The best account managers are busy.  Average account managers are busy and below average account managers are busy.  Everybody is busy, busy, busy.

If everybody is busy, why isn't everybody as productive as the best account managers?  Unfortunately, it's obvious that the busy account managers who aren't productive are busy doing the wrong things.  Since you don't want to be one of those people, let's review the right things to be busy doing:

1) The actions that get one closer to making a sale
2) The actions that ensure the success of a sale already made

Uh, that's pretty much it.  Let's examine Category #1 in a little more detail.

The other day, an account manager pointed out to me that she had sent an e-mail to a client with an interesting article attached.  The article was relevant to the customer's business and sending it was a good idea.  Does her action fall into Category #1? 

Her action should have fallen into Category #1 as she was trying to get closer to making a sale.  But, based on the content of her e-mail, I can promise you that she didn't get closer to making a sale because she didn't ask the customer to take any action.  Her e-mail said something like this:

"I saw this article and thought about you."

Coincidentally, another account manager also copied me on an e-mail that he sent to a customer with an article attached.  His e-mail said something like this:

"Did you see this article (attached)?  Let's get together and brainstorm ways to make this work for your business.  We always come up with great ideas and I am sure that we can do it again!"

Two busy account managers.  One productive account manager. 

To give you some additional guidance about the difference between merely busy and productive let's expand Category #1:

1) The actions that get one closer to making a sale
    a.  Prospecting
        i.  Research to identify prospects
        ii.  Research to identify industry trends
        iii.  Contacting prospects with valid business reasons to convince them to spend time with you.
    b.  Qualifying
        i.  Determining if the prospect has enough money to purchase your products through research
        ii.  Determining if the prospect has enough money by meeting with them
    c.  Presenting
        i.  Sending presentations that ask for an investment
        ii.  Delivering presentations face-to-face that ask for an investment

While this list of ways to get closer to making a sale is incomplete, one should get a better idea about why the second account manager's activity was productive.  He was contacting a prospect and providing a valid business reason to take a meeting to discuss the client's needs (a-iii).