You’ve heard the advice and ignored it. You know you need to find new clients, but you also know you should go to the gym and eat right and go to church. But today, let’s review some of the advice you’ve heard from me and others. Maybe this time, it will take. If not, there is one action you can take as the bare minimum thing to do.
Here we go…
The advice: You must always be looking for new business since you will lose 10-15% from year to year.
Your response: If something falls in my lap, I will take it. Otherwise…
The advice: Be prospecting five big accounts at once with two more in the bullpen ready to go if one drops out.
Your response: Big accounts scare me, so I am not going to do that.
The advice: Make two new business calls before nine o’clock, just to get them in. That way, if your day goes sideways, you will have at least done something.
Your response: Yeah, I did that … for a day.
The advice: Make two calls at a time. Just two. Then, go on to your next task. When that task is complete, make two calls. Just two. Do that all day and you will be shocked at how many calls you get in.
Your response: That takes organization. So, that’s out.
The advice: Become a Subject Matter Expert in your clients’ field. Find out where they are going and determine how you can help them get there.
Your response: I tried that, but then someone sent me a TikTok video of two cats, and, well…
The advice: Stay up on current events by reading The Wall Street Journal. There you will find emerging markets where you can find new business.
Your response: The Wall Street Journal is for stuffy aristocrats and money managers. I am neither.
And finally…
The bare minimum: Make it a practice to regularly contact your existing client base. Cover them like a blanket. Phone. Email. Visit. Whatever it takes to make sure you are in lock-step. This will keep you informed of new projects and if someone leaves their job and moves to another company, they will take you with them. There is no skill involved. It is sales disguised as a social activity. You will get invited to company events and parties.
And at least you can say you are doing something, which is better than doing what you are doing now: Nothing.
The opposite of nothing is everything, and that is what you will find inside The Sales Vault. Searchable sales ideas and live Zoom workshops, all for just $49 or lower. Go to SalesVault.pro or call Bill Farquharson at 781-934-7036.
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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.