Regular Account Reviews – Part Two
In Part one of “Regular Account Reviews” I said a regular account review is a great way to keep in touch with your regular customers and let them know you are interested in their well-being. It’s also a great way to keep abreast of new developments at your accounts. You need to be aware of new opportunities before they arise. Sometimes you can make your clients aware of new developments, new technologies, and new products you may have to offer to create a need where none existed before.
Repeat and add-on sales are a cornerstone to your success. We’re not talking about just the new clients since you arrived, but old clients from your predecessor, maybe even clients that everyone seems to have forgotten that bought from your company a few years ago. These kinds of follow up sales calls can be a goldmine if they are managed properly.
Use a tickler file, or “Action Item” software to set calls. Keep track of your notes every time you talk to your clients. Keep a history of what goes on and maybe some personal items to review before each sales call. I suggest you make an action item to call again every time you talk to someone. Ask them specifically when would be a good time to follow-up and see how they are doing. Make notes about what you talked about and what would be good to talk about later.
If you are one of those people that write everything on paper, then have to enter it into a computer later for your boss, stop kidding yourself. The information that finally gets entered is incomplete at best and is double the work. If you need a laptop, get a laptop. Try to make your notes as you talk. Be careful to not clickety-clack when you’re supposed to be listening. If your software is good enough, you can code note snippets of text for the more common things said to select from a list as you talk.
If you’re making action items every time you talk to your clients, within a short time time, your callback lists will keep you quite busy. You’ll never run out of clients to call. Your sales will increase and your clients will think you care enough to follow up on a regular basis. With the right software, you’ll also have call reports for your boss when review time comes.
If you are just starting at a new company and you have to find your own clients, dig through their database first. Make a deal with the sales manager, if a client has not been contacted by any salesperson in say maybe six months or longer, that client is up for grabs. Believe me, if it’s a decent sized database, you’ll find everything you need. Add them to your tickler and go for it.