Map Out Marketing Calendars.
Talk to buyers with whom you do the most business and buyers with whom you see the greatest potential to increase sales about the events, campaigns and internal initiatives they have planned for next year. Knowing what’s on tap allows your salespeople to devise creative product suggestions that amplify your company’s value, which keeps competitors at bay and leads to higher-revenue sales.

Connect With New Buyers at Existing Accounts.
Potential new clients often exist at companies with which you already work. Start connecting with these prospects through internal referrals. Say you serve a buyer in the marketing department of a hospital. Ask that buyer for a referral to one of her colleagues in human resources. From there, continue to expand by asking for additional referrals from the new buyers, doing so after you’ve engineered a successful deal or two.

Be More to Current Clients.
Ensure you understand the full scope of your customers’ branded merchandise needs. You may find that while they’ve been buying pens and mugs from you, they also require T-shirts, hoodies and more. If you can deliver competitive pricing and creative suggestions on product and branding options in these merchandise categories, you’ll be in a good position to earn the business.

Diversify What You Sell.
Savvy industry pros are complementing their sales of traditional promotional products by selling technology solutions and services. Event app development, marketing videos and social media management are some of the offerings. In the months ahead, select a solution you’d like to offer clients. Then, build a relationship with a reliable vendor partner that can produce what you sell. Diversifying your offerings often leads to a wider range of sales opportunities.

Attend Industry Trade Shows.
Go to shows to learn about trends and get product ideas for clients. Indeed, it’s wise to attend shows with the mindset that you are “shopping” for products for your best customers. The ideas you bring back can spark sales – and show clients that you’re a true partner.

Reconnect & Revitalize.
Have certain accounts gone dormant? Have you lost track of buyers when they switched to a new company? Do you have good networking contacts you haven’t spoken to in a while? Rekindling such connections can lead to new sales opportunities.

Recommit To Networking.
Participate more actively in current networking groups, and even consider joining a new one. Get more active in your community through volunteering, which allows you to give back and meet others who can become – or refer you to – clients. Join marketing-related groups on LinkedIn where you can offer helpful insights and connect with prospects. If you target particular markets, join LinkedIn groups related to those industries; again, dialog and provide valuable advice. Also, take a strategic approach with Twitter, sharing content that’s interesting, useful and/or entertaining to prospects. “Favorite” and retweet content from prospects, and tweet out congratulations to clients about their achievements.