This month, we continue the theme of "ending strong", recognizing that many of us are wrapping up our selling year in conjunction with the calendar year. In our last Tip, we talked about 2 things we can do to end our selling year strong - leveraging closing presentations to bring in the deals that need to be closed and delivering relationship review presentations to identify/qualify opportunities for the pipeline.

Another best practice for ending the year strong is to spend time networking. This is a natural time of year to connect with people, and there are few investments we can make with our time that can have a greater impact on future success.

Here are some networking strategies to consider:


Think about your networking efforts in two ways: Keeping your current network vibrant and expanding your network with new people.
Select your highest priority network contacts and see how many of them you can meet with. A quick cup of coffee with the right people can keep the network flourishing. It can also uncover opportunities that might never have come up had you not gotten together.
Review your personal and professional database and update it appropriately. Identify the people who were instrumental to your past success and reconnect with them.
Review your LinkedIn connections and stay on top of changes happening in your network.
Pick up the phone and have a live conversation with key individuals in your network. Don't let years go by without talking voice to voice!
Get face to face. Conferences, networking groups and even holiday parties provide opportunities to meet new people.
Ask for referrals. With any people you talk to, ask he/she who they would recommend you reach out to as you expand your network.


In any of these situations, remember IMPAX's "95-5 Rule" - we want to listen more and talk less. Taking a sincere interest in others can only help your networking efforts.

Don't let the old adage, "Out of sight, out of mind" apply to your network.


Planning your 2017 sales meeting?

Make sure you book an exciting, compelling speaker to help get your year off to a strong start. IMPAX would love to help. For more info on booking, click here, or contact us today.