Why Holiday Prospecting Works

Making business to business telemarketing calls during the holidays can be an extremely productive endeavor.  The article below states what we explain to our customers and prospects “when they want to hold off until the beginning of the year”.  It only makes sense to be prospecting when the rest of your competition is not! (We also encourage calling during the summer for the same reasons).

Most salespeople don’t even try cold calling during the holidays. It’s common knowledge that trying to do business between Christmas and New Year’s is a waste of time, because most decision makers aren’t available and the ones who are aren’t in the mood to talk about buying. Yet Mark Hunter, the author of High-Profit Selling, claims that customers obtained during the holidays are on average more profitable than customers acquired at other times of the year.

A decision maker might also remain just so that there will be someone available to take calls and work on any emergencies that occur.

As for decision makers not wanting to do business during the holidays, you’ll actually have a better chance to talk through your pitch because your prospect won’t be as likely to be interrupted by other calls and coworkers. And if you have a good chance to present your case, showing how your product will benefit the prospect, he’ll be motivated to turn off his party mood and get back to work. Decision makers, being less swamped during the holidays than normal, will also be more in the mood to ‘chat’ and that will give you an opportunity to get to know them better.

Consider too the message you send by calling on the holidays. You’re demonstrating to the prospect that you are at your desk and actively working when most other people are kicking back or are out of the office altogether. This is exactly the type of vendor that most prospects would choose to work with – someone who is available year round and who takes his job seriously. In fact, a holiday is a great time to look around for prospects who have just been let down by their current vendor! You might just pick up an extra rush job when a prospect suddenly discovers that his regular supplier is out of the office for a week.

The final benefit of prospecting during the holiday season is that there will be much less competition. Other salespeople are using this time to take a well-deserved break or to organize files and fill out paperwork. So you’ll be less likely to find yourself going head-to-head with a competitor over your holiday cold calls. And if you’re the only salesperson who calls the prospect during that time, you’ll be far more memorable.

http://sales.about.com/od/Sales-Leads/a/Why-Holiday-Prospecting-Works.htm