Turn the Year-end Slowdown into Surprising Sales

1. Do a year-end review and offer to help with next year’s planning.
   
   Send your customers an email highlighting what you’ve worked on over the past year. Thank them for the business and point out that you haven’t discussed next year yet. Suggest a meeting to plan for their upcoming initiatives. During your meeting, be sure to mention all your products and services. I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard, “Gee, I didn’t know you did that.”
   
   
2. Schedule executive level meetings with your top 10 accounts.
   
   Similar to #1, but at a higher level, you can get the ball rolling by pointing out some of the ways you’ve helped the client’s company over the past year. Ask if you can meet with him or her to discuss how you might help meet their initiatives in the coming year. You might also share your company’s plans for new offerings, programs or directions and see if there’s a fit with their initiatives for next year.
   
   
3. Create an account plan to identify untapped opportunities.
   
   Take your client’s organization chart and note the areas where you’re already working. Then notice where you’re not. Are you missing whole divisions that could benefit from your services? Are you working exclusively on one level of the organization? Could you expand up, down or out? Once you’ve determined the new areas you’d like to pursue, ask your current contacts for referrals and schedule introductory meetings. You may find last minute opportunities for this year while identifying new opportunities for next year.
   
   
4. Analyze your solution portfolio to uncover underutilized offerings.
   
   Extended warranties and service contracts can be a good example of this. Or do the reverse and look at what has sold well. Then consider approaching customers who are not using that offering. Of course, you always want to make sure it’s a good fit for the customer.