Nearly there…
There’s 30 business days to go in 2024. This figure becomes even less for most as folk take well earned Christmas breaks, recover from Christmas parties (read inability to make buying decisions) and try to wrap up their existing book of work meaning less time for new opportunities.
HOWEVER, year end presents a fantastic opportunity for a last push to engage with your customers and position yourself for a strong start to 2025.
Three Things this week is all about the last push towards revenue at the end of a fantastic 2024. Keep your foot on the accelerator and chase everything down before the turkey gets carved. Enjoy.
#1. Year end bargains
For those customers that align their financial year with the calendar year, now’s the time to offer irresistible packages and help them spend their remaining budget before it disappears on 01 Jan 2025. Here’s some thoughts on how to achieve this:
- Create value combos: group complementary services into a single, discounted package to make purchasing decisions easy. For example, bundle planning advice with project management support for development clients.
- Tailor the offer: use customer insights to craft personalised bundles that address their specific goals and challenges. For example, if a big project is kicking off in 2025, is there a way to stage the project and front load some of the costs to be paid with remaining 2024 budget?
- Add a sweetener: offer limited-time bonuses, like a free consultation or additional support, to create urgency and close deals faster. Apply a 2024 payment discount for all opportunities signed and/or invoices paid before 31 December 2024.
#2. Naughty? nice? not bothered?
As we move towards endless Now That’s What I Call Christmas played on repeat in every shop and supermarket across the country, channel your inner turmoil and categorise your customers to focus your efforts:
- Nice customers: Loyal and high-value leads deserve your best efforts. Personalise your outreach with tailored holiday messages or quick catch-up calls.
- Naughty customers: Ghosters or slow movers might still come around with a friendly nudge. Try a message like, “Before the year wraps up, I’d love to discuss how we can support your team’s goals for 2025.”
- Wildcards: These are the undecided ones. Use festive goodwill to re-engage with a simple gesture, like sharing a helpful industry tip or inviting them to a January planning call.
#3. 2025 planning
In between the mulled wine and corporate Christmas jumper competition, use December to set yourself up for success in 2025:
- Book January catch ups now: lock in meetings before diaries fill up. A quick “Let’s catch up early in the year to map out 2025 opportunities” can do the trick. Even better, give your top five customers a call – it’s much harder to turn down a voice!
- Dust off the crystal ball: predictions on what’s going to happen in 2025 are a great way to engage customers. What trends do you anticipate? How will the services and products you deliver support your customers to navigate the 2025 landscape? Get these predictions ready to go during December.
- Reflect, rest and reset: Take stock of your successes and lessons learned in 2024. What should you stop, start, and continue? Use these insights to hit the ground running next year.
Whether it’s bundling up value, deciding who’s naughty or nice, or planning your next steps, a little extra effort now can make a big impact. Let’s finish strong and start the New Year with a bang!
Enjoy the festive season – and remember, success loves preparation.
