Thoughtful Thursdays - New or Maintnenance?

When asked about sales goals, a colleague of mine put it this way:

"I want them to try me, and try me again. Then I want them to buy from me, and buy from me again. Finally I want them to buy more from me and eventually buy only from me."

This statement accounts for 2 of the 3 ways to increase sales revenues, see the Thoughtful Thursday post from February - Increasing Sales Part 1

1. Sell to new customers
2. Sell more to existing customers

Some love the challenge of closing the sale at a new customer and are not as enthusiastic about sales maintenance. Others would rather focus on the maintenance side of the business and take care of repeat orders.

Both are equally important to realizing sustainable growth for your business and can involve different skill sets or approaches. By no means am I saying that you can not do both. In many cases you must.

Today's thought is a reminder to be mindful of what the differences are and develop your approach accordingly. In my business to business experience, a major difference is the people you call on.

When pursuing a potential new customer you may spend more time with their product development people and less with the person or persons who actually place the orders. Once you have converted the prospect to a customer the opposite is not uncommon. There may be different personalities involved and therefore your approach will change.

Good selling,
Richard