The holidays are upon us. People are scheduling company parties and trying to spend more time with their families and less in the office. With so much other activity going on, are you planning to follow suit and shutter your inside sales efforts until after the holidays? If so, maybe you should reconsider. There’s business to be had — business that the competition is probably not pursuing as aggressively as at other times of the year. If you approach your B2B inside sales just right, you may find the holidays to be an excellent time for wrapping up end-of-the-year business and getting a big jump on the New Year.
Time and money may be on your side during the next few weeks. You can turn B2B inside sales during the holidays into a competitive advantage. Here’s how.
Don’t Follow the Herd
Sometimes it pays to take the path less traveled and act in ways contrary to popular thinking. In this case, it’s the holidays. So while others, including many of your competitors, are slowing down, you could be closing year-end business and setting appointments for January.
I know. It would seem it goes against the grain to institute a concerted end-of-the-year push. Maybe you feel that all you’re doing is leaving voicemails for people who have switched their focus away from business until January. And when you do connect, you may feel discouraged by a few people who tell you to call back in the New Year.
So yes, it is tempting to slow down and set your sights on January. But on the other hand, you may be the only one opening the conversation, and that’s your competitive advantage.
Catch the Year-End Dollars
Decision-makers may be hunting for quick ways to use up their annual budgets. If your telemarketers connect with one of these people who has money in hand, they have a chance to make a lasting impression. Prospects will see them as hard-working and conscientious, helping them win the order and gain a loyal customer.
Unexpected end-of-the-year deals tend to move forward quickly. Often you’ll get the order with less back and forth, fewer hoops to jump through and shorter sales cycles.
Plus, the Sales Hunter Mark Hunter, author of High-Profit Selling: Win the Sale Without Compromising on Profit, believes that the customers you acquire during the holidays may bring in more profits than usual.
Reach Out and Touch Someone
While it’s true that some top decision-makers will be out of the office part of the time during the holidays, they are probably not out of pocket for the whole time. They have work to wrap up at the end of the year and preparations to make for the coming year. They deliberately take advantage of the quieter environment to work in peace.
What’s more, when decision-makers are in the office during the holidays, they often have more time to talk. They’re not running from meeting to meeting, putting out fires or being interrupted throughout the day.
But there are even more benefits. The phone probably isn’t ringing off the hook. Plus, gatekeepers are often taking their vacations during the holidays. So there’s a higher chance that the person you’re trying to reach may pick up the phone. And with fewer distractions, your prospect may be in the mood to talk, listen to your message and engage in a serious conversation.
In other words, when your telemarketers do connect, they may make real progress and set the groundwork for new business in the coming year.
Planning Your Holiday B2B Inside Sales Strategy
Create campaigns specifically for the holiday season from Thanksgiving through to New Year’s Eve. Strategize. Think about your customers and prospects and what they’re likely experiencing during the final weeks of the year. Then shape your campaign accordingly.
You have four key opportunities:
- Target companies that need products and services right up until the end of the year. Focus on being the business that pays attention to them through the holiday season.
- Identify industries that tend to have budgets that associates must spend by the last month of the year. You might try offering them good deals or holiday specials.
- Concentrate on acquiring new leads, qualifying them and setting up appointments for the New Year so you can hit the ground running in January.
- Call to thank your regular customers. The holidays are an excellent time for networking. So touch base, show them that you’re still on the job. Inquire as to whether they need anything before the close of the year, and ask for a referral.
You may even want to expand beyond your regular B2B inside sales staff and consider contracting with a professional service. Work with professionals who can get up to speed quickly, are knowledgeable and can speak to prospects naturally — not from a script. And follow up with emails.
Jumpstart 2020 with a campaign and a sales push now. You have a unique opportunity to close business and win some new customers.