Sales Training | Call me after the holidays 10.5 Winning Tactics

 In Business, Business Advice, Marketing, Sales, Sales Advice, Selling

What’s one of the the biggest objections during the holiday seasons? “Call me after the holiday is the second most-heard objection in sales during the holiday season (first and still champion, the “price objection.” Third being, the ” think about it objection.”). It comes up year after year and salespeople get stalled year after year, unnecessarily. Here are some strategies that will help keep your sales on track.

“Call me after the holiday” Humbug. It’s an excuse for decision makers to put buying decisions on hold. But the worst of them are the Christmas to New Year, “Call me back after the holidays,” and “Call me after the first of the year.” Two of the most hated phrases in sales. (They still rank behind “We’ve decided to buy from someone else.”)

Call me after the holidays is not a real objection. It’s worse. It’s a stall. Stalls are twice as bad as objections. When you get a stall, you have to somehow dance around it, and then you still must deal with the real objection before you can proceed.

1. Prevention – the best cure. If you know this objection is coming, do something BEFORE it happens. Prevention of objections and stalls is the most obvious, most powerful, and least used sales technique. Here are a few prevention methods.

* Start in early November to create urgency.
* Set price raises in September to take effect January 1. Announce them right away and communicate them weekly into the holiday season.
* Create a holiday special. Have a five day sale in December.
* Offer December price incentives or special value incentives.
* Throw a holiday party. Invite prospects and customers, and offer them a “Tonight only deal.”
* Hold a series of teleseminars/seminars that are about important issues to your prospects and customers. Have the best one just before the holidays. Serve great content.
* Create an internal sales contest with a great first, second and third prizes.
* Build relationships all year long.

Here are 9.5 more winning tactics to use that will help overcome the stall:

2. Be funny. Say, “So many people have said call me after the first that I’m booked until April. I do however, have a few openings before the first. How about it?” Making the other person laugh (smile) will go a long way towards getting past the stall. An alternative joke is, “What holiday?”

2. Close on the stall. “What day after the first of the year would you want to take (would be most convenient to take) delivery?”

3. Firm it up, whenever it is. Ask, “When after the first of the year? Can I buy you the first breakfast of the new year?” Make a firm appointment.

4. If it’s just a callback, make the prospect write it down. Call backs must be appointed, or the other guy is never there when you call. Writing it down makes it a firm commitment.

5. Tell them about your resolutions. “I’ve made a New Year’s resolution that I’m not going to let people like you who need our service, delay until after the first of the year. You know you need it.”

6. Offer incentives and alternatives. Invent reasons not to delay. Bill after the holiday. Order now, deliver after the holiday.

7. Question them into a corner — and close them when they get there. “What will be different after the holidays? Will anything change over the holidays that will cause you not to buy?” (Prospect’s answer — “Oh no, no, no.”) “Great!” you say, “Let’s get you order in production (service scheduled) now, and we’ll deliver it after the holiday. When were you thinking of taking delivery (beginning).”

7. Agree. Then disagree. I know what you mean…lots of people feel that way. Most don’t realize that the money wasted between now and the first of the year, will equate to a huge savings if they buy now. Are you sure you want to waste the money?

8. Get a video or written testimonial. Ask someone who bought before the holidays and was glad they did to write you a two paragraph letter. Get one paragraph about the value they received and how they originally wanted to wait. The second paragraph should be about how happy they are about your service after the sale. Similar situations are more powerful than your sales pitch.

9. Drop-by Selling – with holiday cheer. Use a small holiday plant or gift to get in the door.

10.5 Create urgency. There’s a product or delivery back-up after the first — schedule now.

Recommended Posts
Contact Us

We're not around right now. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

Not readable? Change text.