The Sales Blitz
For the past few days I’ve been on the phone.  I’m calling  a bunch of TOPsider customers – past, present, and future.  I’m doing a SALES BLITZ!  First I thought of a mailing but you know how much stuff you get and it lacks the personal touch I was trying to achieve.  I’ve only just begun but well, onward and upward as I always say.

 Get Caught Up With Your Customers 
It’s amazing what I’m discovering.  I’ve found that there are a lot of you that can’t, for one reason or another, get to the trade shows. Still you want information, literature, and just to talk to another ‘scaper.  I’ve answered questions, taken names for the TOPsider e-mail newsletter and I’m having a ball talking with all of you.  I also highly recommend you join my Inner Circle.  In the next few days we are starting an in depth Sales Training Module.  The Newsletter and the Conference call will focus on Sales, Sales, and more Sales.  What to say, what to ask, with plenty of tips.  If increased Sales is your goal, you really should join.  The fee is $49.95 a month and the time to sign up is now since the fee to new subscribers will be going up May 1st. 

What You Can Learn  
I’ve discovered that the ‘scaper biz is slowly coming out of the decline we’ve been in for the past four years.  There is still some attrition of clients (they’ve either cut back on services or gone to a lower bidder), still clients want to be loyal and appreciate your hard efforts.  I’ve learned that there is new work out there and that’s a very good thing.  Some ‘scapers have added services like containerized exterior and have increased their Holiday offerings.  Still it isn’t easy.  We still have employment problems, workmen’s compensation issues, increases in operating costs, and the list goes on and on.

Ya Gotta Have a Plan 
So, knowing how busy you are and how much you have on your plate, I still have to ask, “What does your Five Year Plan look like?”  Its so easy to just keep doing the day to day routine, putting out fires along the way and, then, one day you look up and 5 years have gone by and you are definitely not where you wanted to be.  Scary, huh?  You betcha!  Now, today set aside some time for reflection and projection.  Come up with game plans “A”, “B”, and “C” for your company’s future.  Best case, worst case, and middle ground scenarios.  And don’t just pull numbers from mid air.  By looking at your past history you can develop some pretty realistic scenarios.  How much will you grow each year?  15%?  20%?  For each scenario what will this mean in employment numbers?  Will you need additional non-service people?  A new facility?  Renewed leases?  And on and on.  Develop the scenarios and then periodically track them.  And, what if your best guess 5-year plan isn’t so rosy?  What can you do to change that?  What costs can you cut?  What new income stream can you tap into?  You get the idea.  The whole thing is to avoid any nasty surprises.  You are on a journey, my friend.  You know what the beginning was like, now how about along the way?

 Stay in Touch
Now, back to the SALES BLITZ.  When was the last time you called your clients just to say “Hi”, “Thank You”, and “Is there anything we can do for you”?  I highly recommend it.  You don’t have to call them all at once.  Divide your list into 3 or 4 segments in alphabetical order and tackle one segment at a time.  Bite off small chunks to keep the task from seeming overwhelming.  Maybe your goal is to call 30 clients per week.  A very doable number.  Have pen and paper and work orders handy ‘cause you’ll probably get several requests for something.

Now go out there and get ‘em Tiger!