Quickly Close End of Year Sales with These 12 Tips

If you work in sales or own your own business, now is the time to close any end or year deals to reach your annual goal. With the last month of the year just flying by many people are already considering this year as over and planning for 2014.

Without implementing special offers that won't help you reach your goals, here are 12 steps you can take to close some year end sales:

Review all the proposals you closed this year and make a list of things customers decided to “wait to do.” Close them now.

Spend two days closing lingering proposals, even the ones from last January.

Up-sell add-ons you thought would inflate the original solution you sold this year.

Sell one more. Look for opportunities to sell one more of something small or simple: one more PC, one small project, one more staff administrative position. Sell a bunch.

Conduct a review meeting with your top eight customers. Look back on the year’s successes and forward to what still needs to be accomplished before year end.

Look for clients with remaining budgets that they’d like to spend on next year's priorities.

Call every client you haven’t talked to in 90 days to see how they’re positioned to start the new year. Do they need your services in December to get off to a fast start?

Call all prospects who have been pushing you off. Check in to see how they’re positioned to achieve their first quarter initiatives.

Review your forecast and identify the steps required to close everything – then execute.

Enlist your manager’s and / or team’s support in overcoming roadblocks holding any of your customers or prospects back from buying.

Remind customers you welcome referrals. Who do they know that needs help to get through year end?

Set appointments for January to give yourself a fast start to next year. You may find last minute opportunities while you’re at it!