The Christmas and New Year Season is just around the corner. For most businesses, things slow down and people prepare to take time off and travel, perhaps do some home renovation or just relax. People have more time on their hands.

Now is the PERFECT time to meet people who are otherwise too busy through the year. Here are 10 types of lead generating meetings you can have before the Christmas break:

    1.   Meet with customers to review the year gone by and the opportunities ahead
    2.   Meet with people who were clients at a previous company, but moved on to new companies
    3.   Meet with key influencers in your target companies who can refer you to key decision makers
    4.   Meet with past colleagues who can make that all important introduction in the future or share valuable information
    5.   Meet with sales people from other vendors, who sell into your target market(s) so as to trade information
    6.   Meet with LinkedIn connections who might be able to offer valuable information or introductions
    7.   Meet with people with whom you exchanged business cards at a networking function, seminar or trade show earlier this year
    8.   Meet with clients who have become inactive over the last six to twelve months
    9.   Meet with people who are new in your client organisation and could be potential customers
    10.    Meet with replacements for previous key contacts in companies, before they form strong alliances with competitors.

Pick up that phone and book those appointments. Speed up when others slow down this Christmas and get ready to enjoy big results on the other side of your well deserved break!

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In the last two weeks, I have focused on the importance of selling to inactive customers based on the sales principle ‘Buying = Trusting the seller’. Your inactive customers will buy from you again, because having done business with you in the past, they already trust you.

To recap the the top strategies so far:

Strategy #1: Sell them more of the products and services that they bought in the past.

Strategy #2: Sell them products and services that they have not bought from you in the past.

This week let’s look at:

Strategy #3: Sell them products and services that they have not bought from you in the past and you do not offer today.

Simply put, expand your range of products and services.

Here are a number of examples from well known brands:

Snap Printing launched Snap Level 2, a new concept focussed on offering digital marketing services such as Websites, e-books, e-marketing and video streaming in addition to their existing strong base of graphic design and printing services.

Kodak faced the prospect of reducing sales in imaging and photographic materials and introduced digital cameras and digital photo frames, which are now rapidly growing product lines.

McDonald’s introduced a new menu range with an industry-first nutrional labelling. This included Salads Plus in 2004, Deli Choices in 2005, McCafe, Pasta Zoo Happy Meal and Happy Meal Choices in 2007. Offering a menu with healthier options, the company has reinvented itself and is selling a range of new products to its loyal customer and growing customer base.

Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007 combining three products - a phone, an iPod and and an internet communications device. Since introduction, they have sold 21.7 million units to date. Ranging from $100 to $599, when initially launched, this has generated billions of dollars for Apple.

Nintendo launched the Wii Fit in 2008 and this cleverly turned a gaming console into a new reinvented item presented to the health-conscious. Little over one year after its release, Wii Fit became the third bestselling videogame in history (among games not packaged with a console) with 21.82 million copies sold as of June 30, 2009.

Like many others, I did not hesitate to try something new at McDonald’s, especially when it was easier on my conscience. Nor did I hesitate to buy the new iPhone after I enjoyed having an iPod Nano before it and the iPod mini before the Nano. Like I said earlier, ‘Buying = Trusting the seller’. All of the companies above understand this principle and are capitalising on it by expanding their product and services range. These new offerings, are most often first embraced by their existing customers!

So, what opportunities do you see with your inactive customers?

I’d love to hear your comments and feedback. Click the link below to save or share this article.

Last week, we set the foundation for this three part series, based on the sales principle ‘Buying = Trusting the seller’.

I wrote about how inactive customers are very important sales prospects, because they are more likely to buy from you again over someone they have not bought from before. That led to:

Strategy #1: Sell them more of the products and services that they bought in the past.

This week let’s look at:

Strategy #2: Sell them products and services that they have not bought from you in the past.

In 2002, I worked for an I.T solutions provider and managed a relationship with a medium-sized company in the healthcare industry. They had spent $60,000 with us in the past, so when they decided to buy a new E.R.P solution, they gave us the opportunity to implement it. Over the next 24 months, they spent $3,000,000 with us. Yes, that's three million dollars!

Here is a simple process that you can use to identify new opportunities:

Step 1: List the names of your top 50 customers (by spend) in the last 12 months, in a column. For medium and large companies, you can break this into departments and even locations.

Step 2: List your products and services in a row across the top of these columns.

Step 3: Enter the sales amounts against each company's name, under the relevant product or service they bought.

Step 4: Highlight cells which are empty or have a relatively low value in sales.

You now have a list of potential prospects who need to be contacted to further assess needs. The focus must be on the customer’s needs and on adding value, not on pushing your product.

Value and prioritise relationship building with inactive customers. This will enable you to discover un-met needs and provide them with products and services that they have not bought in the past, because they trust you.

I’d love to hear your comments and feedback. Click the link below to save or share this article.

Would you eat at a restaurant, if you knew that it was recently in the news for a case of food poisoning? Would you buy products online, if you knew that your credit card details were at risk? Would you buy a car, if you knew that it had serious mechanical defects?

I am certain your answer was “No” each time. So let’s look at this simple sales formula: Buying = Trusting the seller And today’s customers are characterised by these three facts:

1. They are short of time
2. They are short of trust; and
3. They are short of attention

So, if ‘Buying = Trusting the seller’, who are your past customers most likely to buy from again? You. This is assuming that their last experience with you met or exceeded their expectations. Often however, I see businesses pursuing new customers, whist ignoring this rich source of new leads. Don’t make this mistake!

Here is one of three strategies you can use with inactive customers immediately: Strategy #1: Sell them more of the products and services that they bought in the past You could generate new business through:

• Replacing expired products (equipment)
• Renewing quantities (stock levels) and contracts
• Updating products (websites and marketing collateral)
• Identifying new buyers and departments within the organisation
• Identifying cyclical opportunities - quarterly, annual or three-yearly needs
• Identifying replacements for contacts who leave the organisation and building on the existing foundation

In 2006, whilst working with another company, I noticed that one of our customers had spent over $100,000 each year for a couple of years and then didn’t spend anything for the next three years. We made it a priority to contact them and other inactive clients and were able to rekindle a relationship, that generated $150,000 over the next twelve months. If you treat inactive customers as you would new prospects, you will tap into a database of buyers who already trust you and are far more likely to buy from you again. I’d love to hear your comments and feedback. Click the link below to save or share this article.