Between work in the office and work on the road, there are far too many things we sales professionals just can't seem to fit in our busy schedules. In fact, in the 2008 Miller Heiman Sales Best Practices Study, only 25 percent of respondents agreed that they have enough sales and support people to achieve their revenue objectives. This is a good indication that we are working harder (but not exactly smarter) and that we may be letting some vital activities slip through the cracks.
 
In celebration of leap year, spend February 29 to catch up on something that frequently gets put off or forgotten the other 365 days of the year.

Prospecting—Feed Your Funnel
As sales professionals, we can never spend enough time feeding our funnel. Too often, we become so consumed by focusing on the opportunities that are about to close, we neglect to make sure we will have a healthy funnel in the next quarter. On February 29, take the time to prospect and feed your funnel. This will ensure that you have a steady flow of opportunities instead of a feast-famine cycle. Look for new opportunities with prospective companies that match the profile of your current clients, additional business from existing clients, and referrals.

Call a Client—With a Valid Business Reason of Course
One way to ensure you are always in line with your customers is to discuss their challenges and goals with them. Since your customer's world is in perpetual flux, it is crucial to reconnect on a regular basis. On February 29, call a client—but make sure you do it with a Valid Business Reason (VBR). In Conceptual Selling®, we introduce the following criteria to define a VBR:

• The reason impacts the client's concept of what they want to accomplish, fix, or avoid
• The reason sets the call as a high priority for the client
• The reason answers the question, "what's in it for me?" for the client
• The reason is clear, concise and complete (try thinking about how you would state it in a voice mail to a prospect)

Listen to an example of a well-crafted VBR in this audio download.

Self Development
A common activity that is commonly pushed aside when we get busy is self development. On February 29, commit some time to focus on your development as a sales professional. There are many ways to do this:

• Browse the Miller Heiman Knowledge Center for assets that capture your current opportunities and challenges.
• Read a book. We recommend The New Conceptual Selling® as a good read to bring you back to the basics.
• Catch up on a Sales Performance Tip you've been meaning to read.
• Contact a Miller Heiman sales expert to discuss any road blocks you are facing in your professional endeavors. We are always happy to listen to your challenges, and we would love to help you find a solution.

Now that we've provided you with ideas to spend your extra selling day, there is no excuse for letting February 29 go to waste. Make sure you take advantage of this day to catch up on some regretfully neglected activities. After all, February 29 only comes around once every four years.