Accelerating B2B Sales During Slow Months

By Yulia Vereshagina, Head of Marketing, SkaledLike most sales, B2B selling, for the most part, is a cyclical activity. Buying decisions can often be dependent on the time of year, including holidays, seasons, and quarters. However, does a cyclically slow sales period mean that salespeople should put in less effort or focus on non-selling activities?The answer is a resounding NO. Salespeople should never stop selling; it’s eponymous with their title and should always remain the focus. That said, there are three essential steps to take during slow months to accelerate your overall sales – here they are:Look back to sell aheadThe first and most important step of selling more during slow months is to figure out exactly what’s causing the downturn. Blaming it on summer or the holiday season is easy -- and might be accurate -- but just to be sure, research and find insights on why these specific months lag in sales.Look at previous years’ sales and find trends on who said “no” and why. Then, find out if there were customers that were closed during the slow months. Compare closed clients to rejections or prospects who were unsure and see if there’s an underlying pattern. Use that analysis to see who’s still on your outreach list that fits that same pattern. At worst, you’re likely to have a smaller, better-qualified outreach list, and at best, you will sell more in slow months and have a system to replicate it in the future.Use downtime to create long-term relationshipsWinter holiday season and the lazy days of summer can add up to a lot of downtime for B2B businesses. People are taking time off to travel, celebrate, and spend time with family. It seems then, that trying to reach out to clients and prospects at this time would be fruitless. With traditional sales strategies and an “always be closing” mentality, selling anything during this time will be difficult. However, turning this downtime into an inclusive experience for the people in your sales pipeline will lead to creating long-term relationships with clients and prospects alike. To do this you could:

• Invite key prospects to your holiday party
• Coordinate a golf outing, yoga retreat, or cooking class where prospects are teamed with senior leadership
• Host a charity event honoring causes that are meaningful to your prospects

A study by Oracle showed that 81% of buyers are willing to spend more money for a better customer experience. And, 85% of all consumers have a positive opinion of a company that supports a cause. Ask yourself this question: “Is there a better customer experience than welcoming prospects into a relationship as if they were already a client, team member, or family member? Making a positive impression on your prospects is a great move forward in the sales process.Dial-in your sales focus by partnering with marketingSo far, we know that clients and prospects are less likely to buy during certain months, ultimately slowing down the sales cycle. But those months should never slow down marketing. Marketing has its fair share of peaks and slumps, but unlike sales, the time of year has less of an impact.It’s no surprise that when marketing and sales teams are aligned, retention and revenue grow. But did you know they both increase by over 30%? So, why not use the downtime to align the two teams even more? Work hand-in-hand with marketing and develop a list of prospects and personas to target in the upcoming months. Your marketing team can then create an inbound strategy to bring those prospects into the sales funnel for you to initiate conversations and close.Slow months don’t have to be the bane of salespeople’s existence. We have to accept they are simply part of business. What we don’t have to do, however, is allow them to set us back. By staying proactive, positive, and collaborative, we can make slower months work in our favor, all while managing to squeeze in a fun fitness or cooking class.How do you make the most of the ‘slow’ months?[author] About the Author: Yulia Vereshagina is the Head of Marketing at Skaled, a modern sales-consulting firm that helps companies optimize their sales processes, people, and technology to accelerate business growth for scaling success. Responsible for all marketing operations and lead-generation efforts, she joined the company in September 2015 and is based in its SoHo office in New York City. Specializing in B2C and B2B marketing strategy and analytics, she brings to the role a passion for emerging technology and innovation.  [/author]