Sales and executive management love to focus on closing sales - and rightfully so; if deals don't close, revenue has no chance of being recognized. But while all of the focus and attention is on closing deals and getting business "done" this month and quarter, our real emphasis should be on getting more qualified meetings - more qualified meetings than necessary to meet revenue expectations. If you don't get more face time with real prostpects, you don't get more sales, you don't get more revenue. It all begins with a continual, healthy, and ongoing pipeline of real prospects...qualified meetings.
While you're closing business this month, what about sales next month, and the month after, and the month after that? Without focused attention, effort, and action to get more meetings, you're likely to create peaks and valleys in your revenue - big revenue months followed by voids of significant sales.
Companies should have ongoing programs to create more and more qualified meetings, creating more sales time with prospective customers, resulting is ongoing increases in their revenue.
It's In The Mail - Direct Mail is Alive and Kicking!
Compared to a lot of companies in our field we do a lot of direct mail – postcards, sales letters, promotions, announcements, lead generation. Between client business and ours, we’re averaging one campaign every two weeks; about 1500 pieces per mailing. We’re planning expansion to over 2000 pieces per campaign and will increase mailings to once per week. One particular business interest will grow to 10,000 pieces a month. We’re constantly building and adding to our mailing lists.
Are You Afraid to Ask For The Order?
"The time has come for one of us to buy and you’re the only one at the table that can do that." It’s not the most polished closing statement ever made, but it won a $3.5M deal when I gave it. I smiled, looked our prospect in the eye, and almost saw one of my regional manager’s lunch when I said it.
There's never a bad time for a great sales promotion!
I love spring! The warm days, sunshine, fresh flowers…it’s a welcome relief from colder, shorter, wetter winter months. Plus, it’s a built-in great opportunity for a sales promotion! From March 21 – June 20, you can run a promotion targeted at both existing and new customers. There's never a bad time for a great sales promotion and spring is real-made for such an event.
