As well as spending time with your regular clients during December, it’s an excellent time to get back in touch with people who you have not spoken to for a long while.
There could be former clients you’ve been too busy to call. Or people with whom you had a good relationship but never had an opportunity to work with. There are also the prospects where the deal went to someone else but there was a good connection.
Christmas is a great excuse to give someone a call. If done correctly it will not only lead to rekindled relationships, but also to business opportunities for the new year.
What to talk about when catching up
There is a time and a place for everything and the catch-up is a time for developing relationships rather than selling. It’s a paradox that the less you sell at these meetings, the more likely it is that you’ll generate leads.
People do business with people they know, like and trust and this is an ideal opportunity to build the relationship and trust levels. Giving your contacts a rare opportunity to talk about themselves will mean they will always be happy to meet with you.
You REAP what you sow
You cannot reap a good harvest before first sowing the seeds. Your conversation should include the following points which I’ve arranged in an easy to remember mnemonic:
- R - Review
- E - Expectations
- A - Ambitions
- P - Problems
If you artfully include these aspects in your conversation while you both are munching on mince pies you stand a great chance of generating leads.
REVIEW
Coming at the end of the year, December is a natural time to reflect on the past 12 months. Ask your contact what sort of year they’ve had.
What were the highlights? What were they most proud of? What would they do differently?
We all love an opportunity to blow our horn and bask in the warm glow of success. But talking and thinking positively about their low points can also be cathartic. It allows people to put those periods into perspective.
Starting the conversation is a simple as asking: “So, what kind of year was it for you?” Or: “So, was it a good year for you, on balance?”
EXPECTATIONS
As well as a time for looking back, December is also a time associated with looking toward the year ahead. What do they expect for 2009?
Maybe ask their views about the economic climate and how they think it will impact their business.
Again, you are giving them a chance to articulate things that other people may not be interested in. Taking a sincere interest in their thoughts and opinions is likely to improve the level of connection between you.
A simple question to start this phase of the conversation would be something like: “How do you see things going next year?” Or: “Where do you see the business this time next year?”
AMBITIONS
You are now ready to ask about their ambitions, plans and significant projects they have in mind for next year.
What do they most want to achieve over the course of the next year? What are their top priorities?
This could be one area where potential opportunities may surface. It is important not to jump in and go into sales mode.
It is much better to make a mental note for later. You have generated a lead but timing is everything.
If the relationship is good then they could say something like: “Perhaps that’s something I need to be talking to you about. Should we talk about that early in the new year?’
Let them decide the time. If they indicate they want to talk about it right now then go ahead.
A question to begin this phase of the conversation would be something like: “What are your main priorities for next year? What do you most want to achieve?
PROBLEMS
One of the reasons to let any potential leads pass at the AMBITIONS stage is that this stage will help to better define a lead and even expand the potential business opportunity. It’s at this stage where you are seeking to find out what problems they anticipate in the next year, especially in relation to their ambitions.
It could also be problems with their day-to-day business relating to the expected trading conditions. At this stage you can focus your questions around the problem areas.
For example, if your business is providing websites and they voice a need to generate new clients then you might ask where they see the clients coming from. That may lead to a comment from you along the lines of: “Perhaps we should review your site early in the new year to see how we can significantly increase the number of enquiries.”
The primary objective of the meeting is to sow seeds, and REAP a lead. It is not a sales meeting.
Always seek to acknowledge the lead and then defer the conversation rather than spoil the moment. Just ask them if it’s OK to call them shortly to discuss it.
If they want to talk to you about it now then you have the green light. Questions to begin this stage would be something like: ‘What sort of challenges do you expect to face next year?”
Mince pies taste so much nicer!
Christmas can often see a slowdown in sales (unless you’re in retail), but it can still be the best business month of the year without cutting back on festivities. Incorporate REAP into them and it can set you up for an excellent 2009 – and you’ll enjoy your mince pies all the more.
