Existing Clients.

Over the winter holidays (years ago), I spent a great deal of time on self-reflection, personal and professional.  So while the children were playing with their new toys, I took some time to review my latest LinkedIn feed. I came across a short but insightful article called “Silence – The B2B Sales Killer” by Randy Whitcroft. Randy talks about “sales people view silence from a client as an indicator that everything is OK and things are still on track”. The salesperson believes if there was a problem, the client would call, and then one day the salesperson receives a call from the client to be informed that they are moving in a different direction. This article forced me to do additional reflecting. I reviewed my sales strategies and tactics for the year and realized that most of our activities were focused on prospecting for new accounts. I quickly realized that my team and I did not put enough effort and activity within our existing accounts.

At the start of a new year, I started giving some thought to new opportunities within existing accounts. In February, we launched an Account Management program that was focused on proactive communication and strategies to help our existing accounts. This program forced all team members to reach out to the clients that order every week or month and help them support their organization in new ways. In under a month, we uncovered new opportunities, and it wasn’t that difficult, it came down to having a conversation that added value for both of us.

So I took this thinking and expanded it beyond just customers, to include our partners and our suppliers. I reached out to a supplier that I have not engaged in proactive communication for the entire year. Again, in less than a month, our discussions with that supplier have resulted in additional learnings that helped us uncover new sales opportunities within existing accounts.

Don’t forget about the clients that feed your sales run-rate and your families each month.

Robbie