Check Out These New Year's Resolutions

Michele Warg
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As years pass, it's natural for a company's sales strategies to lose clarity and power. The new year, with its promise of a clean slate, is an ideal time for sales professionals to reassess and redefine sales strategies for the upcoming months. Even a single sales resolution can energize and refocus your team, giving them an exciting new purpose.

Embrace Automation

Automation can be the saving grace of a sales department, freeing busy salespeople of tasks that take a great deal of time and effort without a proportionate reward. Help your staff maximize energy and focus by making a sales resolution to embrace automation. Examine your current workflow, and speak to team members to identify the most draining and de-motivating tasks. Then, find ways to automate these processes. If your sales staff spends a great deal of time drafting emails, create templates. If they worry about leaving voicemails unanswered, invest in voicemail automation software. Other opportunities for automation include welcome communication for new clients, designing sales presentations and generating follow-up goals for each lead.

Nurture Existing Clients

In the push to bring in more clients and boost profits, it's easy to let existing client relationships slide. Re-energize business from your long-term customers by making a sales resolution to strengthen relationships in the new year. Find ways to add value for past and current customers. Send emails with helpful installation tips or offer suggestions to help customers extend the life of a product, for example. Make personal calls to important customers to check in and invite questions, or engage customers in discussions on social media. Investing in relationships may not have an immediate payoff, but it builds loyalty that can see your company through the years.

Manage the Sales Pipeline

When sales staff are bogged down with leads, valuable potential clients can slip by unnoticed. A sales resolution that helps the whole team is to create a manageable sales pipeline for each person. Although it might go against your workers' competitive natures, ask them to be realistic about the number of leads they can viably transform into sales. When the number gets out of control, request that they pass the overflow on to another team member.

Over Deliver

In the age of the iPhone, personal service stands out. Surprise your clients by making a sales resolution to over deliver whenever possible. If the client expects a response in three days, provide one in two. Make a point to research the company, and offer additional information or services that target its unique needs. A small amount of extra effort delights clients and increases your value. As an added benefit, surprised and happy clients are more likely to pass your name on to personal and professional contacts.

A targeted, goal-oriented resolution can bring new life to your company's sales department. By working with your team and choosing resolutions carefully, you can create a new and exciting sense of purpose that lasts throughout the year.


Image courtesy of noppasinw at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

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