Overcome the summertime sales blues

Isn’t it scary how fast 2013 has passed?

It feels like just a couple of weeks ago we were toasting the New Year. Now 2014 is around the corner, with Christmas mere weeks away.

If you’re in the toy business or own a trendy inner-city bar, you’re probably rushed off your feet right now. Then again, you’re also probably too busy right now to read this blog right now – no rest for the wicked! Back to work!

The opposite is true for the rest of us – especially if your business involves B2B sales, public service contracts or the community sector.

As we head into Christmas and then summer, the sales calls that end with “Jane’s our purchasing manager. But sorry, she’s spending a few weeks in Vanuatu over summer” become an increasingly frequent and frustrating occurrence.

Then there are the blow-off calls you get from staff who have already blown their annual budget. That is unless you sell to the public service, where the employees are all too busy finding new junkets to blow the remainder of this year’s budget on.

So what happens when you hit the summertime sales blues – especially if you’re trying to sell between Christmas and New Year’s Day?

It’s worth remembering that, unless you’re dealing with con artists, telcos or prominent politicians, no one purchases a product or service they have never heard of.

Even if it’s a tough slog at the moment, keep at it.

Keep talking about your company. Talk about your products. Talk about what you represent. Talk about your value proposition. Talk about everything you normally would talk about.

Don’t get discouraged! Keep networking and finding new business partners! Keep checking those existing accounts!

You might have much luck merrily closing deals over Christmas, but you will be helping to ensure you have a Happy New Year!

Get it done – over summer!