The Blatant Truth Weblog

My maiden voyage

I’ve been meaning to start a blog for about a year now. But you know how it is…things just keep getting in the way. Like executing all of the billable stuff that keeps things afloat. But here it is, the start of Labor Day weekend and the phone is quiet, the emails less pervasive than usual and so I thought: TODAY IS THE DAY. Don’t we all feel some sort of renewed sense of business building energy when September rolls around. Kind of like having those bright clean notebooks and sharpened pencils on the first day of school. Ready to go and all that. So, let’s not waste a moment of our adrenaline rush and hit the ground running to make the last few months of 2007 the best ever. 2 quick sales tips to make it so:

DIG DEEPER INTO EXISTING ACCOUNTS:

Hey, they already know you and love you. You have credibility and demonstrated competencies. Mine the gold that’s already within reach. One way to do this is to begin with a little sleuthing. Peruse your account’s company website on a regular basis. You can find valuable information by reading their press releases, company blog and other news items that are continually being updated on their site. Are there any new or upcoming projects that might require your products or services? What about mergers, acquisitions, or changes to their corporate structure? Have there been any new decision-makers hired recently? You might be surprised by the plethora of new opportunities that are prime for the picking. And you can out about them just by a little detective work and by simply, asking. (Many sales reps stop actively probing once they have landed an account and are servicing the business!)

Cross-selling is another way to dig deeper into your existing accounts. Never assume that a customer will only continue to buy what you’ve sold him or her. If you are not regularly introducing new products or services, you might be leaving potential business on the table that your competition just might take.

INITIATE AN EFFECTIVE TOUCH POINT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM:
Falling off the radar screen is never excusable for a sales professional. There is excellent technology available to help you stay in touch. Email communications, especially those with value-added information or links, are well-received and take very little time to execute. Establish a set number of contacts that you can make each week and stick with the plan. Once you’ve lost contact with a customer, they’re almost always gone for good, and for sure, you have to work harder to get them back. Business redevelopment is costly and unnecessary if you are diligent about staying in touch.

You might want to craft your touch point plan TODAY. After all, you want to be ready to rock ‘n roll on Tuesday.