Modern-Day Sales and Marketing Blog

Three things every sales person should do during the summer - Idea#3

By Chris Peterson| Jun 12, 2018 8:59:33 AM | 0 Comments

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Two weeks ago, I started a three-part series on the activities a sales person should do during the summer.  As you know, the sales profession presents different challenges and opportunities between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  By implementing these three ideas, you’ll be able to maximize your production over the next few months.  If you’re curious, check out the first two ideas … Prospect like crazy, and Work every hour of June.  Today, I present our third idea to dominating the summer:

Idea #3:  Shift three professional relationships to personal friendships.

If your company is competitive in innovation, price, and delivery, and you have a solid professional relationship, there is nothing more helpful you can do than take that relationship to the personal level.  Whether it’s the nice weather or lazy days, summer offers many options to building those friendships.  Below are a few ideas for the summer that will help you make the shift.

  • Get out of the office with your client.  Summer provides many opportunities and activities for you to enjoy outdoor activities … or any activities out of the office environment.  Don’t be afraid of getting creative.  If your contact likes craft beer, take her to a tasting one afternoon.  If you contact likes baseball, go to a game – major, minor, or collegiate summer league.  Maybe they just like to get out of the office for an outdoor lunch on Fridays.  Whatever it is, get out of the office and make a friend.
  • Ask for a favor.  One of the best ways to shift a professional relationship to a friendship is to ask your client for a favor.  Doing this gives them the opportunity to be a friend to you.  Since the rest of the year can be hectic, ask them to write a testimonial or make an introduction to a potential customer or any other valid favor before Labor Day.  Position your request in this way: “Before summer ends and the chaos begins, can you …?” 
  • Get the whole team together for a fun event.  It’s a lot easier to be someone’s friend when the whole family likes you, so get your account’s team together for a ballgame, an evening at Top Golf, or special event at a museum.  With the warm weather and extended daylight, the possibilities are endless.

The idea above specifically states to shift three relationships.  The number was not arbitrarily selected.  To make this idea successful, you’ll need to invest significant time creating each friendship.  There are only about 11 weeks between now and Labor Day Weekend, so stick to three and do it right.

Try these three ideas and let me know how they worked in a few months … and take some time to yourself to enjoy the summer - you’ve got a crazy four months ahead to close out the calendar year!

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