resolutions” and got nearly 45 million results.) That’s a lot of intellectual energy directed at resolutions most of us will dump or forget about by the end of January. As you’re planning for 2014, don’t just give your sales team an annual quota and expect them to make it rain. Give them manageable goals to meet each week or month. (Read “Message to Management: The No. 1 Resolution That Matters.”)

Are You on the Road to Nowhere?

It’s one thing to make an emergency call in a room full of people. It’s another to have loud conversations that interrupt others around you. Gyms, dinner tables, and bedrooms are no place for cell phones—unless they’re turned off.  Put away the toys. Disconnect from the everyday so that you can enjoy exercise, spend time with your family, and socialize with your colleagues. They’re worth it. (Read “Are You on the Road to Nowhere?”)

6 Reasons to Celebrate the New Year

As we start off the New Year, now is the perfect time to pay attention to what’s really important—in our work as well as in our personal lives. Here are six ways to be more successful (in your sales career and your life) in 2014. (Read “6 Reasons to Celebrate the New Year.”)

Get with the Referral Sales Program

For most of us, the New Year is usually filled with resolutions and commitments. We all have at least one commitment in common—to sell more products and services, and make more money.

But making a commitment without a plan is the quickest way to fall back into old habits.

This year, why not replace your old sales habits with new referral-selling strategies and make 2014 the year your career really takes off?

I’ve bundled my most popular referral-selling audio products and eBook into an affordable package that will help you create successful sales habits and show you the power of referral selling in no time.

This “Getting Started Package” is priced at only $57 and includes:

• 7 audio downloads (MP3)
• No More Cold Calling™ audio book (MP3)
• “Referred: Rediscovering the Power of the Original Social Network” (ebook)

Click here to listen to audio samples and find out more.