Every year, as soon as my kids left the house to walk to the bus stop on the first day of school, my wife would call our neighbor down the street with kids the same age as ours and say, “Are those angels I hear singing?” Clearly, my wife was ready for summer to end.
Those of you with children, or maybe just those of you that are looking forward to Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Lattes, may be feeling this same level of excitement as the summer comes to a close. But with that change in the calendar often comes a question: is my company on track to meet its quarterly sales goals? Below are five steps you can take to make sure your company stays on track:
Start NOW
According to the CSO Insights 2019 report, almost three-quarters (74.6%) of B2B sales to new customers take at least 4 months to close. That means to complete a new deal before the year ends, especially https://salesenablement.pro/assets/2019/10/CSO-Insights-5th-Annual-Sales-Enablement-Study.pdf with the notoriously slow Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, you need to start the process now.
Go Down Inbox Memory Lane
The CSO Insights 2019 report also found 60% of all deals closed in 3 months or less for existing customers. Amazingly, 22% took less than a month to close. Given these facts, it is worth going back in your inbox and records and checking in on previous clients. A quick email asking a former client you last emailed in February to chat for a few minutes this week about their sales goals for the end of 2019 may lead to a quick, easy sale before quarter 4 comes to a close.
Ask for referrals
Hopefully, you have a few clients that you have developed a personal relationship with over the past year. Fall is the time to leverage those relationships. According to LinkedIn’s The Impact of Social Selling on Sales Perception report, B2B buyers are 5 times more likely to engage when introduced, and according to a 2013 report by SalesBenchmark Index, 84% of all decision makers at B2B companies start the buying process with a referral. While asking for a referral from a current client may feel awkward, the payoff of having a current client refer you to a friend is incalculable.
Surf Social Media
Rand Fishkin, current CEO and co-Founder of SparkToro and formerly the co-founder and CEO of Moz, said, “ Don’t build links. Build relationships.” Often, social media can seem artificial and simply a game of getting as many “links” as possible. However, if done correctly, it is much more than that. This fall, ask a question in your comment on your former client’s blog posts, “like” your family member’s promotion, or message your former client and ask if they would like to catch up this week. As seen above, starting the sales process from an existing relationship drastically increases your likelihood of closing the deal.
Talk to The Endurance Group
The Endurance Group has been helping clients do the steps a
bove for years. Use our expertise, so your company can meet your end of year sales goals. Check out the Endurance Group website for details.