Many people think December is a wasted month for salespeople – I do not agree. December can be the most productive month of the year for sales professionals, providing an accelerated launch into the next year.
Here are eight ideas for salespeople to consider during the holiday break. For the sake of this article, let’s consider the holiday break this year to be Dec. 18 through Jan. 5.
- Do a ton of personal cold calls. There is no better time to make personal calls than the second half of December. First, none of your competitors are working; second, everyone is in a jolly mood. They may ask you to leave, but they will be nice enough to give you the IT manager’s business card. In 1996, I bumped into a business owner while leaving a customer site. His office manager must have thrown me out of their office five times that year, but he looked at me wearing a suit and said: “Glad to see someone else is working today.” That led to a meeting, a sale in March, and a great account for my company. Since then, I have made December my most active month of reaching out to prospects.
- Catch up and get organized, but only during a defined and limited time. The second half of that statement is critical. Define and schedule a day or two to catch up and get organized. If you do not schedule this time, and limit it to a couple of days, then you will spend the entire few weeks catching up – that is a waste.
- Bring something nice to your “Tier 2” customers. I have a client in upstate New York that spends a few days bringing holiday cookies to their customers. It is amazing how many doors open when there are cookies on the other side. Take this a step further – focus on your Tier 2 customers and bring them something nicer than cookies (or maybe in addition to cookies). You are probably already spending a ton of time with those few Tier 1 customers, but what about the other major accounts? For context, Tier1 and Tier 2 customers should add up to less than 10 percent of your customers.
- Refine your 2018 Sales Plan. The key word is refine – the plan should already be done, so after getting some feedback from your boss or peers, spend a couple hours honing it.
- Take your supporting departments to lunch or happy hour. I am not recommending this action because of the negative perception other departments may have of sales; I am recommending it because it is the right thing to do. As a customer-facing representative, you are a leader in your company – lead by showing appreciation to the departments that support you.
- Book appointments for the entire month of January. Trying to schedule an appointment tomorrow is impossible, and offering time for next week is also difficult; however, requesting an appointment “after the new year” sounds so far away that many hard-to-see people will schedule time with you. Take advantage of this once-a-year phenomenon – book your entire month of January before the first significant college bowl game starts.
- Relax. Completely disengage for a few days. You need some energy and freshness leading into the new year, so stop for a few days and breathe.
- Finally, do NOT sell your soul for last-minute deals. Most of the time salespeople bring in next year’s orders to get an accelerated commission, or meet their annual goals. While I appreciate those reasons – and I am not against giving a little to gain a lot – I strongly recommend against giving away too much. Do not sell your soul for a little more commission. You will lose a whole lot more than the gross profit you give away.
Chris Peterson is the founder and president of Vector Firm (www.vectorfirm.com), a sales consulting and training company built specifically for the security industry. To request more info about the company, visit www.securityinfowatch.com/12361573.
