How To Finish Strong in 2014

ORIGINAL SOURCE

How To Finish Strong in 2014

2014 is rapidly winding down and it’s time to put the full court press on your sales efforts. It’s important to finish strong because it will truly set the tone for how you start 2015. By this time, hopefully you’ve already set some goals for the new year . Here are some areas to focus on as you run through the finish line at the end of December:

What Can Be Closed

What customers do you have—even old ones you’re not currently working who can be closed by the end of the year. Go all the way back to January and look through calendars, notes and deal packets to see who you need to contact. Let them know you’d like to find a way to work together before the end of the year.  All they can say is no, but it gives you one more reason to contact them. And, you never know where you might uncover a forgotten lead or one who’s circumstances have changed.

Referrals

An end-of-year referral push is always a good idea. You’re going to be talking to most of your customers (or you should) during the holiday season and it’s a great time to ask, “Who do you know I should be talking to?” Even if the referrals don’t turn into business this year, what a great seed to start 2015!

Past (or Lost) Customers

We’ve talked before about contacting past customers and inviting them to come back. Many times old customers are just waiting for a reason. Give them one. Make it easy for them. This is a great time of year to let them know you were thinking about them and wanted to see if there was any way you could earn their business again. This one will surprise you.

Clean Up & Organize

Finally, clean up any outstanding issues, paperwork and other things which bog you down. Get them out of the way now so you can hit the ground running in the new year. Organize your files, clear out all of 2014—move it to a new area and set yourself up a system for 2015. Don’t fall into the New Years Resolution trap of doing it until January 3 and then abandoning it. If you start now you can have a few weeks head start on getting used to the system, work out any kinks and make sure it sticks in the new year.

Finally, take a moment to be grateful. Grateful for the year you’ve had and the customers you’ve helped. I’m grateful for each of you who let me come into your lives each week through the blog, my ezine, my video blog and more. I wish you a happy and healthy 2015!