“Keep yourself positive, cheerful and goal-oriented. Sales Success is 80% attitude and only 20% aptitude.” – Brian Tracy
Often we are so busy filling our sales funnel by generating sales leads from new prospects we neglect the very important person right in front of us, our current customer. According to Amy Gallo from her article in the Harvard Review, it can cost 5 to 25 times more to acquire a new client as it does to retain a current one. That is a huge expense to avoid but it is not the only reason to invest more time in selling to current customers.
Firstly you already have a relationship within that client company and that contact can introduce you to other contacts who could use your products or services. Secondly, you have proven your value, your expertise, and credibility. Lastly, it is easier to get an appointment to give your sales presentation either face to face, over the phone, or via Zoom than from a cold prospect.
In the world of Covid restrictions and lockdowns, meeting several potential clients at the same time such as through networking events or speaking at a seminar or conference is very difficult at the moment as many of these are being postponed or cancelled. The next best thing is one on one appointments with current clients. It is almost impossible to get appointments with prospects who have never heard of you via cold-calling and it is much easier to get an appointment with someone you already have a relationship with.
Once you get your appointment it is important to actively listen to the customer and see if your products or services can help them. Can you resolve an issue they are having and create a solution for them? This may mean a new product or service for you to create and develop as other clients may be having the same issue. It may mean pivoting from your core business, but only if it makes economic sense to do so.
Times have been very tough for most businesses in our region so it would be worthwhile checking in with current clients and making sure they are okay. Do they need any help with anything? If you can’t help them, can your introduce them to another local business that can? Is there someone you know who could use your clients services?
A simple formula you can follow to generate more sales from current clients is ring 20 customers per day and make a minimum of 5 sales presentations per week. Just these simple actions will create plenty of momentum which will hopefully lead to future sales. It will also give you access to important information about how your client is travelling and how different industries within the region are doing. You might even get competitor information as well. Don’t email but get on the phone! Remember it is much cheaper to fill sales funnel from current customers than it is to acquire new ones
