Should You Prospect During the Holidays?

There’s an old story on the Internet that’s been retold over and over again.

From Snopes.com:

“A man answers a classified advertisement offering an “almost new” Porsche for the ridiculously low price of $50 and finds that the woman really is selling the car so cheaply, because her husband ran off with a younger woman and asked her to sell the car and send him the money.”

Whether it’s true or not is irrelevant.

My personal commute to work is 1.2 miles each way. 2.4 miles total. I currently drive a Honda CRV with low miles in proportion to how old it is.

I can go 2 weeks without filling up. Am I in the market for a brand new BMW X5? No! If I came across one for $1,000, would I?

Absolutely! What do these car illustrations have to do with sales prospecting?

Lots of sales rep wonder if it’s worth their time to call between Thanksgiving and the New Year because people are on vacation, planning a vacation, at a company holiday party, etc.

Why call if executives aren’t at their desk to answer their phone?

This time of the year, many companies plan and budget for the upcoming year.

According to Rainsalestraining.com:

“People with authority to make decisions in their organizations find money all the time for things that were not on their radar screens during business planning time, and so they can capitalize on opportunities as they arise.”

According to Surveys by DemandGenReport:

“… only 20% – 30% of purchases are budgeted at the beginning of the year. Between 70% and 80% of survey respondents say they evaluate potential solutions, build a business case for immediate adoption, and then obtain spending approval.”

Moral of the blog: Don’t use the holidays as a reasons not to connect, prospect, and cold call potential clients. Constantly reach out to folks!

Executives are planning for 2013. Your product or solution my not be on their radar until you connect with them.

I don’t plan to buy a brand new BMW X5 anytime soon. But if I got a call from a dealership offering me one for a phenomenal price, I could be swayed. Same with your prospects. You never know until you try.