New Month, New Year, New Business
Good morning!
There are a number of “givens” in life. Three come to mind immediately: Death, taxes, and the need to constantly seek new business.
The age-old statistic of losing 10% to 15% of your business year to year may or may not be true. The amount of time it takes to determine whether or not that’s an old wives tale could be better spent selling. Whatever the actual number is, it is a virtual certainty you will not keep 100% of your accounts or 100% of the business within those accounts from year to year.
We know we need to prospect for new work, but we don’t.
We know we need to eat more vegetables and fruits, but we don’t do that either.
As for going to the gym and working out? Not gonna do it!
Motivation for eating right and getting in shape come primarily from two sources: divorce and heart attacks. You should not wait for one of those two awful things to happen before doing what you should have been doing all along.
Similarly, please don’t wait to lose a big account before you start looking for new business. It is insanely difficult to get customers on the line, never mind prospects. A month from now, you will be stating your New Year’s resolutions. On average, you will break them by January 19.
Were they too much to ask? Probably not.
Was it wishful thinking? Possibly.
Were they not sustainable because they lacked one very important component: Accountability? Absolutely!
There is lots to talk about when it comes to the subject of gaining new business. Where are the best places to look? What should the time commitment be? Are there any best practices to follow? But the “given” is that without accountability, your chances of successfully maintaining a new business selling strategy fall somewhere between cauliflower and sit ups.
Set goals. Find a target. Commit. All good steps. Just make certain accountability is present.
If it helps, I’ll be holding a workshop on the subject Friday, December 2. For more information, click on the Events tab at SalesVaultInsider.com or call me at 781-934 -7036.
Bill Farquharson is a respected industry expert and highly sought after speaker known for his energetic and entertaining presentations. Bill engages his audiences with wit and wisdom earned as a 40-year print sales veteran while teaching new ideas for solving classic sales challenges. Email him at bill@salesvault.pro or call (781) 934-7036. Bill’s two books, The 25 Best Print Sales Tips Ever and Who’s Making Money at Digital/Inkjet Printing…and How? as well as information on his new subscription-based website, The Sales Vault, are available at salesvault.pro.
