The New Business Dingo

I just got off my third call of the day where an agency principle stated that they’ve stopped all of their new business prospecting for the year because of the holidays. I beg your pardon?

Catapult’s clients and account teams know firsthand that this is one of the best periods of the year to be prospecting –

“What’s that? Oh you need to spend the remainder of your discretionary 09 budget? We’d love to know how we can help”.

“You’re planning on conducting a review in January? Yes, we’d be delighted in learning more about it, thank you for the consideration”.

Thanksgiving removes just a few days this year, and Christmas, although a great time for many to take the annual vacation, this year seems to have little significance for many in marketing departments nationally who are happy to be coming out of this recession with a job at all. Just bump up your outbound bandwidth of new business activity and you’ll see.

Here are 5 things you should be doing right now.

1. Recognize the opportunity. Marketers are racing to meet end of year sales goals, retention quotas and in many cases are actively looking for help in doing so. The numbers of quality conversations and proposals being issued have spiked this month and don’t seem to be slowing.

2. Make a short list. Compile a list of the best conversations, meetings and contacts that you’ve had/made this year, and ask the same of everyone else in the agency that may be appropriate.

3. Prioritize and make a hunting plan. Evaluate the list of prospects and prioritize. Determine the best next course of action with each.  Add to the list companies that also fit the relevant message that you have crafted and don’t forget to add their competitors.

4. Go hunt. Work the plan. Put new business in the top half of the list of things to do today and actually do it. Don’t move it down based on other things you’d prefer to be doing. The extra effort now will pay dividends through Dec and Q1 2010.

5. Timing. Consider what time of day this is… Finish looking for tips and come back to reading my blog tonight when your prospects are at home too.

It’s Monday January 4th already? Wow, I’m glad you also built your 2010 new business strategy in December – time to knuckle down and get back to prospecting again right?

Probably a good idea to start thinking about creating a new business strategy for 2010. If you’d like some advice, or to learn a little more about how we can help, drop me a line.