It’s a particularly difficult time for salespeople because clients and leads are typically equally busy, and the last thing they want to do is answer cold calls or respond to emails. However, there are strategies to keep your sales crew enthusiastic, positive, and winnable during the Christmas season. Here are a few examples.
Improve your internal calendar by making it more accessible.
Maintaining order and confidence in Q4 requires everyone to be on the same page. Make sure you go through important dates like Christmas with your team, so they have all they need before their leads go for a long holiday. Vacations are the same way. If someone on your sales team intends to take one, make sure everything is in order before the holidays. Depending on your industry, you may have employees who work around it or through it. Make the necessary preparations ahead of time.
Get to know your top prospects – and do so early.
Ensure that your sales team is in contact with their best prospects as soon as possible. End-of-year emails (“Where did the year go?”) are common, and a little dull, but a variation on that theme might work. Getting personal is a fantastic technique to break through the professional mud. Inquire about their specific job responsibilities and see if there’s anything you can do to help. This is also an excellent time to update your client database and inform your clients about corporate developments. This is an ideal time to wrap up any outstanding transactions, so both parties have an incentive to get everything in order before the new year. It’s also beneficial to have clients’ mobile phone numbers early on, so you can call them if they’re on vacation and you’re on a tight deadline. Yes, it’s obtrusive, but that’s business, and if you’re kind and regretful about it, the client is unlikely to notice.
Make your holiday discount policy as soon as possible.
Holiday sales are a critical tool in any sales team’s Q4 toolkit, and it’s a good idea to set expectations for them early on. When working out how to fulfill your Q4 targets, special bargains, limited-time offers, and specially negotiated discounts are essential and required. If a client’s Q4 budget is approaching its maximum, breaking invoices into payments into a sort of payment plan might sometimes be as simple as splitting invoices into payments into a form of payment plan. Payment incentives, such as a minor discount for on-time payments at the end of the year, might also help you boost your numbers at the last minute.
Keep things personal by relying on sales technology.
As previously said, personalization is important to securing a lead in Q4. It’s not just about being personable on the phone and in emails; it’s also about customizing technology. Using a CRM that blends sales and marketing into a single self-contained platform will allow you to track and manage your efforts across all departments, as well as assure fast and tailored follow-ups. Sales and marketing teams may rely on a properly linked CRM to seal conversions and improve their Q4 performance.
Maintain your team’s unity and motivation.
On the same point, make sure to keep all of your teams informed, updated, and, most importantly, satisfied. Maintaining a positive work environment is essential for maintaining order during stressful times. Unifying your sales, marketing, and customer service teams is another approach to keep things pleasant and structured. Keeping everyone on the same page promotes unity and empathy throughout the organization.
These are all considerations to take into account as you look at closing out the year STRONG!