September marks the first month of Fall and man, do I love Fall. Pumpkin Spice Lattes, also known as PSLs, are available at the local coffee shops, Ugg Boots are acceptable to start wearing as the chilly weather comes in, and thick sweaters are being stocked in all the trendy clothing shops. We’ve made it through summer and the thick humidity and are now settled back in our offices from our last fling of summer vacations. Many marketing and sales representatives start to think that since summer and vacations are over, their lead generation will soon rise and the end of the year deal closings will be back at it. This isn’t the case though. Logically thinking, summer is the start to what I would consider a downward trend in the market.
Yes, in summer, it’s harder to get people on the phone; get any inclining of interest; or even catch them in their office at all. They have different priorities. Their kids are off from school, family vacations are all the crave, and some are able to adjust their hours to working from home. Then comes fall, kids go back to school, weather becomes to chilly for weekend beach getaways, and you people are in their offices ready to pick up your phone call. Wrong…. Yes, it’s a proven fact that many people are back in their offices compared to the prior months, but because of that, they are swamped with ‘catch-up’ work. They have numerous amounts of meetings to attend leaving them with little time to take a phone call or open an email from a person they aren’t familiar with. Plus, fall is one of the quickest seasons of the year. Winter swiftly approaches and with it comes all the holidays leaving offices closed, people back on vacations, and of course the mad rush of trying to holiday shop on everyone’s lunch break.
Don’t worry though; use this time as a start for your next years big sales.
There are many ways you can work around these chillier months and warm up your CRM with potential new clients so that the New Year brings you more cheer! Many businesses are looking at new budgets, which means new ideas are a float. Holidays make many people in a cheery mood, or the adverse effect, but it means you can at least get in there and make your companies name noticeable and memorable by sending a holiday card or by inviting them to a holiday happy hour. Find ways outside of the office to get yourself in front of them. Charity events are huge in the fall and winter months. This is an ample feeding ground for networking and works as a great way to give back as well as receive potential business clients. Use this hustle and bustle time to your advantage. Provide deals that they can’t refuse. Instead of giving them a sales pitch, use your knowledge to make them trust you as an advisor instead of a sales rep. Many people don’t have the time to do the research as they wrap up their year; so bringing them knowledge and pre arranged comparison maps is a must. Then maybe you can close that deal sooner than in the New Year!
Want more sales and marketing advice? Trust KTL’s Marketing department and call 301.360.0001.
ELIZABETH MORIS| Marketing Lead Coordinator
Elizabeth is responsible for the development and management of KTL’s marketing department while designing and overseeing marketing operations and campaign planning. With her creativity and design background, Elizabeth maintains KTL’s branding efforts, marketing plans, social media marketing, and performance improvement strategies. She also manages the consistency and fluidity of different collateral mediums making sure KTL’s main image and goal are continuous. Her specialties include graphic design, content editing, event planning, tracking analytical data, public relations, integrated marketing, social media marketing, and print and web design. Elizabeth is proficient in Adobe Suite and Microsoft Office. She attained a Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communications and Commercial Design from Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA and a Master of Arts in Publication Design from the University of Baltimore in Baltimore, Md.
