Starting the year off right with a strong sales funnel can be the difference between a wildly successful year and a mediocre one. By investing the time to manage this process now, you can Kick-Start the year into being one of your best. I suggest doing these 3 things to ensure you come out of the sales gate strong and focused in 2022:
- Rollover Opportunities from Last Year: There is no doubt there are hidden gems in your CRM, your notes, your memory, and other places you may have forgotten about. Take the time to go through and study the “inactive” portion of your CRM resurrecting each, go through each page of your prior year 2021 notes, and recall in your memory any leads received and for whatever reason you didn’t write down or put into your CRM. Each of these hidden gems collectively are Golden Opportunities for new business. Plan to re-engage with each “new” Opportunity and stay with it!
- Add To the Top of The Funnel: With the foundation of your “rollover” opportunities in place from last year it’s time to begin adding to the Top of the Funnel. For some sellers the Lead Generation process is an elusive one, yet with hard work and dedication it doesn’t have to be. While each industry is different, they all have the same LeadGen elements: customers who need solutions, trade events, trade publications, personal network contacts, industry networks, LinkedIn groups, alumni groups, and more. Consider investing in LinkedIn Sales Navigator (I’m a big fan) for a period of time allowing you to really drill down and find the perfect new prospects for your business. There really is an endless supply of potential leads…plan to invest the time to go get them!
- Manage, Really Manage Your CRM: In all my years of executive leadership, global travel, and sales leadership I’ve not met a sales group that is truly “excited” about regularly updating their portion of the larger company CRM. Regular tracking and consistent follow-up are key attributes of great salespeople and is sometimes missed by the mainstream sales population. It’s CRITICALLY key that you’re in your CRM daily to Add, Update, & Refresh with the goal of knowing all that’s happening in your orbit. It takes some work at the start to get into the habit of daily CRM updates, however the results will begin to pay off quickly. CRM when used properly and regularly can make the difference between a mediocre year and a Wildly Successful one!