Last week was about ONE Daily Micro-Action for Inside Sales Growth. The crazy thing is that committing to taking action feels like adding more “to-do” items to your full list…
Actually deciding what NOT to do is also an action!
It may seem counterintuitive, remember inside sales isn’t just about doing more—it’s about doing the right things.
Think about your daily workflow. Inside salespeople are pros at juggling: following up on leads, booking demos, tracking down contracts, and fielding objections—all while keeping the CRM updated and hitting those KPIs. It’s a lot. And that’s before you get to the flood of emails, Slack messages, and spontaneous team huddles.
It’s easy to lose focus when everything feels urgent. Here’s the truth:
not everything is urgent, and not every task adds value to your sales goals.
This is where the concept of “subtraction as strategy” comes in. By consciously choosing to let go of low-value activities, you free up mental bandwidth and time for what matters most—building relationships, engaging prospects, and closing deals.
Three Steps to Identify Your “Not-To-Do” List
- Audit Your Time: Take an honest look at your day. Use a time-tracking tool or simply jot down what you’re spending time on for a few days (for the record: this is painful in a world where you get pulled in different directions every 5-minutes). It will help you figure out where the waste is! Are you chasing down unqualified leads or spending hours in meetings that don’t move the needle?
Look for patterns. When you understand where your time goes, you can see what’s stealing your focus.
- Prioritize Revenue-Generating Activities: Inside sales is all about driving revenue, so ask yourself: Is this task helping me connect with potential buyers or progress deals?
If the answer is no, consider automating, batching, or even postponing it. For instance, if manual data entry eats up a chunk of your day, can you set up automation or allocate a specific time block to tackle it efficiently without constant interruptions?
- Embrace Boundaries: Saying “no” is tough, especially in collaborative sales environments. But boundaries protect your productivity.
If colleagues or managers ask for something that’s not aligned with your sales priorities, be upfront. Say, “I’d love to help, but I’m laser-focused (insert what you’re working on). Can we revisit this later?” Most people will respect that clarity.
How This Fits into the Inside Sales Mindset
Inside sales has evolved—it’s no longer about “spray and pray” tactics. Today, it’s about precision, personalization, and persistence. And just like a chef in a bustling kitchen doesn’t clutter their workspace with unnecessary tools, you don’t need to weigh yourself down with tasks that don’t align with your goals.
When you start cutting out what’s not working, you create room to focus on high-impact actions. Maybe it’s dedicating more time to refining your discovery questions or spending extra minutes personalizing your outreach. These small shifts compound over time, leading to better conversations, stronger pipelines, and more closed deals.
A Challenge for the Week Ahead
This week, try this: identify one thing you’ll stop doing. Maybe it’s attempting to multitask during calls or responding to emails immediately. Replace that time with one focused action that moves you closer to your goals. You might be surprised at how freeing it feels to lighten the load and how much more effective you become.
Remember, inside sales success isn’t about doing it all—it’s about doing what matters most. And sometimes, the best action you can take is knowing what not to do.
I’ll be tracking my time along with you,
Lynn