Your buyers can afford wallowing in the January blues; you can’t. Snap out of it! Use the 3Ps—Prospect, Patterns, and People—to jumpstart your sales and turn a slow month into a productive one.
Perhaps the only active sales in January are back-to-school shopping, fare-paying passengers travelling back to the city, and the crooked traffic cop hoping to find your car insurance expired. Most other sellers are experiencing January blues—”recharging their batteries” from December’s “shut down.” That’s unfortunate.
It’s an interesting phenomenon in Kenya. In December, buyers push everything to next year. “Let’s talk next year,” they say. There’s no valid reason for it—it’s just an attitude we’ve developed.
Not January, the following month, but “next year.” If you’re lucky enough to be told January, chances are January won’t be January. Excuses will abound until February rolls around. “The manager hasn’t resumed yet” or “Bado Januari, boss” (It’s still January), they’ll plead.
It’s the unfortunate seller who gets trapped in this January blues mire. Falling into this trap will see you waste a whole month—possibly a quarter. If you’re in the “Bado January” bandwagon, snap out of it. Use January to plan for the year. Here are three things you can do.
Prospect to overcome January blues
As this blog has averred again and again—and will continue to—prospecting is the lifeblood of your success.
With no one to sell to, you are a fish out of water. You will sputter and die. So list down all your clients, browse the internet, use LinkedIn, print, and social media to get new prospects. From clients, ask for referrals—and remember to be specific about it.
It must be done in a way that is easy for the customer to respond to effortlessly. Be as specific as the lady who stops another in the street to compliment her on how clear her skin is and ask what she uses. There’s no ambiguity; it’s simple to respond to.
Likewise, when talking to, say, the Sales Manager at Venus Hotel: “Please refer me to your counterpart at The Livingstone Hotel (which is also a 5-star)” or “…to a fellow manager in a WhatsApp group you’re in.” That’s a question the customer can easily answer.
Study Patterns to break January blues sales
Study your performance and customer trends. When are you at your highest and when at your lowest? Why? Depending on what you’re selling, your customers in Q1 last year may still need your services or products this quarter.
And why? Because human beings are creatures of habit. If I’m selling training services, chances are that those who required my services last February will require them again this February. Likely that’s when they’ve planned their training.
And so, as the progressive seller, plan to reach out to them ahead of February—with substance. Not the same product or service, but something useful to them that will break their January blues and break your January blues sales.
For instance, calendars—for those who still make them. (Desk calendars are still in vogue by the way). In my view, though, it would be better to have something of even greater value—like how you’ve studied their account and want to share ideas on how they can save costs.
Deepen People Relationships
While the world is still warming up from January blues, deepen your relationships with back office. Sell internally. Buy the fellow who delays your payments lunch. Or throw him a curveball—invite him to your church! (That should have his head spinning throughout the year.)
Or, if you have diaries or branded flash disks from clients, give your relatives a break this year. Instead, share the “goodies” with back-office staff, complete with a sincere: “Thank you. Your support means a lot to me” or simply “Happy New Year.” And share them with both those who like you and those who don’t.
You see, not being customer-facing, they rarely get these “goodies,” and you’ll be amazed at how appreciative they’ll be. And in all these battery-recharging activities, remain sincere.
Snap out of the “Bado January” lethargy—buyers can afford it; you can’t.
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