Tuesday, August 28, 2007

It's Hunting Season!

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer, and it's coming!

Summer vacations are over.

Parents have delivered their older children to colleges.

Younger students are back in class.


Yea!

Decision Makers
are back in their offices!

In most industries, August is one of the slowest months for closing sales.

It's tough to sell when the buyers aren't around, isn't it?

Well, they're back!

Now is the time to refill your Sales Funnel and get to work!

Here's the best way to fill that Sales Funnel:
Present Clients
You probably sell more than one product or service.
Are you cross-selling everyone?

Lost Clients
There is a reason they once did business with you.
Maybe they were in the Change Mode and you got blind-sided.
Call them now and see what has changed since you last talked.

Referrals
Ask for them from clients and other people you know.
Practice the Law of Reciprocity; get referrals by giving referrals.

Networking
There are lots of networking events to take advantage of.
Two Rules for networking events:
1. Be there!
2. Work it!

Cold Calling -
for most of us, the only way to get to the proverbial 'Next Step'.
Target your Prospect List:
Specifically define who is and who is not a prospect.
Choose specific SIC Codes (Specialized Industrial Classifications, the government's way to classify businesses)
Apply Data Elements to further filter the list. (# employees, annual sales, sq. footage, etc.)
Define the Geographic Area for your prospects. (Zips, states, regions, etc.)
Purchase a list based upon the above criteria and your budget.

Catch companies in the Change Mode
Most companies are more open to change when their business is changing.
Changes like: New Business, Change of Ownership, New Location, Construction, etc.
Change is the Sweet Spot for gaining business and the Risk Spot for losing business.
Find this information by searching government records, newspapers, and networking, or subscribe to a service, like Business Research Bureau, that provides Daily Change Mode information.

Have a Plan and Work the Plan

Good Selling!