Success in sales is all about mindset. Successful sales people know the importance of constantly seeking out fresh opportunities and working hard to uncover new deals – no matter the time of year or what’s going on in wider society. December is often seen as a dead month for sales, and many in this field resign themselves to pushing pipeline into the new year. Successful sales people know, however, that the silly season is a perfect time to build relationships, add value, and help customers to fulfil their needs before breaking for the holiday.
Just because collective attention is being redirected onto more festive matters, with many people winding down and the schools breaking up, doesn’t mean that everyone is on holiday. Many working professionals will have used up their annual leave earlier in the year and will be working over the holiday period, whilst others don’t share the same inclination to be distracted by the season; meaning they may have more time and bandwidth to take a call, meet or just read a prospecting email. December can be a golden period to connect with people who typically are too busy with meetings and facilitating day-to-day work to have a conversation.
At the end of the year, schedules open and the usual daily tasks slow, meeting commitments reduce, and decision-makers have the time and energy to start those relationships. Many people are planning for the year ahead and what they want to achieve in the next 12 months.
This is the ideal time to reach out, ensuring you and what you do is at the forefront of their mind during this important period of strategizing.
Equally, with some workers using up leave, there is a far higher chance that you’ll catch the CEO or decision-maker as they tend to remain in the office. Even gatekeepers take time off so in December you may finally find yourself in conversation with the person you’ve been trying to reach for months. “
Be proactive, and stop using excuses:
“It’s Monday”
“It’s raining”
“They are probably winding down for the year, no one will be in” etc.”
We’ve all voiced at least one of these at some point but there are 4 whole weeks in the month of December. Even Christmas falls at the weekend this year, so there are zero reasons to wipe out all other days. That’s a twelfth of the year obliterated with a limiting belief that you can’t make a sale in the last month of the calendar year.
Think about the energy that you want for 2024. Be intentional in everything you do in December and use that momentum to take you into the start of the new year. Businesses are planning now what they want to achieve and how they will reach that goal next year and you or your product could be the solution.
December is the month to sow, not to rest
December is a month to sow, not to rest. Sales can still be made, and people are still buying. This mindset is crucial to beat the competition.
December should also be used intentionally to start planning for the year ahead by identifying industries to target, companies to penetrate, and individuals to speak with. Research and relationship building should be the key. Consider whom do you want to work with and who can benefit from your services in the 12 months ahead.
Use your time to focus on building long-term relationships rather than believing success is measured by a quick numbers game of sales.
Reflect on your year and develop a strategy
The end of the year is also a time for reflection, so December is the perfect opportunity to look back on the year and ask questions:
How do this year’s sales stack up against what was projected?
How are my sales and leads compared to last year?
Is there demand in new unexpected areas?
What lessons have I learned this year?
What do I want more of and what do I want less of?
Be brave, contact your existing customers and obtain some constructive feedback”.
You can use one of the many online survey tools if you want some quick data but for your key accounts, this is a prime opportunity to ask for a conversation. Engage your listening skills, and make sure you ask open questions such as “what did we do well this year?”, “How can we improve what we do for you?”, and “Why do you use us?”. The danger when we work with a client for a long time is we think we know the answers but asking these three questions can be eye-opening and help us go forward into next year.
- Do the research and contact 10 companies that you want to work with next year and reach out to them.
- Look at your existing client base and see if there are ways you can up-sell.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals. We often rely on the trusted recommendation of someone we know, so why not ask your client base to do the same for you and speak to their contacts on your behalf.
- Add value – send interesting articles/downloads to clients on topics that are relevant to them, allowing you to raise your profile as a trusted advisor.
- Use it or lose it – check if your clients have any budget left that needs to be spent before the end of the year. Consider offering to invoice in December for a 2024 purchase.
- Look at the new products and services in your industry that will be launched next year and communicate these to all relevant clients. It’s an ideal way to show you know who they are and offer valuable insight.
- Calendars that are filled year-round are very much open at the start of the year. You can capitalise on catching people in December with rare windows of time and watch your prospect meetings fill up your January calendar.
- Share a newsletter or end-of-year-round-up with your current client base. It’s an opportunity to remind them what you do as well as tell them about new products or services. This can be emailed out or shared on platforms like LinkedIn that have a newsletter template.
So, although there may be negative voices in our ear during the festive season, including genuine concerns about the cost of living and a potential recession, remember that although we must be aware of economic and market trends, we must stop getting sucked into the news cycle that does nothing for us as salespeople.
Remember that in any economic downturn there are always winners. Uncertainty and unpredictable economic trends are simply a fact of doing business, this is nothing new and they will always exist”.
