--- title: The Pareto Principle for Sales | The Sales Blog description: Most of what you do does nothing to produce results. While it may be necessary, it doesn’t move the needle. Meetings with Prospects and Clients If there is one thing that should dominate your calendar as a salesperson, it is meetings with prospects and clients. Meetings are where you create new opportunities, and it is […] image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/8020.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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While it may be necessary, it doesn’t move the needle. ## Meetings with Prospects and Clients If there is one thing that should dominate your calendar as a salesperson, it is meetings with prospects and clients. Meetings are where you create new opportunities, and it is also where you gain the commitments that allow you to eventually capture those opportunities. ## Prospecting [Prospecting is the activity](http://thesalesblog.com/2017/08/24/prospecting-what-you-need-to-know-now/) that generates new meetings with prospective clients. If you are doing a good job targeting, prospecting is generating meetings with your dream clients. After meetings with clients, this is the next most important activity when it comes to generating results. ## Nurturing Your Dream Clients Selling effectively now requires that you are also a marketer of sorts. You need to be known, and you need to be known as someone with ideas and the ability to generate new and better results. Marketing cannot do this work for you. You have to proactively communicate with your prospects (or better still [your dream clients](http://thesalesblog.com/2017/02/24/dream-client-perceives/)) in some meaningful way over time. There are countless other things that must be done. These things fall into the 80 percent of things that do not actually produce the result of creating or capturing opportunities or even serving clients. You need to plan and prepare for your sales call. You need to follow up on the sales calls you made in the past week, keeping the commitments you made. You have to draw up proposals and contracts. You have to send thank you cards. Sometimes, you have to respond to RFPs, and other client requests. You also have to update your CRM, attend pipeline meetings, respond to your email, check your voicemail, and fill out internal forms and expense reports. All necessary, and all good sales rep hygiene. When you boil it all down, there are only a few things you do that actually generate results. Producing the best results you are capable of means spending more time on the very few activities that produce the results, and spending only what is necessary on what is necessary but produces no real result. ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2017](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2017) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on September 17, 2017 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2021-09-17T2:36:21 PM", "datePublished" : "2017-09-17 08:00:12", "description" : "Most of what you do does nothing to produce results. While it may be necessary, it doesn’t move the needle. Meetings with Prospects and Clients If there is one thing that should dominate your calendar as a salesperson, it is meetings with prospects and clients. 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