It’s extremely cold outside and seems to get dark about an hour-and-a-half after lunch each day. There were leaves on the trees when you received your last company-provided sales lead. Your wife wants to know when you plan on paying more than a minimum payment on the credit card bill that got super-sized during the holidays, and your manager is trying to keep you away from sharp objects around the office.
I know you are sick of hearing that you are way overdue for establishing an off-season self-generated sales prospecting regimen, so I’m offering you a six-pack of strategies today to help you survive the balance of the winter season.
Develop a Sense of Urgency – Pretend that if one more day goes by without a creative sale, you will vanish from the earth. Depending on your circumstances, that thinking may not be far from reality. Ask yourself questions like these; “What type of customer is my highest percentage shot right now?” “Who are the people who will view my services as essential?” “What is the fastest and simplest way for me or my information to get in front of prospects this week?”
Prospect Relentlessly – Roll your sleeves up and prepare to triple your prospecting efforts. Recruit your techs to ask their customers for help in finding other good customer like them. Ask techs to cloverleaf the neighbors of the homes they are servicing and tag them with business cards and door hangers. Customers make great consultants so ask them for their advice about finding more like them. If they were you, what would they do? Listen to them, get some ideas and start to execute. While this is going on, don’t forget to increase your time and effort networking with birddogs from occupations you don’t compete with, but that call on the same clientele as you.
Launch a Customer File Blitz – Your best prospect is someone you have already done business with. This is almost always an untapped gold mine for new business. Cull through client files and revisit your past buyers with up sell and cross sell opportunities and ideas. Consider offering special off-season rewards for loyal customers who make immediate purchases.
Put Your E-mail to Work – Use the unlimited power of e-mail to get in front of folks. Hopefully you 
have been gathering customer email addresses because now is the time to promote services and products. It is quick, simple and effective; just ensure you make your message relevant and targeted.
Host an Open House – Talk to management and get permission for a Saturday morning in-branch open house. This is education based marketing and might just be worth a try. Include brunch or finger foods. Invite a fixed number of customers and request RSVP’s. In the invitation publish that a drawing will be held for a valuable incentive or free gift in order to boost attendance and sweeten the pot. Set up exhibits that will spur action, and demonstrations of collateral services and products that provide lots of why-to and what-to-do information.
Increase Referral and Word-of-Mouth Rewards – Word of mouth marketing and employee referrals can generate high rates of success. Consider rewarding branch employees for sharing some creative ideas that produce solid leads and bring you prospects. Think outside the box and get techs and admin in the branch participating to ensure that everybody successfully over-winters.
Cutting back during the off-season never works. Double and triple down on your activity to keep the appointments and sales flowing during slow times. Take personal responsibility and ensure your off-season prospecting is Job One!
——————–Perfect Blue Collar Sales Help——————
“Doug, I really enjoyed every chapter of your book, and believe everyone who reads it will really benefit. I placed an order for 15 more copies to use as prizes for my folks during local sales contests.”
Shaun Gilman – Area Sales Manager, Memphis, TN. Check it out for yourself, here.
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©2016 Robinson Training Solutions, LLC
