It’s Going to be December for Awhile

By Steven M. Stroum

The veteran salesman once told me, “You can’t make sales during December, it’s the holidays: nobody’s in the mood to do business.” And the rookie, a fresh young lady who had never sold anything before, listened and did exactly what I told her--“Make more sales calls in December then during any other month, make unscheduled calls on folks and wish them ‘happy holidays.’ They will be nice to you and receptive because it’s the holidays.”

The rookie outsold the veteran by a factor of four to one! And she scheduled several appointments for January and created a lot of goodwill. Why?  Because she identified the opportunities during this challenging month.  Moreover, she positioned herself well for the New Year. In selling, it is all about your point-of-view.

The same applies to marketing. During tough economic times, smaller companies, especially industrial and technical, have a tendency to retract and stop spending. It seems as though they look at marketing as black and white, but there are shades of grey in marketing, particularly for smaller companies.  Unless you are a market leader, the opportunities to gain market share during tough economic times are fabulous. Yes, there will be a cost, in terms of profit margin, and the payback may not be immediate. But in the long run, your company will be better off gaining new accounts.

Marketing is all about your point-of-view. Being creative, solving problems and identifying opportunities. So, here we are in very tough economic times. Our choice is to retract and accept our lemons or to make lemonade. As Abby Robey, sales and marketing manager of Xuron Corp., a maker of hand tools, wrote to me after a previous recession, "By continuing our regular schedule of publicity releases during the down times, I think we planted a lot of seeds that are now bearing fruit--our sales are up and, best of all, we continue to reach new markets, helping to diversify our customer base.”

Industrial marketers have a fabulous opportunity during these tough economic times if they can be creative and maintain market presence within their budgets. Because, like December, when folks are in a “receptive mood,” prospects are more likely to entertain offers from new vendors who might save them money or provide greater value during these tough times. They’re willing to take another look at you, even if they claim to be familiar with your product or service offerings.  People resist change because there is an emotional and practical cost associated with change that is often too great during ordinary times. However, these aren’t ordinary economic times and the cost of change has come down with stock prices. 

It is going to be December for awhile; take advantage of it.

Steven M. Stroum is the founder and president of Venmark International, an industrial and technical product publicity firm located in Wellesley, Massachusetts.  He was appointed one of 18 Small Business Advisors to the Governor of Massachusetts, toured South Korea as an Ambassador for the International Rotary Foundation, was a member of the Norbert Weiner Forum at Tufts University to study the impact of technology on society, and was listed in "Who's Who in the East."  www.venmarkinternational.com 
 

 

Comments

[TJ McCue]

Steven,
this is an awesome post. i know tons of people write that sort of generic comment, but i really mean it. This is fantastic. I just went through a major lead nurture effort for a client and i know it is going to pan out in a big way come January. Just as you highlight for this other salesperson.

Kudos!
TJ
http://www.q4sales.com