6 Things for Bankers to Add to their Holiday Lists
Posted by Ned Miller on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 @ 05:16 PM
The Christmas season is almost here. Nobody outside of your immediate friends and family wants to see you between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Forget getting in to see prospects.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. On this planet savvy bankers need to use what’s left of the year to keep their momentum in business development. If you’re at a loss for ideas on how to do that, here are six suggestions:
1. Keep scheduling appointments with your customers and prospects. If your competitors are too busy attending holiday parties, it may be that much easier to get in to see some people on your list. And if somebody isn’t free before year end, get on his calendar in January 2012.
2. Show your prospect list to some of your satisfied customers. (If you’re reluctant to do that, sign up for our recorded webinar on “Building an Effective Referral Network” at https://mzbierlyconsulting.webex.com.)
3. Spend some quality 1 on 1 time with your current COIs—and don’t forget your line of business partners or other internal referral sources. (And while we’re on the subject of colleagues, do something nice for your Administrative Assistant.)
4. Go with a plan to any holiday functions you attend. That might include preparing in advance a list of people you want to talk to or making a commitment to meet 3 new people at the event.
5. Call your customers to thank them for their business. If appropriate, see #1 and #2 above.
6. Review where you stand with your top prospects. If you’re at an impasse with any of them, set up a time to strategize with your boss on how to proceed.
Now is not the time to begin that long winter nap. There’s plenty to do between now and the New Year to get off to a great start in 2012.
Next Live Webinar: “Getting Referrals from CPAs” on January 9, 2012 focuses on building relationships with CPAs to generate referrals. You will learn:
- Which CPAs you should target for referrals
- Why your Value Proposition matters
- What the research shows about referrals
- How to plan for your initial meeting with the accountant
- What you should accomplish in the first appointment
- Strategies for staying in touch with CPAs
Special Guest: August Aquila, President of Aquila Global Advisors, who was named one of the 100 Most Influential Figures in the Accounting Industry by the AICPA
Time: 11:00 AM Eastern (10:00 AM Central, 9:00 AM Mountain, 8:00 AM Pacific)
Registration: You can register for the session three ways: (1) Call Susan Lersch at 610-296-4771 or (2) email her at susan.lersch@mzbierlyconsulting.com or (3) go to the Training Center section of our secure Webex website at https://mzbierlyconsulting.webex.com and pay the $225 fee for the webinar by credit card.
Upcoming Webinars:
January 30, 2012 “Branch Manager as lnside Sales Coach and Outside Business Developer” with David Kerstein
February 13, 2012 “Opportunities in Health Care” with Jim Unland