Have sales in your business been impacted by the slow trickle back to work after your clients disappeared for their summer holidays? It’s certainly more challenging to progress sales with the decision-makers absent.
This last week in January is loaded with opportunity for sales breakthrough. Anyone following up with potential business this week will probably notice a relaxed openness to talk. Your customers who have returned to work are often just a bit more relaxed this week. With their team back on board, they’re no longer frantically thinking about how to cover for staff absences. Most of the public holidays have now passed.
Q4 of the financial year can be a bit different. In our earlier blog post, we warned businesses not to sleep right through January, to remember you’re your 31 March year end is coming soon. This last week in January is critical to your sales success.
Here are 5 sales tactics to help you make the most of this last week in January:
- Follow up all outstanding proposals from Q3 (October to December). Yes, that’s right – those potential sales that stalled like a stale piece of Christmas cake, as ‘Christmas brain’ started. Decisions that were delayed until early in the New Year are now up for discussion. Make sure your business gets a piece of the action by prioritising follow up to those undecided potential clients.
- Talk with clients about their budgets for the next financial year. No, you’re not too early, you’re merely being organised. Some of your clients will have utilised all their budget for this current financial year. No problem – have a coffee or a zoom catch up and plan for how you can help them to solve their business problems from 01 April.
- Marketing, marketing, marketing. Tell people that you’re back from holiday and ready to serve them. Attend events, run an event, blog, send a newsletter. Get the word out about how you and your business can help them achieve their business goals in the year ahead.
- Refine your sales strategy. If you started back in the second week of January, you may have already seen some results from early marketing. Is everything going as you’d hoped? Evaluate your results and pivot as necessary to stay on target to meet your sales goals.
- If February is looking low, give it your best and focus on March. It’s going to be February in just a few days. Depending on the length of your sales cycle, you may already have a clear idea of total sales for February. Focus your February energy on sales where you may be able to get a few quick wins. Give February your best, but balance this with a strong focus on March sales so that you have a strong finish for Q4 strong.
It’s a short month in February, just 28 days. Get started now, and get help if you need it. This last week in January is a great time to take strong sales action to keep yourself and your team on target to do well by the end of Q4.