Fill Your Pipeline In December — below is Caryn Kopp’s latest tips for driving sales - and why late December is a great time of the year to reach decision makers.

By: Caryn Kopp, Chief Door Opener®

Why spend the last two weeks of December cleaning out files when you could be filling next year’s pipeline with new business? Most business owners and salespeople believe that trying to reach prospects at year-end is pointless and instead spend time getting organized for the coming year. In doing this, they miss out on one of the best times of the year to reach decision makers live. Here’s what we’ve learned about prospecting in December…

1. Companies have fewer internal meetings during the last two weeks of the year due to employee vacations and mid-day holiday parties. This means decision makers are more likely to be working at their desks and available when you call.

2. Many assistants take year-end time off (especially if they have school-age children), leaving decision makers to answer their own phones…without gatekeepers.

3. Decision makers who are in their offices at this time of year are more relaxed and chatty.

4. Your competitors don’t think this way. They usually stop calling prospects the 2nd week of December. Your “share of voice” when leaving voicemails and reaching prospects live will be higher and you will get more accomplished with each call.

5. Decision makers will typically not accept a meeting from mid to end of December. However, if you request a date to meet NEXT year (which is just days away), their calendars are usually wide open. Ask for a meeting in early January and watch your calendar fill up.

This works especially well with hard-to-reach and senior level decision makers.