Crank It, Baby!

• Is their marketing plan complete for 2014? How can you partner with them to make that plan a reality? Let's hit the ground running by getting promotional plans into position this week.
• Are they exhibiting at any trade shows in the first quarter of '14? You can help get show attendees into their booth and remembering what they do before, during and after the show. You can help move them beyond mere 'brand awareness' and create 'brand preference' at their 2014 trade shows. Have a trade show ideas e-flyer ready to email them at the drop of a hint of a wisp of a suggestion: Top 10 Trade Show Items Available In 2 Weeks, and so on.
• Do they have any promotional dollars in their 2013 budgets that they need to use or lose? You can happily oblige them, place the orders and get them invoiced in 2013, thus preserving their full marketing budget for 2014. Say it with me ... "Proforma Invoicing."
• Are they open to placing those upcoming 2014 reorders NOW and locking in the 2013 pricing? Prices have held pretty steady for these few down years, but I think they will go up in 2014 as things continue to loosen up. What a perfect week to address this and get these reorders handled for your clients.
• Our biggest industry show of the entire year in coming up January 15 - 17, 2014 in Las Vegas, just weeks away. What can you keep your eyes open for at the PPAI Expo on their behalf? Work up a list of products AND projects that you can resource for them.
• Are they available for lunch tomorrow or the next day or on Monday? Things are quiet and this is an ideal time to connect socially, thank them for their business, break bread and make some plans for 2014.

Many of us who work for medium or large distributorships can get enough booked in the final week of the year to hit that next sales award level. Every year I see sales people get $15,000 and $20,000 and $50,000 orders during this week to use up budgets or get trade show merch handled. Go out in a blaze of glory, kids!