If you’re anything like me, you are looking at 2023 and thinking this is going to be a bit of an uphill climb. Yes, it is going to be a good year, and yes there is still plenty of business out there, but getting across the finish line may be a little more challenging.
Why?
Well, whether or not you believe we are headed towards recession, we are. Or at least the media has decided we are.
You are hard pressed to turn on the news these days without being constantly hit with messages about inflation, price pressures, supply shortages…the list goes on and on. All of these factors will make organizations and leaders think twice before spending money next year.
Perception is reality—the media has created the perception, and now it’s our reality.
So no matter what the economy does, your prospects and customers are going to make you fight a little harder, and prove your value a little more deeply before signing on the bottom line. This will slow the sales process down.
If you are going to hit your goals, you are going to need to change up your sales process. If you are going to earn one more sale a month, you are going to need to change it up just a little more than that.
So let's look at 4 essential strategies you'll need to close one more sale each month in 2023.
But why one more sale a month?
That is how I do my budget. I am a big numbers person. Well, more of a behavior person. I like to look at my goals and determine how many actions I need to take to hit those numbers. And if I want to hit my goals next year, and I do, then I will need to close at least one more sale a month.
So what is that going to take?
The 4 Essential Strategies You Need to Close More Sales Each Month in 2023
Choose More Wisely
My first strategy to close one more sale each month in 2023 is to choose more wisely. More actions, means more time, which is something I have very little of. So, I am going to need to choose my prospects more wisely.
The better I choose my prospects, the higher the likelihood I will get through the door, the higher the likelihood those prospects will see value in what I offer, and the higher likelihood I will get the deal to close.
If you want to shorten the sales cycle then you need to choose more wisely. But how? The better you understand your top customers, the better you can build a model to choose a better prospect.
Take a moment and write down your top prospects. These are the prospects that buy from you, pay your price, refer you and sing your praises. If you write ten of those down, you will see the themes, what they have in common.
Use that avatar to choose your prospects and your deals will close faster, allowing you to close one more sale each month.
Increase Your Activity
If you want to close one more sale each month then the best thing you can do is to increase your activity. When you’ve chosen your prospects well and identified the right avatar, then calling on more of them will result in more calls, more sales presentations and more closed sales.
So what activities are you doing?
How many trade shows or networking events, how many sales conversations, how many follow-up sales calls, how many proposals written or presentations have you made?
If you increased those activities just a touch, how many more sales would you close?
Go Back To The Well
Probably the easiest way to close one more sale a month is to sell to those people you have already sold to.
Your customers!
They know you, like you, trust you – you have done all of the hard work, so why not go back and see what else they need?
The great thing about customer relationships is that customers constantly change. They add employees, open new markets, downsize, merge, sell, and expand. The more closely you stay in touch, the more opportunities you will have to help them achieve their ever-changing goals.
The result?
You will close at least one more sale a month.
Add the CEO To Your Call List
And while you are working to close one more sale each month in 2023, you need to ensure you protect the sales you already have. So, last but not least, while this one may not add more sales to your closed column, it will ensure you keep the relationships and sales you have. You need to add the CEO to your calling list.
As cost pressures loom, inflation rises, and the media keep pounding negative news, it will be the CEO who tells the CFO what stays in the budget and what does not.
Your best chance of staying in the budget is putting the CEO on your call list, and presenting the value you add whether they ask you to or not.
Summing Up
Yes, 2023 is going to prove a challenging year. But it can still be our best year on record.
How?
By focusing on how you close one more sale each month.
The fact is our customers have never needed us more. So enter 2023 ready to innovate your sales’ strategy and face new challenges with fresh solutions.
