Shut up, and be active in the holiday season

There are plenty of things to consider doing if you are working across the Christmas/ January business hiaitus. Here are some tips to help to build your sales for 2011!

Craig Munns, Sales Innovation

Shut up!

As the old saying goes: we have two ears and one mouth for a reason.

Active listening is critical to building sales. It is surprising how often those who sell feel they have to constantly chatter when dealing with a prospective customer.

There is no doubt that you have to proactively pitch the service or product you are offering, and you should do so in a concise, thoughtful, and organised way. However, one of the main aims of a meeting a customer is to actively listen to what they have to say. Doing so will enable you to learn more about their needs, wants, anxieties, and expectations. It will also position you to respond appropriately and quickly and win more business.

Do not feel awkward when there is a ‘pregnant pause’. Do not feel you have to rush in to fill the pause. If you sit patiently and say nothing, your customer will soon react by providing you with more information.

Holiday blues?

Contrary to popular belief, the holiday period should not necessarily be a dormant period for business—whether you are selling to government, to the private sector, or to large or small organisations.

December and even more so January should be a valuable and active period for your business, even though many of your customers are tidying up the calendar year and focussing on holidays.

While you will may secure proportionally less sales in December and January there are several actions you can take to keep ahead of the competition;

• Make a list of opportunities to raise your profile during December and January. Set up short appointments with customers, send them an informative email and consider sending a holiday greeting.
• If you after larger business and government business, keep your eye on tender opportunities and make sure you are registered on all relevant tender web sites. Do not assume that because it is the end of the year that tenders will not be posted.
• Think planning and get your business ready to hit the ground running when your customers are back on deck at the beginning of February:

1. map out a broad course of action for building business
2. decide what customers you would like to work for and research their organisations online to become familiar with their mandate, priorities and objectives

• Update your company profile and other corporate literature, so you are in a position to react quickly to new opportunities that arise.
• Consider calling a Sales Innovation consultant to organise a January brainstorming session, to ensure you are thinking laterally and fully about new opportunities (oops, how did this get in?!).