2017 is just around the corner. What can you do NOW to prepare outreach that will set yourself apart from your competitors? Here are 5 tips on how to kick off 2017 at top speed.

1. Create email templates to launch 2017 with speed
One of the easiest and fastest ways to jumpstart 2017 is to craft email templates for your most critical points of communication with prospects and customers. By organizing yourself now, you’ll be at ease in the new year knowing that most of the work has already been done and it’s just a matter of choosing the right template for the conversation at hand. You’ll send emails swiftly without worrying about spelling and grammar errors, and you can be sure that the content you want to leverage is included in your trackable emails.

Focus on the outreach type: what types of conversations or lead-ins do you expect to have with your prospects and customers as January kicks off? You may want to consider a “check-in” template with an eye-catching piece of content to draw their attention. Watch this video tutorial to see how simple it is to get started using templates.

2. Use Personalized Video to break through the noise
Creating a personalized video for a prospect or customer is a great way to show that you care about them and understand their business. Make sure to quickly get to the “What’s in it for me?” when you shoot your video; it should be short and simple and include a hook that catches your prospect’s attention.

Prepare videos that you can launch in the new year by setting the script for the time of delivery. For example, now’s a great time to record Personalized Video Mail that say “Hi, happy New Year! As we launch into 2017….”

To learn more about how to break through the noise during the holidays and into the new year, check out this tutorial.

3. Schedule meetings with prospects “post-holidays”
As you move toward the end of 2016, you may hear “let’s reconnect in the new year.” Capitalize on this type of response by sending over a meeting invite with a unique viewers link, plus dial-in numbers to quickly jump into your conversation in 2017 and ensure you don’t lose touch. With ClearSlide, you can schedule as many meetings as you’d like, all with unique access codes to keep your conversations confidential. To learn more about scheduling meetings, view this tutorial.

4. Review your content effectiveness for 2016
One of the best ways to optimize your results in 2017 is to review how well your content performed in 2016. ClearSlide engagement data gives you a deeper look at your content effectiveness–which presentations and slides your prospects and customers found most interesting, and which received less engagement. To learn more about how you can use engagement data to improve content investment, view this video tutorial.

5. Review your team’s Recommended Content to leverage
You may be missing out on key content to leverage throughout the sales cycle, putting you at a disadvantage. Take a moment to review the Recommended Content in your ClearSlide Content section to see which presentations the ClearSlide Administrator in your organization has identified as most helpful for you. Not sure where to find Recommended Content? Check out this video tutorial.

By using these tips, you’ll jump start your year and have top content, templates, and outreach at your fingertips. At ClearSlide, we are always developing new ways to help our customers make their days more productive and drive stronger results. Be sure to keep current with our recent product updates to stay in-the-know on top tools to leverage. Cheers!