Just Because It's December Doesn't Mean You Can't Sell!
By Kent Howell
December's here! That time of year that all salespeople dread. We don't like December because our sales managers are pushing us to close everything we can so that they can make their quota. Or you're pushing as hard as you can so that you can qualify for your company's recognition clubs and awards, or get that bonus for being way over your quota.
It' become the month of the year we all dread because "nobody's in" during December. We just "know" that all the decision makers take the month off and that nobody buys anything in December,
Myths about DecemberDon't be so quick to fall into that line of thinking. Yes, it is a fact that very many of the people we're trying to sell to take a lot of time off in December but, generally, it's not until after at least the 16th of the month and in many instances not until after the 22nd or 23rd. We deal with clients or prospects taking time off all year long, but what makes December unique is that we have more of them taking time off at the same time.
On the flip side, many decision makers take advantage of the Christmas slowdown to catch up and work on planning for the next year so they're easier to reach than they normally are (especially because the gatekeepers aren't there).
Another myth about selling in December is that our prospects don't have any budget left to buy anything. Not always true. I've made many sales in December to clients that had unspent money that they needed to use or risk having their budget cut back for the next year. Trust me, nobody wants to have their budgets cut!
Unexpected salesEven for clients that have used their entire budget that doesn't mean that we can't make a sale to them in December. There have been many times during my career where I've made sales to clients who've exhausted their budgets. How? All I generally needed was a signed contract dated in the current year. So, clients who knew that the installation or billing wouldn't occur until January, or in some cases even February were willing to sign a contract in December. Remember that from the customer's point of view they're looking at when the dollars will hit their budget much more so than when they sign the contract. The other benefit of this for you is that you've gotten a head start on next year's commission money!
December is also a month when many times I made sales I wasn't expecting to make. This would happen either of two ways. The first is that a customer would call me (yes sometimes they do actually call us, contrary to popular belief) and tell me he had money that had to be spent before the end of the year (see above) and wanted to use it for a proposal we had discussed earlier in the year. The second way I would get these sales would come from calls I made to wish a client "Merry Christmas". Even though I wasn't calling with any intent of selling anything (just relationship building) it wasn't at all uncommon for something to come up during the conversation that led to a sale before the month was out.
The spirit of the holidaysSomething else to remember, and to take advantage of, is the spirit of the holidays. Most all of us, including the decision makers we're calling on, are happier and in much better spirits the closer it gets to Christmas. Quite often they are much more receptive to not only meet with us, but also to make decisions more quickly and even be less concerned about price.
Don't get complacent
As December arrives approach it like you would any other month. Plan just like you do the rest of the year. Prospect just like you do the rest of the year. Do everything just as you normally would. You have to be careful not to get complacent during December, especially when it comes to prospecting. Remember that most of us have sales cycles of at least 30 days, and in many cases even longer. If you get lazy during December and stop prospecting for all or part of the month you're not hurting your December sales, you're getting yourself in a hole for January and maybe even February or longer.
Lastly, remember to enjoy the holidays for yourself. Take time to spend with your family and enjoy the holidays with them, and use the time to recharge your "batteries". (Your going to need to hit the ground running come January!