Why More Activity Isn’t Growing Your Book of Business
The lesson I shared with sales professionals at Express Employment Professionals in Phoenix
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with a room full of sales professionals at Express Employment Professionals.
The energy in the room was incredible.
These weren’t people looking for shortcuts.
They were hungry.
Hungry to grow their book of business.
Hungry to develop stronger client relationships.
Hungry to create more opportunities.
Hungry to win.
As I listened to their conversations before and after the event, one theme kept surfacing.
Most people aren’t struggling because they aren’t working hard enough.
They’re struggling because they’re not always working on the right things.
And that’s a challenge every leader, salesperson, entrepreneur, and business professional can relate to.
The Activity Trap
When business slows down, most people respond the same way.
They increase activity.
More emails.
More calls.
More meetings.
More follow-up.
More proposals.
More networking.
More effort.
The assumption is simple:
“If I do more, I’ll get more.”
Sometimes that’s true.
But not always.
Because activity and progress are not the same thing.
A packed calendar does not guarantee a growing business.
An overflowing inbox does not guarantee new opportunities.
And being exhausted at the end of the day doesn’t automatically mean you’re moving forward.
That’s why one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is:
Did I make progress today?
Not:
“Was I busy today?”
Progress and busyness are often confused, but they are very different things.
The Wrong Question
Many professionals spend their careers asking:
“How do I get more clients?”
“How do I make more sales?”
“How do I grow faster?”
Those aren’t bad questions.
But they aren’t always the best questions.
I’ve noticed that top performers tend to ask different questions.
Instead of focusing exclusively on how, they focus on what.
What activities consistently create opportunities?
What relationships deserve my attention?
What actions move business forward?
What distractions are stealing my focus?
What should I stop doing?
Those questions create clarity.
And clarity creates progress.
The Professionals Who Win Know What Matters Most
The highest-performing sales professionals I’ve worked with aren’t necessarily the busiest.
They’re often the most intentional.
They understand who they’re trying to serve.
They know where opportunities exist.
They know which conversations matter.
They know where to invest their time and energy.
Because of that, they spend less time reacting and more time creating.
The same principle applies whether you’re recruiting talent, building client relationships, leading a team, or growing a business.
Progress isn’t usually the result of doing everything.
It’s the result of doing the right things consistently.
Three Questions to Ask Yourself This Week
As we move into the second half of the year, I want to encourage you to pause and reflect.
Ask yourself:
1. What activity generated the most opportunities during the first half of the year?
Not what kept you busiest.
What actually created results?
2. What am I spending time on that isn’t producing value?
Every commitment has a cost.
Every distraction steals focus.
What needs to be eliminated?
3. Which relationships deserve more of my attention over the next 90 days?
Many breakthroughs come from relationships you’ve already started but haven’t fully developed.
Who needs a phone call?
A meeting?
A follow-up?
A conversation?
The answers to those questions may reveal your next opportunity.
Progress Is a Choice
The professionals who finish the year strong won’t necessarily have more talent.
They won’t necessarily work longer hours.
They won’t necessarily have more resources.
But they will have clarity.
They’ll know what matters most.
They’ll know where to focus.
They’ll understand the difference between activity and progress.
Because progress doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens when we intentionally focus our time, energy, and attention on the things that matter most.
As you look ahead to the rest of the year, don’t ask yourself how to do more.
Ask yourself:
What deserves my attention?
The answer may be the very thing that helps you grow your book of business, strengthen your relationships, and create the momentum you’ve been looking for.
Make Progress.
— Walter Bond
