For most of North America this has been one very cold winter. The so-called Polar Vortex has left much of the country freezing or frozen; roads impassable, businesses closed and left most of  us longing for spring.

                       Warming Up Your Winter Sales

Even though I live in the south, I travel and have felt the knife-like cut of that north wind and it’s not fun. So, how do we handle that in sales? How do we continue to get out and make calls, service our customers and grow our business?

“Dress in layers they said!” Well, I had a hard time buttoning that third pair of pants!

While bundling up and charging ahead is one thing, perhaps this is a time to work smart and not hard (or cold). If you’re homebound or stuck at the office, don’t consider those “off” days like much of your competition will–use them. Use them to reach out to customers with handwritten notes, make phone calls to past or lost customers to reconnect, scan the internet or newspapers for items of interest to your clients and forward to them.

The bottom line is keep being of service to your customers.

Can you even find a way to use this nasty weather as a way to separate yourself from your competition?.

As you know, I specialize in b2b sales and I LOVE rainy days and nasty weather because most competitors are sitting in their office staying warm or dry. (They are also the first people to complain about the heat and stay inside the in air conditioning this summer)

Find ways to help your customers during these times. If their business is closed, what can you do to help them stay in contact with their customers?

I have one salesperson who I’ve coached and trained who recently made deliveries from a four-wheel drive to reach customers who were in dire need of her product. That’s exemplary customer service.

Think. How can you use this to your advantage?

I’d love to hear how you’ve adapted to this weather and some success stories! Email me at butch(at)butchbellah.com and I’ll include some in a future blog.