Happy New Year, and welcome to 2021! While 2020 served up more than its share of challenges (to say the least), 2021 now stands before us.
Like many, I believe a new year is the perfect time to reflect and reset. Even after a tough year, New Year’s resolutions are more popular than ever. Nearly 75 percent of Americans are committing to learning something new, making a lifestyle change, or setting a personal goal to better themselves in 2021.
On the personal side, most people resolve to focus on their health, self-improvement, finances, and family. I even have a few personal resolutions myself, including improving my diet….I eat way too much junk food!
Resolutions are also vital on the business front. They provide a real opportunity to take stock of what you learned in 2020 and make changes to do and be better in the year ahead. So, where should you start if you want to improve sales and marketing results in the coming year? If you haven’t already identified and set your professional resolutions for 2021, I have a suggestion: Always Be Ready.
Forget your ABCs…Instead adopt ABR
If you’re in sales, you’ve likely heard and may even live by the ABC Rule: Always Be Closing. Forget that. Seriously. It’s an outdated approach that stops you from listening to customers and serving as a trusted advisor to prospects and clients. If you’re only focused on closing a deal, you have no idea what’s keeping potential and current customers up at night. You’re going to miss opportunities to connect and build enduring relationships with them.
In 2021, let’s replace the ABC Rule with the ABR Rule: Always Be Ready. What I mean by that is to always be ready to listen and understand your customer’s business challenges and unlock the value in every interaction. If you do this, closings will take care of themselves.
Enacting real change
Resolving to make changes and following through are clearly different. Even with the best intentions, you won’t experience true transformation without the right tools. The one-dimensional contact info and clunky business data served up by traditional sales intelligence tools isn’t going to cut it in 2021. If you want to go further – to achieve excellence this year and into the future — you’re going to need more. That means arming yourself with actionable, convenient, and focused Industry Intelligence designed to be shared with business owners.
Today’s business world is more competitive and fast-paced than ever. No one has enough time to answer all their emails let alone try to understand all the intricacies of a potential customer’s business and industry on their own. That’s why Industry Intelligence is a must-have in 2021.
With Industry Intelligence from Vertical IQ, you’re always ready to ask the right questions, drive the right conversations, and land long-term loyal customers. Before every meeting in 2021, ask yourself: Are you ready? If you’re using Industry Intelligence from Vertical IQ, the answer is always going to be YES – and Readiness Wins.
I’m excited about the year ahead, and Vertical IQ stands ready to deliver everything you need for a more productive and profitable 2021. Please click around our brand-new website; it’s packed with information and new resources to power your sales and marketing success in 2021 and beyond.