Coronavirus. We got to thinking.
- What is this self-isolation?
- How long will it last?
- What can I do about it?
The answers?
- Staying home by yourself.
- Who knows?
- Get on with your sales activity!
We’re going to focus on #3.
In the hustle and bustle of the sales world it’s easy to get caught up in the moment, focus in on whatever’s in front of you, which may well take you away from your sales plan.
The demands of customers and business often divert our attention from proactive sales prospecting and at the end of the year our sales activity is nothing like we had planned 12 months earlier.
So, if you’re in self-isolation, or even if you’re not, this is a great time to re-focus on sales activity – the most important aspect of growing your business. Those things you thought were a good idea when you started out or even as recently as a year ago!
Here are a few ideas:
Redefine your prospecting strategy:
What do your ideal prospects look like?
How will you meet them?
Segregate your ideal prospects in terms of:
- Type of business
- Size
- Location
- Industry
- Best person to contact within the business, e.g. MD, FD etc.
How will you meet them?
- Work out what’s worked well in the past in terms of finding new customers and seek to replicate it.
- Develop your sales action plan around QDQ of sales activity -Quantity, Direction, Quality.
Quantity – Are you doing enough activity?
Direction – Are you doing it with the right people, groups etc?
Quality – Are you doing it with skills, knowledge and enthusiasm, on a needs-based selling basis and with a smile on your face?
For example, while you’re self-isolating, you could perhaps come up with a process for asking your existing customers for a referral.
83% of your customers would be prepared to give you a referral, and when referred prospects are 4 times more likely to buy. but only 29% of salespeople ask.
Referrals
are the best type of business leads you can get because relationship building
is accelerated, and the sales cycle is generally shorter.
- Reconnect with your Lost and Lapsed customers. In other words, customers who used to be customers who have left you, or those where you bid for business but failed to win it.
They know you and will undoubtedly talk to you or even meet you. The grass isn’t always greener!
- Look at your strategic alliances. Who could introduce new customers to you and vice versa? Build relationships with them and plan to nurture them!
- Segment your existing customers.
In simple terms, segmenting your customer and prospect base will ensure that you focus your attention on the customers and prospects most important to you. You might consider segmenting your customer base as follows:
- Top 25% of customers GOLD
- Next 25% SILVER
- Final 50% BRONZE
The measure could be turnover of the customers, profitability to you or even the number of your products they use. You can then determine the level of proactive management that each level receives.
The sobering aspect of this is that your most valuable customers are the ones that are most attractive to your competition.
- Brush up on your social media, particularly LinkedIn. How effective is your profile? (LinkedIn will give you feedback)
LinkedIn is also a great way of meeting prospects. So, develop a LinkedIn / Social Media strategy for your business. If you don’t know how, get help!
That should keep you occupied in self-isolation. If you’d like to chat about this or any other aspect of sales give me a call, Brendan Walsh, on 07766505619. If you’re still in self-isolation we can arrange a Skype call!