Are You Enjoying The Opportunities In Fall?

The Fall Season provides wonderful opportunities to drive GREATER business growth.

Summer was a great time to hang out with your friends and family and take a valuable vacation. Every town was buzzing with exciting activity and many people (including prospects) take time off over those months to enjoy the sunshine and activity.

Consequently many Bankers and Sales People tell me that it is difficult to get meetings with new prospects during the “Dog Days of Summer” (… a limiting belief that I continually dispute). As a result, your pipeline is looking a little lean by the end of Summer and you’re getting concerned about hitting end of year sales goals. The Summer hangover is starting to kick in.

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But it’s time to STOP lamenting about your sunburn and start enjoying the Great OPPORTUNITIES that the Fall Season now offers you …. and here are the reasons why:

• Your prospects and referral partners are also concerned about hitting annual sales targets.
• Many consumers and businesses want to close major transactions before year end.
• Businesses generally spend more money in the second half of the year.
• There are less distractions and everyone is more business focused.
• Your prospects and referral partners may have also had “difficulty” gaining meetings over Summer and are certainly keen to start filling their calendar with lots of valuable meetings.

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Some business development strategies for Fall that you should be doing to ensure a strong close to the year:

• Contact all your existing clients, prospects, and referral partners to build further rapport by discussing what they did over Summer and confirm your availability to meet during Fall.
• Share valuable information/research and strategies that will assist them achieve their annual goals.
• Plan a Fall Event that is more educational than social and invite clients, prospects, referral partners, and their guests.
• Launch a Fall campaign/offer that provides easy access to a product/solution that can help your clients, prospects, and/or referral partners achieve their annual goals.
• Consider other favors you can offer that will benefit your clients, prospects, and/or referral partners.
• Leverage your stronger relationships with particular clients and referral partners to specifically review end of year objectives and develop commitments to help each other achieve those objectives.

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Timing is of the essence (especially considering some sales cycles), and with Fall almost over it is critical you ramp up your activities NOW.?

Clearly some of the above strategies are dependent upon the quality and depth of relationship you have developed with existing clients, prospects and referral partners.?

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But now is always a good time to be building upon all your relationships, because even though the "fallout" from this activity may not result in new business this year, it will certainly set you up for a great start next year.

So wash off the sunscreen, put away the flip flops (or thongs as we say in Australia) and get ready for the Great SALES FALLOUT you can expect over the next few months.

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Article written by Joe Micallef – Sales Strategist & Coach – Grow UP Sales. For more advice on how to build a caring culture, please email [email protected] or visit the webpage www.growupsales.com

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