Mid-January today, and already it seems like we’re deep into 2026. Certainly, it's deep into winta' weatha' this morning since when I left the NH beach at 5:00, it was all of 10 degrees with a wicked wind.  Normal New England weather following the natural rhythm of the NE seasons.

I was part of an exciting kickoff meeting yesterday.  George and I facilitated one last Friday, plus we have a third on Monday and a fourth next Friday.  It's simply the normal rhythm of most B2B businesses. New plans, new quotas and new AI-infused sales tools along with the awarding of well-deserved 2025 recognitions, and, of course, just the natural excitement of launching a new sales year.  It's all part of what makes the profession of sales a fulfilling and rewarding career!  

In the building of the sales processes we do with our customers, we pride ourselves on knowing the sales data in specific markets such that in these sales kickoff meetings, we often present the detailed industry and broad market results from 2025. As I’ve been working through the prep for these meetings, I’ve asked myself a few times, "Can we really extrapolate our 2025 data and project that into 2026 forecasted results?"   To a large degree, the answer is “sure”, because the math is about metrics and equations, but the better answer is why not turn that question into a tactical opportunity right now in the seasonal spirt of things and simply take the opportunity...next week...and ask our existing customers about their own outlook for 2026?

Rather than sending out annoying emails and marketing messages “wishing” and “hoping" for success in 2026, what if you were to set up a series of 15-minute zoom / cell calls over the next two weeks asking a short number of discovery questions?

You start by letting your customers know that you’re finishing your own business plans for 2026, and you're  reaching out to a small number of your best customers to listen to them and make sure that you’re in sync with their own needs and those of the broader industry.

• What do they see as primary challenges in 2026?
• How are they thinking about increasing the value of their own business?
• Are they planning new strategies or major projects?
• Are there critical timelines in 2026 that they are considering?
• Are they thinking about changing how they buy in 2026?

I’m sure that you can define better questions for your own businesses than those above although I would strongly recommend keeping the "what primary challenges?" one.

The important point with this tactic is that you’re asking broad, open-ended questions focused on discovery of what your customers want and what and how they are thinking at the beginning of 2026.  You are taking this short burst of time to listen and discover...and not sell your products and services.  These are short 15-20- minute listening sessions focused on providing you with the background, the insight and the data to finish your own 2026 sales playbooks.

• Personally, you'll be better equipped and much better prepared for what lies ahead.
• You will have gained the confidence that what you’re selling does in fact provide customer value.
• Your customers will appreciate the fact that you asked, and you listened.

Identify 10 customers and try this out next week. It certainly beats sending out annoying “wishing you a great 2026” emails and, more importantly, it positions you for being a “Trusted Partner” and not just a vendor.

One of our own big data takeaways from 2025 is that senior level decision makers more and more never want to talk to salespeople.   The data is overwhelming that approximately 30% of decision makers state that talking with salespeople is a waste of their time simply because they are uninformed and provide no value.

That's definitely not you!!! 

Have a great day selling today!

Now's THE Time to dive into your business planning for what lies ahead in 2026!

Think about taking a full day late this month to commit to the final details of your business and sales planning process for 2026. Here's our free how-to 2025 ebooks for a few ideas.  The 2026 editions are finished and will be available in our next blog. 

"Writing the Winning Sales Plan"
"Writing the Winning Business Plan"
"Writing the Winning Marketing Plan"
"The Marketing of Me"

We outline ideas on structure, models, process funnels, productivity tools and how to recruit, hire and onboard the best people.  A few hands-on guides for sales, marketing and business managers written by heavily experienced line managers with your titles and responsibilities.   

Connect with me any time at jack@derbymanagement.com and let's discuss your own 2026 planning!