Halloween! Thanksgiving! Christmas and Hanukkah! All of these events are great in Q4… but in sales and teleprospecting, it seems like Q4 is everyone’s least favorite time of year. Everyone is focused on closing business rather than building new business. But once the holidays are over and it’s back to work in 2014… Uh oh! Where’s the pipeline?
This time of year might be difficult to keep your connect rate up, hold quality conversations, and keep pushing leads into the pipeline. But it’s really just like any other time of year. Some people are on vacation and some people have free time to discuss new products and services, which means you still need to be building a pipeline as well as passing over qualified leads to hit personal and company goals. There are ways to stay focused and keep building a pipeline instead of getting lost in the holiday vacations.
Have a plan. Honestly, being organized can help get you through most tough situations. Make sure you have time to work on the leads you are nurturing and trying to close, but allot some time for bringing in new contacts to your pipeline every day as well. Bringing in new contacts from untouched lists, LinkedIn, and other sources will create a smooth transition into the new year and new quarter.
Call C-levels. Around the holidays, a lot of people high up in the organization will not have meeting as many people are on vacation. If they are in the office, they are more likely to answer their phone and have a few minutes to discuss their thoughts on your service or software.
Send mass emails. I have mentioned this is previous blogs as a debated topic, but I do believe mass emails can be effective if the messaging is right. If you have a lot of untouched prospects, send a referral email and try to start some conversations for the New Year.
Use calendar requests to your advantage. Due to the hectic time of vacation and family events, meeting requests can be used to figure out when prospects are away from the office and when they are going to be around. If someone declines an invite, you contact them in hopes of getting a conversation starting to find out when they will be around.
Have a meeting with your team. If you work with other reps on a project, check in with them and see what their game plan is to create a smooth transition from Q4 to Q1. They might offer good tips and you could help with their strategy as well. Also, talk to your managers and/ or directors to discuss new lists and campaigns for the new year. Even if you are not taking extended time off, many people will be and you want to know what’s going on after everyone returns and have a good jump in January.
Daydreaming about food, gifts, and family knowing that the holidays are right around corner is fine, but there is a time and a place for that. Having a plan in place for each day of the week can be beneficial to keeping you on track in Q4, allowing you to enjoy your holidays even more, and kicking off the New Year with a bang!
