Holiday Sales Myth?

Many salespeople and agents believe that between Thanksgiving and January 2^nd, people stop buying and selling. Quite the contrary! People are in more of a buying spirit than at any other time of the year. It doesn’t matter whether you sell computers, real estate, automobiles, extended warranty contracts or portfolio services, the world doesn’t stop just because it is the holiday season!

There are several things you can do as a field agent during this period so that the bottom doesn’t fall out of your year end sales results. Your 2015 results could depend significantly on how you spend the next six weeks.

Here are a few things that I would like for you to consider as you prepare to move into your last six weeks of the year:

Time to Conduct an “Attitude” Check Up!

1. Have you begun operating your territory under the misguided belief that your clients are going to sell fewer products or possibly none at all during this time of year?
2. Do you slow down your cold calls and new client visit efforts for these six weeks?
3. Do you believe that it is harder to see and get appointments with clients and decision makers during the holiday’s?
4. Do you feel that it is necessary to cut price or offer more “deals” during this period?
5. Does your personal motivation, energy, and commitment wane during the holiday’s?
6. Are you too “tied-up” and pre-occupied with other activities ­– parties, shopping, etc. – to keep your selling and closing edge sharp?
7. Do you keep learning and growing during this time of year or do you put your personal sales growth on hold as well?
8. Do you spend some time planning your sales strategies for next year?
9. Do you take some time to carefully evaluate all of your successes and failures of the previous year to ensure you can build on your success and not repeat your failures?
10. Do you spend quiet time in thoughtful goal setting for the upcoming year?

Here are some suggestions for productive things you can do during the holiday season:

1. Use this time to evaluate your territory sales results. Ask yourself where you could have done better, been smarter, faster, sooner, or been more effective with regards to locating completely new clients.
2. Use this time to plan your activities for the new year and set realistic goals in all areas of your territory.
3. Do not stop “prospecting” for new business.
4. Use your networking time effectively. You may see a lot of clients and industry related people during the holidays who can help you advance your sales in some way or another.
5. Read and/or listen to some positive self-motivation books or CDs over the holiday season. (Not necessarily about sales!)
6. Re-evaluate your sales techniques - what is working and what is not. And then think about why or why not.
7. Find a mentor or even a personal coach who can help you exceed your sales goals for the new year.
8. Plan to do something different, unusual, or possibly even “outrageous” next year to get the attention of all your clients, new and old.
9. Write down a list of ten creative actions you can take next year in your territory to guarantee the completion of your 2015 sales objectives.
10. Pour it on during these six weeks! You are heading down the home stretch; It’s time to give it your final “kick.” See if you can get more closed deals than you thought possible.
11. Strive to hit that HOME RUN in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game. During the holidays, see if you can get that one client who has avoided you all year long. (Tax write offs!)

Please keep in mind one of my favorite quotes:

“Whatever you seek in life’s rewards. . . you must first earn in service to others.”

In conclusion, let me state that as a chronic student of the sale game, I am not a “Scrooge” (contrary to some popular belief!). I do believe in spending important family time with those of importance in your life who need and want some of your quality time. (That topic itself is worthy of a future article!) I am only suggesting that you do not change your sales strategies or slow down during the holiday season.

Remember, while you are letting your attitude change to a slower motion, your competition could be stealing the business right from under you because you are chilling out.

The holiday season will be over before we know it and 2015 will be a reality.  

Do not lose your momentum during this time period!!

And one final thought. . . You have a choice as to whether YOU and YOUR COMPANY will achieve record sales production in 2015 as a direct result of your effective use of time over this holiday season. . . or you can choose to hope that your competition also takes these six weeks off.

Don’t Bet on it!

As a valuable member of your company’s programs and products, let’s use some reverse psychology this year and really pour it on right up to the very end of the year, and show your boss, your clients, your competition, and especially YOURSELF, what YOU are really made of.