We’re getting to that tricky time of year again, whereby salesmen come up against the “well I think it is really interesting, but I’ve got a lot going on in the run up to Christmas, so I’ll leave it until the New Year.” Isn’t it frustrating? We all know now it is just an excuse, after all it is still 6 weeks until Christmas. Essentially they have written off nearly 15% of the year (including the 2 weeks after Christmas “until we get back into our stride”) to benefit from whatever it is you are selling.

So you need to come up with a strategy to counteract this stalling tactic, otherwise you could be destined for lean times in the next two months. Selling coaching is a tricky enough thing at the best times (intangibles always are) but at this time year it can be harder than ever. So in my case I explain that despite their busy schedule, it is surely worth getting the goals set before the oncoming year, so that we can get started on the actions to achieve those goals (both short and long term) from the beginning of the New Year. The key thing is, that this is not just a sales tactic, because it genuinely makes sense to take this course of action, and my potential clients can see that too, and will often go ahead as a result.

So how can you find ways around the “Christmas” excuses. It can’t just be words, there must be a genuine benefit to your client, because then they are far more likely to take advantage of your offer.

Conversely, it may also be worth looking at yourself and asking what are you putting off due to Christmas coming. What changes are you avoiding, what things could you improve, what issues could you confront? Be honest with yourself, have you got genuine reasons for not doing these things, or are they just excuses?

If you have a coach, you wouldn’t be allowed to get away with these things, so why not give yourself an early Christmas present, and arrange a meting with me to see what you could achieve next year if you have your goals clearly set out before you.