When I think about the impending holidays upon us, the Sales Manager in me always thinks about the short work weeks and the customers that will be out of town on vacation. To make things worse, my company specializes in K-12 Education and many of our school districts are closed for weeks at a time. Is the glass half-empty? Maybe. Let's talk about the other part of the Egg Nogg.
Other things that happen during the holidays for salespeople include:
- Time to review the year's performance, activity metrics, bookings and analyze information about your sales year. Looking at metrics like Closing Ratio, Average Deal Size, Time frames in the Sales Cycle and others make fantastic fodder for keeping busy.
- Time to plan for next year. I keep saying this over and over, "if you don't plan for your success, you significantly decrease the changes you'll get what you want." Plan the activity required to achieve your financial goals. Want to make more money? Find out what you did last year and plan out your year.
- Time to give thanks. Thank your customers. Send holiday gifts. Thank your fellow employees (the people that made your job easier throughout the year). Thank your boss and company. Thank your family and friends.
- Time to train on those items that you just couldn't do throughout the year. Read the latest literature, take required tests, learn more about your industry, read a business book or two.
- Time to strategize your attack plan for new customers. While everyone loves a good existing customer who places orders all the time, what would happen if that account went away. Don't think it can't happen to you. People change. Circumstances change. Relationships change. Not everything is in your control. What new customers will you develop to replace a possible loss.
Happy Selling and Happy Holidays.
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