每个假期季节，您都会发现经理们向他们的代表尖叫以完成更多交易。为什么？好吧，让我们面对现实，12月31日结束的交易比1月2日结束的交易还要多。
对销售人员来说,假期是一段紧张的时间but much of that pressure is self-imposed. The problem stems from salespeople using the same strategies to close business in December that they use to close business in July. End-of-year selling requires a different approach.
Here are ten ways to sell differently this holiday season. Employ these tactics now, and you'll be more prepared to end the year on a high note.
10 Ways to Close Deals Around the Holidays
1. Map out your key dates.
According to HubSpot Sales Director丹·提尔（Dan Tire）, figuring out the key dates for the season as early as you can is key to getting ahead for the holidays. Planning your sales activities around the dates and days of the week of major holidays.
让我们使用与美国感恩节有关的示例。一些企业整整一周都没有，许多企业在星期四感恩节之前的星期二和星期三开始放慢速度。此外，感恩节后的第二天没有开业的50％。通过日历进行工作可以帮助您了解许多您试图出售的人可能不会反应迅速或在该一周内进行销售对话，因此您应该围绕这些数据进行计划。
在澳大利亚，企业从12月中旬左右开始假期。到12月15日，该国大多数企业都关闭了，因此，如果您向那里的客户出售，考虑到主要的假期日期可以预防惊喜。
集线器销售量ManagerAnnalisa Spectreechoes this advice adding:
“I recommend clarifying early and often what out of office time will look like for your prospects over the holidays. You can even weave it into your early rapport on a discovery call by asking what their holiday plans look like and if they are taking any time off.
It's also important to ask who else needs to be involved in the decision making process and what their time off schedule looks like. Nothing is worse than being at the finish line with a deal and being surprised when a decision maker is out of office and unreachable."
2. Start setting expectations with your team and prospects early.
For HubSpot Senior Sales ManagerMintis Hankerson，在年底之前达到她的销售目标时，准备工作是关键。她说：“为了在假期中取得成功，我总是提前准备。到11月，我确切地知道团队的管道中有什么，我知道今年余下的时间会发生什么。”
She recommends mapping out a plan before the holidays to know exactly where your team stands, and what number you need to hit before the end of the year. During this time, it is also important to set clear expectations with your prospects, letting them know what timeline you're working on, encouraging them to move through the sales process efficiently.
丹同意这一建议，鼓励代表向后工作，以确定何时需要达到关键里程碑，以便及时完成交易。他说：
“I start very early in the quarter asking clients 'When do you want to implement this solution?' Most people will say 'by the end of the year' which can come up quickly.
I respond by saying, "Great! That means we need to have onboarding done by December 15, installation by December 5, the purchase needs to be complete by November 20, and proposals need to be complete before that.' When you start looking at your timeline in reverse, you realize you don't have much time to waste."
The good news is that many people understand that making purchasing decisions around the holidays, so being a good project manager and scheduler can be a great benefit to the customer and can establish some urgency.
3.使您的12月10日结束。
任何优惠（无论定价还是条款）应在12月10日而不是12月31日到期。这迫使谈判是在利益相关者在采购和法律上不在办公室之前进行的 - 您善意的前景可能没有考虑过。
If you introduce an expiration date for terms or discounts and your prospect says they'll still need a few weeks to decide, say, "That's fine, but this current discount will expire on December 10th."
这使您远离了假期期间结束交易的压力，并将争夺的前景转移。
如果他们仍然无法在12月10日之前关闭，但对锁定折扣或条款有积极感兴趣，请询问您的潜在客户cando by the 10th.
如果他们能在给你一样简单的事情hase number, you've succeeded in moving the deal forward. But hopefully, the urgency of an expiring discount gives your prospect the push they need to meet your December closing deadline.
4. Close for post-sale activity.
Representatives from your prospect's finance, legal, and procurement teams, and much of the executive staff will likely be busy or on vacation beginning December 15th. While most mid-level prospects are winding down for the year, operations and executive teams are often busy finishing important paperwork, planning for the new year, and balancing budgets.
Without these stakeholders, even your most eager prospects won't be able to move their deals forward.The solution? Close for post-sale activity.
In mid-November, tell your prospect,
“尼克，我知道您想尽快实施此产品/服务。您应该知道我们一月份的入职时间表正在快速预订。如果我们在下周没有安排此计划，则可能是2月或三月，我们才能加入您。“
If you've inspired enough urgency, your prospect should say, "Oh really? Is there anything we can do to secure an earlier onboarding slot?" Reply, "We have a few spots open in December. If we can get the paperwork finalized, I'll schedule your onboarding for next week."
