Efficient vs. Effective: There IS a Difference!

Many salespeople fall into the efficiency trap every day. Are you one of them?

When considering EFFICIENCY and EFFECTIVENESS, many think these terms are interchangeable, but they are not.

EFFICIENCY in simple terms is doing things right, quickly.

EFFECTIVENESS is doing the right things, efficiently.

Here’s a little quote to help put this into context for you.

“You Can’t Be Effective Without Being Efficient, But, You Can be Efficient Without Being Effective.” – Paul Watts

You can be really efficient but be doing all the wrong things.

I was one of these people, until I discovered two tools which – when combined – were a game changer for me.

If You’re Efficient vs. Effective, Try This!

The first tool is the Eisenhower Matrix which is a four-quadrant tool, that categorizes tasks based on IMPORTANCE and URGENCY. This is where I used to fall down. Okay… so now what? That’s where the second tool comes in, the 4D’s One Touch Approach. By applying the 4D’s to these four quadrants, I was now able to assign an action to each priority level.

• For P1 Tasks (high urgency, high importance) we apply the first ‘D’ – Do it Now.
• For P2 Tasks (high importance, low urgency) we apply the second ‘D’ – Date Activate (Do it Later)
• For P3 Tasks (low importance, high urgency) we apply the third ‘D’ – Delegate. Unless we have no one to delegate to, then we only deal with these tasks when all of the day’s P1 and P2 tasks are complete, not before.
• For P4 Tasks (low importance, low urgency) we apply the fourth ‘D’ – Delete. If it cannot be deleted then this category of tasks should only be started when all of the day’s P1, P2 and P3 tasks are complete, not before.

The four-quadrant prioritization model, when combined with the 4D approach, is an excellent way of prioritizing your tasks and becoming more effective in sales (and everything you do!).