Map the direction you will take with your target accounts to move them through the sales funnel.
Fighter pilot and commanding officer checking a map in France during World War I. National Library of Scotland.

On the Ninth Day of Christmas:

Come up with plans to move nine target accounts through the sales funnel to close the sale.

• Use your CRM system to identify those accounts that are a good customer match with your station and programs, that you can build a relationship with, that have marketing needs, and that have the money to spend to answer those needs. These accounts have the potential to become top, or key, accounts.
• After you have identified your targets, develop a plan for each one. Don’t forget the next steps. By having this on the top of your media sales list, your one-on-ones will go from being an interrogation to being information exchanges and solutions-based.
• By continually identifying the next steps, you will find you have focus on accounts that are most likely to be winners and that will provide you with a sound base for 2014 and the future.

And, discover and focus on eight non-returning accounts.

And, when answering avails, make sure your rates expire within seven days.

And, come up with six good ideas for your clients.

Make five new business calls each week.

And, you may have four budgets to hit, so be sure you are paying attention to all of them.

And, find three reports you can use to help you be accountable and develop sales, and visit them frequently.

And, if two (or more) people call on an account in your organization, work together and share information.

And, promise yourself that you will have fantastic and productive one-on-ones forever more.

Next time, on the Tenth Day of Christmas, update ten of your contacts each week.

By Kitty Malone, Efficio Solutions Manager of Client Services