When you explain that waiting until January to close will push onboarding and training until February or March, it puts the advantages of closing quickly into perspective. That can be the jolt your prospect needs to attain final approvals as soon as possible.
5. Push new business to January.
This might sound contrary to sales nature -- but hear me out. Most new opportunities in mid-to-late November are not going to close by the end of the year. This means they're simply taking up time and resources you could be using to close existing opportunities.
If a prospect's requesting a December demo or late-November trial, simply say, "I'm afraid our trials are spoken for through December, but I can get you scheduled first thing January."
Your prospect might say, "Great, let's get January in the books," which allows you to focus on deals that have a real chance of closing before the end of the year. And if your prospect says, "Is there anything you can do to squeeze us in this December," this signals you have a motivated buyer who might close quickly. Capitalize on their eagerness, and move forward accordingly.
Instead of packing your December calendar with demos and trials, book a plane ticket to that client who's just about to close, or devote extra time to coaching a prospect through gaining executive buy-in. These are subtle shifts that will help you come out on top of your end-of-year number.
6. Commit to an aggressive discovery call schedule in December.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is waiting until January to fill your pipeline. You should begin filling your new-year pipeline in December.
等到1月将你的开始year off on the wrong foot. Schedule discovery calls with new prospects in December. And book as many as you can, regardless of qualification.
这将加速销售流程，因此您的一月将充满资格对话。尽管您可能会在日历翻转新的一年时可能会遇到的情感障碍，但它将推动您的前进。
7. Spend time on internal activities at the end of December.
Take some time in December to work on internal activities that will benefit you and your colleagues in the new year. Meet with people in product marketing, operations, etc.
December is a good month to revisit and reenergize internal connections. Ask about upcoming product enhancements and marketing campaigns. And get insight into the company's roadmap and goals for the first half of the year.
Meeting with colleagues in different departments will give you a clearer idea of the direction the company is going in the upcoming year. And it's always beneficial to know of any organizational changes ahead of time. This way you'll be prepared to hit the ground running when you get back from your holiday break.
8. Do some public speaking in December.
Flex your presentation muscle and look for public speaking opportunities in December. Is your alma mater hosting an alumni panel for current students? Are there any conferences you can speak at?
询问您的朋友，同事或经理，您是否可以发表任何营销或销售活动，或者您可以举办网络研讨会。
You could even assist human resources with onboarding new hires. It's a good way to practice your presentation skills without having to do it in front of a prospect or customer.
Test out these strategies to have a productive December, and close more deals. Your holiday sales playbook must go beyond offering discounts. Your customers are smart. They know you're trying to close as many deals as possible around the holidays. They also know the discount you've extended or the special terms you've offered are just there to get them to sign on the dotted line.
9.有关键的联系信息。
丹回忆起销售人员在紧迫的截止日期工作时犯的一个常见错误：
“当我在本月底与销售人员一起工作时说'让我们打电话给联系人的手机'，希望结束交易，我听说'...我没有它'我意识到我们已经做出了一个关键的错误。
在第二次或第三次会议中，我总是问“我的SPOC（单一联系点）是该计划的？”当他们向我介绍我的SPOC时，我问他们“您是文字人还是电话人？”根据我的经验，许多人说他们更喜欢文字。
I then ask them for their phone number, and immediately text them saying, 'Now you have my contact information (and I have yours) if we need to quickly touch base.'"
Having contact information in place so you know exactly how to get a hold of key decision makers can save you precious time so your team isn't scrambling at the end of the year.
10. Unplug when you need to.
在压力大的一年结束时，一年末花一些时间与家人和解压缩在一起很重要。如果您提前计划并需要一些休息时间，Dan建议您预先说：“我将从12月24日至12月31日脱机，所以让我知道我如何在休息之前提供帮助。”
This clear messaging shows empathy, realism, and many people are understanding and accommodating.
尝试另一种方法，看看假期销售季节如何治疗今年的袜子。而且，如果您正在寻找更多的完成12月交易的方法，请查看这些销售关闭技术next.
Editor's Note: This piece was originally published in December 2018 and has been updated for cohesiveness.
最初发布于2020年10月27日1:00：00 PM，更新于2021年6月15日Related Articles
