How To Motivate People To Meet With You
October 12, 2023
This is the MOST important quarter of the sales year as it is generally gives you the strongest indicator as to whether this will be a good sales year or a great sales year (of course we never want it to be a bad year).
So why Quarter Two?
Because we all know that the sales process takes time – especially for Bankers – and the second half of the sales year is generally more ideal for closing deals in your pipeline than creating new ones.
Whilst we always want to be closing deals, it is vital that you focus your efforts over Quarters One & Two on creating lots and lots of new opportunities through proactive engagement strategies with new prospects and referrers.
By Quarter Three, the summer season has arrived in North America and gaining access and the attention of new prospects can be challenging (certainly not impossible …. but definitely challenging).
In Quarter Four, consumers and businesses are busy winding up their own “sales year” and closing their own pipeline so they are not necessarily thinking about opening new accounts, refinancing their loans or entering into transactions with new vendors.
So clearly by the end of Quarter Two you want your pipeline to be full of new opportunities.
Here are FIVE sales tips that will help you fill your pipeline by the end of Quarter Two:
1) Meet Existing Clients
Schedule most of your existing client reviews for the first half of the year so that you can identify new opportunities that could close in the second half of the year.
Throughout my banking career I always front loaded my year with existing client meetings. This enabled me to explore their broader needs, achieve some easier “wins” and drive referrals.
2) Meet New Targets
Proactively outreach to new targets by offering to share strategies on how to make this year a greater success.
For commercial bankers, this is an important quarter for your business targets too. So share this article and let them know what you are doing to make quarter two a success. These insights will enhance your credibility as an important finance professional they should know.
3) Meet “Centers of Influence”
I highly recommend you meet with ALL your referral partners (internally and externally) by the end of Quarter Two. Proactively enhance your relationship and consider two-way referrals that will fill each other’s pipeline.
Don’t simply catch up. Identify ways you can improve your relationship and create mutual benefits.
4) Host an event
Is there an event you can host over the next quarter? Consider a customer appreciation or education event you can host and invite your customers and referral partners to. Encourage them to invite a friend.
Make sure all attendees gain tremendous value from the event so you can follow up with a meeting.
5) Review lost/ stalled deals
Now is a great time to review last year’s pipeline and consider an approach to reconnect with key decision makers.
Why did they initially consider your services?
Why did they not proceed?
Why would you reconnect?
Why should they still be interested in meeting with you?
There is always a good reason to re-open a door, even if you feel that door is closed. Re-engaging with an old prospect is always easier than trying to engage with a new one.
Arrange a time this week to sit down with your sales leader or mentor and create / review your PLAN for success over the next quarter.
Get busy filling your schedule with meetings over the next few months and I promise you will get very busy closing deals over the last six months of the year.
Click the video below to watch Joe Micallef offer Q2 advice.
In this 5 minute video, Joe will outline why Quarter 2 is the most important quarter of the sales year, and give you five tips that will help you fill your pipeline.
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Article written by Joe Micallef – Sales Strategist & Coach – Grow UP Sales. For more advice on how to build a caring culture please email joe@growupsales.com or visit the webpage www.growupsales.com
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