Did you know that sales reps spend 60% of their day on tasks that don’t directly generate revenue? Much of this time is eaten up by planning and other non-sales activities.

In this episode, BJ and I discuss how sales professors can teach students to plan their day effectively. This helps them stay productive and focus on the activities that drive results.

Why Planning Matters

· In sales, everyone talks about closing techniques and prospecting hacks, but I want to shine a light on a less glamorous but crucial skill: planning.

· Learning how to manage your time effectively is one of the most important foundations for early sales success, and it can make a real difference in how students perform once they hit the field.

Student Insights: Planning’s Real-World Impact

· Over the years, I’ve been surprised by how much students value planning exercises.

· Many of them tell me that these lessons have had more impact than trendy topics like LinkedIn prospecting.

· BJ and I have seen students consistently rank planning skills as the most transformative lesson, both for their careers and their personal productivity.

Teaching Time Management: From Principles to Practice

· We break down how to embed planning into a sales curriculum in a practical way:

o Principles First: Students learn the difference between activity and productivity. We use exercises and psychological studies to bust multitasking myths and show the power of focused work.

o Time Blocking and Color Coding: Techniques like batching similar tasks and visually organizing a calendar help students understand where their time really goes.

o Weekly and Daily Planning: We walk students through breaking weekly targets into actionable daily routines, ensuring prospecting and customer-facing work happens consistently rather than by chance.

Making Planning Measurable

· We also emphasize the importance of metrics. Tracking calls, outreach efforts, and alignment with KPIs turns planning into a measurable skill.

· This approach moves students and new sellers from just staying busy to actually being productive and results-driven.

"Good salespeople know how to use their time effectively...People who can kind of plan their day and do more revenue generating activities are the ones that succeed." - BJ Allen

"Focus on the activity and the results will come as a natural byproduct. But if you don’t plan at a day-to-day level, you might say, ‘I did some prospecting this week,’ but how much time did you really spend on it?" - Donald Kelly

We’ve both been looking into our crystal balls to see what 2026 sales predictions look like from both the industry side and the education side. In this episode, we’re sharing 2026 trends that will help sales professors feel confident they’re teaching their students the latest sales techniques.

1. Growth in Sales Education

1. Every semester, BJ is seeing more and more students in his classroom. He also shares a statistic from the Sales Education Foundation that shows 50% of sales programs have been started in the last 20 years.
2. BJ is projecting even more students will enroll in these programs as demand grows in tech and as more students show interest in sales careers.

2. Increased Use of AI Agents

1. No, AI is not taking our jobs. However, there are tasks that have become a nuisance for sales professionals. Email, research, follow-ups… why do it yourself when technology can handle it for you?
2. Donald is seeing real growth in the use of AI agents for these types of tasks. However, BJ does point out there’s one task AI agents will never be able to replace.

3. Continued Growth and the Need for Humanization in Sales Outreach

1. Buyers are becoming more resistant to traditional sales techniques. Donald is seeing firsthand how much distrust exists with buyers right now and why personalization matters more than ever.
2. If we teach sales students this in college, they’ll be much better prepared for what the industry actually looks like.

We’re seeing more students enroll in sales programs, along with more intersection between AI and human skills. Donald is also seeing a heightened demand for ROI, as buyers want clear value and proof of their investments. If sellers can build real connections while showing ROI early, the sky is the limit.

“I feel like LinkedIn comments are critical and honestly better than messages. There should be more salespeople commenting on posts. People want that real connection. And yeah, you can use AI to do some commenting, but you can usually tell the difference between an AI comment and a human one.” — Donald Kelly

“It’s about developing organic relationships. This goes back to what I was saying earlier, the split between those menial tasks AI can handle. Great, let AI do that. But the students and salespeople who can build real, organic relationships are the ones who continue to do really well.” — BJ Allen

show notes