How Will You Use Your Extra Day?

This year, we’ve been blessed with an extra day! That’s right, because “February 29” shows up on this year’s calendar, we have an extra 24 hours to speed up, catch up or to simply use as a way to rest and recharge.

Chances are, most sales leaders won’t look at their time this way. They won’t even acknowledge that they have an extra day this year, or if they do, they’ll underestimate what they can accomplish in a day.

So, what exactly can you do with the extra day you’ve been given this year?

Here are 16 ideas inspired by my work with the top performers inside the Engage Community:

1. Take the day off. If you are ahead of your plan, take a relaxing day with your family
2. Use it as a planning day. Take the day with your mentor, sales coach or manager to map out the rest of the year
3. Plan a call blitz with your team and have a contest. Make it about who can secure the most appointments in the day
4. Host a client appreciation event. Include your best clients and your best prospects for idea sharing and celebration
5. Host a team appreciation event. Gather the whole company together to celebrate your success in a unique way
6. Have a testimonial gathering day. Reorient your sales and marketing teams to spend the day gathering success stories form your customers. Later in the afternoon gather everyone to share the stories and reinforce your success in the marketplace
7. Have a data clean up day. Yes, I’ve seen your CRMs and pipelines. They need a lot of work. Use this free day in the year to scrub them clean
8. Host a free seminar.  You can do it online or in various markets that you serve
9. Offer it to someone else. If you are a SaaS customer, offer this extra day for free to your customers as a thank you.
10. Have a sales contest. Whoever closes the most deals, secures the most referrals, makes the most appointments etc. gets the award
11. Take your boss to work day. Use the time to make sure your sales leadership team is introduced to all of your clients
12. Ask your customers for “one more introduction.” Call them up, tell them in honor of the extra day, you would like to meet an extra person inside their customer!
13. Provide a free training day. Your customers and prospects are sure to appreciate this one
14. Reach out proactively. Connect with all your prospects and offer them extra referrals and testimonials
15. Have a thank you blitz. Have your team spend the day handwriting thank you cards to all your current customers
16. Have a “lost sale” blitz. Spend the day calling every deal you lost in 2015 to see if there is a chance of reviving them

Choose one, or choose a few. But whatever you decide, don’t let the day go to waste.