Earlier in January, I wrote about New Year’s marketing and sales resolutions.
We all start a new year refreshed and ready to go, focused on making a quick start to the new year. Typically, this involves businesses launching sales and marketing ‘kick offs’ or ‘kick start’ programs to get the year moving.
The focus of a kick-start is more early-year activity and on face value that’s a good thing. But take care. In a rush to begin well, you might just leave yourself with a new year’s marketing spending hangover.
Remember your plan
Your market didn’t change dramatically while you were resting and relaxing with family during Christmas break and the summer holidays. For those of you already with a plan, try to stick with the strategies, objectives and targets that you’ve set for yourself. Pick up the program that served you well last year and continue it, rather than starting afresh.
Fine time to contact clients
Regarding activity, the good thing about the silly season is that most of your clients will take a break, too. Some of my savvier clients have found a way to take off the entire month of January – but I digress.
Your clients will probably begin the new year with plans of their own, and invariably that will include getting their finances in order. Therefore, you want your planners out there engaging with your clients. This is a smart strategy that should be supported by marketing activities that seize upon the opportunity to give prospective clients a financial makeover.
Sales and marketing in tandem
The most successful organisations have a strong sales and marketing strategy. These firms build multiple lead sources, which they cultivate over time through the sales pipeline, with activities such as thought leadership.
These qualified leads are supplied to the sales team, which now has more information about its clients than ever.
Sticking with the tried-and-tested marketing strategy you used in 2017 should serve you well in the new year. Combine your strategy commitment with a useful understanding of your client and a program targeting them consistently through the buying cycle, and you will set your sales team up for success in 2018.
