Do you change your prospecting efforts during the holidays?

Year-end selling can be fickle. Industry, product type, and service category all dictate the likelihood that your selling efforts will be welcomed, or denied. In my current industry (facility staffing services) our customers typically follow buying cycles throughout the traditional calendar (Jan - Dec). Many make vendor swap decisions leading up to the first of the year, while many use mid-year timetables, like communicating a verbal award before leaving for a 4th of July holiday. Major holidays every year allow for breaks and resets. The majority of our customers and prospects take time off over the Thanksgiving week as well as throughout the month of December. This gives selling efforts dedicated time to take the foot off the proverbial selling gas pedal at various intervals, too.  

It's imperative to demonstrate your knowledge of the industry that you're selling into ... and there's no better way to show your aptitude by recognizing when selling patterns should be ON or OFF.

• In a previous industry (Human Resources Services) December and January were the busiest months of my selling year. We would do 20-25% or more of our annual sales over 6-8 weeks. And the customers that we sold to, expected and anticipated the high activity.

• In the upper Midwest where winter and snow come into play, Real Estate transactions significantly reduce after Thanksgiving and through February. No one likes moving in the winter unless they have to! The best agents will use the slower season to focus on non-selling activities to better prepare for the busier months.

If you're a newcomer to the sales profession or recently changed industries, I would encourage you to identify the buying cycles of your industry and tailor your efforts around those cycles. The best reps in every industry that I've sold in understand the windows of opportunities. And perhaps as important, also are able to focus on recharging their own devices during the slower months. 

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