I question the sales and marketing activity of most salespeople. Over the years, I have worked with hundreds of sales professionals, in the process, I have found most deal with their existing clients at a surface level at best. They often spend an inordinate amount of time searching and hunting for new business when the fertile sales ground is right below their feet. Make no mistake, it is important to generate more sales leads, but the best opportunity is right where you are currently working, and who you are currently serving.
Most of us believe, (or want to believe, that our clients love us), it is a natural thought, however, I would ask you to consider and analyze your top 10 clients, then ask yourself, âWhat percentage of business are you generating from these clients?â What do you think that number would be? My experience has taught me, at best, you have about a 10 to 15% market share. What are the potential reasons for this?
1. Client may not want to place all their âeggs in one basket,â they want to diversify their purchasing.
2. They have no idea all the things you can do for them.
3. They want to keep them all to themselves, not interested in sharing you as an asset.
There are many ways to overcome these and other challenges, consider these options and ideas:
1. Go deeper within your existing clients, based on your bandwidth, consider limiting your prospecting for ânewâ clients, focus on the companies you are currently working with. Furthermore, focus primarily on your top tier clients, A and B level, do this by:
a. Doing a deep dive on their website, find additional contacts.
b. Utilize tools like ZOOMinfo to seek out more details.
c. Create an event calendar, work with your clients to determine all the events/programs they will be working on throughout the year so you can be proactive.
Validating this process, I had the pleasure of working with a friend, Gary Goodhart, MAS, at my former employer, he shared a story with me of helping a distributor with a deep dive via ZOOM. The distributor had been working with a healthcare facility and had seven buyers he had worked with for some time. After doing a ZOOM deep dive, Gary was able to uncover a multitude of additional buyers. They created a strategy to target those internal prospects and during our last discussion, the distributor had over 67 buyers in that same healthcare facility. Amazing. The biggest take-away here is most salespeople deal with their clients at a very thin surface level, by having a deeper swath of clients within an organization, one can sustain one or two people leaving and going elsewhere. Something to consider.
2. Analyze your client base, and once again, focus on the A and B level clients who have stepped away from your business. Create a marketing strategy and creative piece to assist in getting those clients to come back. Then refer to the previous point and activate that program.
3. Develop an awareness program of the services you offer and make it known, market those services regularly. I have done this with several of my clients, we named it the; âDid You Know?â program.
a. Highlight your services individually, not all at once.
b. Create a drip marketing program.
i. Launch it via e-blasts, consider using the DASH platform, it is amazing, or your current emailing platform.
ii. Push it out on all your social media â you should be connected with your top clients on your social channels.
4. Ask for internal referrals.
a. Look at your existing contacts, if you are doing a stellar job, your contact should be willing to give you a referral.
b. Get testimonials, use these in conjunction with your marketing and social media posts.
My friends, if you're considering doing what I am suggesting, you WILL see an exponential spike in your sales and profits. The key though, is to keep this process moving, making it a part of your everyday marketing and sales strategy, doing so will generate enormous success!
If you would like to discuss further, send me an email, cliff@quicksellspeaks.com happy to chat â
Until next time, âGo Deeperâ.
For nearly 40 years, Cliff Quicksell, CSP, MAS+, MASI, has been a pioneering figure in the promotional products industry through his company, Cliff Quicksell Associates. He is globally recognized for his exceptional skills in speaking, coaching, training, and consulting, helping businesses and associations market their products and services more effectively while motivating their teams. Cliffâs remarkable achievements include induction into the PPAI Hall of Fame in 2021 and earning the CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) designation in 2023, a prestigious accreditation held by only 7% of the worldâs speakers and the only active member in the promotional products industry to hold this title.
A creative powerhouse, Cliff has been awarded the prestigious PPAI Pyramid Award over 40 times, the Printing Industry's PSDA Peak Award for creativity five times, and the CPPA Peak Award 13 times, including six consecutive years. He has also received PPAI's Ambassador Speaker of the Year Award for six consecutive years and was the inaugural recipient of PPAI's Distinguished Service Award. Recognized by PPAI in the book "PPAI at 100" and by Counselor Magazine as one of the Top 50 Most Influential People in the Promotional Products Industry, Cliff is celebrated for his significant influence in education and industry training.
Cliffâs blog, "30 Seconds to Greatness," won the 8LMedia Award for Most Passed Around Content. Connect with Cliff on LinkedIn or via email at cliff@QuicksellSpeaks.com to stay updated on his podcast and upcoming events. Visit www.QuicksellSpeaks.com for more information. Cliff is also preparing to launch a new company aimed at supporting small business owners and entrepreneurs.