We started this series under the assumption that you have reached the point of making some series changes to the way you sell this year. Another assumption we made counteracts the naysayer’s approach of “nobody has any money left in his or her budget this time of year”. That assumption is that there are many budgets out there that have not been totally spent and if they are not spent by the end of the year, the manager may lose that portion of the budget next year. Also, there are many companies that don’t have fiscal years that end Dec. 31.
Here are the final 2 steps in turning those ‘intentions to change’ in to a real strategies with tangible results:
4) Don’t Overlook Previous Clients as a Source for New Business.
While I don’t want to diminish the importance of prospecting for new clients, it’s important to note that previous clients, those who have dropped out of your current client base, are often still highly qualified prospects and can represent significant revenue.
Keeping in touch with past clients should be one part of your prospecting plan. The sales environment is dynamic. Things change--all the time. Your previous clients will often have new roles, responsibilities and challenges. You will have new services to provide. Keeping in touch on a regular basis is a smart way to determine if there is a current fit.
Warning:
- Keeping in touch with previous clients should not be a substitute for searching out new prospects (a.k.a. cold calls). While it may be more comfortable to speak with previous clients, you must always be adding new people to your database and pipeline.
- Don’t become a pest! Turning past clients into current clients should not become your new life’s mission.
5) Don’t Become Caught in the Time Management Trap.
Have you ever felt like there wasn’t enough time to get everything done? Actually, you have all the time there is. The challenge is to determine exactly what you want to “get done” and by when. Committing to a daily plan of activity is paramount to your long-term success as well as your mental and physical well-being.
Make sure you understand the difference between “pay” activities--those directly related to or part of the selling process--and “non-pay” activities--those not an integral part of the selling process.
Pay activities include:
- Prospecting--telephone cold calls, walk-ins, Exec. Briefings, lead generation/direct mail follow-up calls, etc.
- Meeting with prospects
- Working with clients (and obtaining referrals)
- Networking--generating referrals (not socializing over the hors d’oeuvres)
Non-pay activities include:
- Administrative activities
- Paper work
- Accounting/booking activities
- Studying training materials/listening to tapes
- Preparing for a workshop
- “Working” on the computer
- Planning your day
- Addressing Executive Briefing invitations
- Making a presentation without an up-front contract about the specific yes/no decision to be made at the end
- Continuing to phone people who won’t take your calls
- Leaving voice-mail messages for people who haven’t returned your previous calls
Plan your day the night before. Don’t waste prime selling hours organizing your calendar and schedule. Prioritize your activities. Schedule high priority items first. Only schedule those activities you know you will have time for. Over-commitment is only a short cut to failure. It’s better to have two activities completed than four half finished.
Schedule time for those unpredictable problems, which creep up from time to time. Set aside some time before lunch or at the end of the day to deal with problems. This is a better strategy than dropping everything you are doing at the time to deal with them.
Keep a log of your activities, hour by hour, for a few days. Compare your activities log to your schedule. The comparison may be “eye-opening.” It will help pinpoint areas for improvement.
Reserve some review-preview time at the end of the day on Friday. Review what you have accomplished for the week. Plan, not only Monday’s schedule, but an overview of the following week. It doesn’t have to be a detailed schedule, only a “big picture” description of the week to come.
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