December is a tough month in sales and business development, I am not going to sugarcoat it. But as any SDR or BDR knows, every month in business and sales development is tough. You guys are the hardest working people in the company and you were built for this. Instead of worrying about what is to come this month, let’s talk about How to make the most of December.
Summary: How To Make The Most Of December
- Know Your Numbers
- Growth Mindset
- Build For January
- Predict & Prepare
1. Know Your Numbers
Sales and business development is a numbers game with a little bit of spice sprinkled on top. We all have a target to reach, most likely a month target that rolls up to a quarterly. We all recognise that there are a certain volume of activities that we need to complete in order to hit that target.
The first thing is to know Your numbers. What is your conversion of qualifying meetings to opps accepted/pipeline assigned? You can figure this out by looking back at your performance over the last 3 months and getting the average. If you are new and don’t have any historical data yourself, check out what successful team members have done and base your own goals on that. You should always know your numbers so nothing new yet.
December is a little different. In terms of business days it is a lot shorter than a regular month. This year, the way the calendar falls (unless you are working the Middle East Region) we can expect all meaningful sales development activity to cease around 16th December. It is unlikely that we will book any more meetings for 2022 after this date.
That means instead of 30 days in the month, we have 16. When we remove the weekend days, we have 12 business days. Create your activity, IQM and opportunity targets based on that. Unfortunately, we need to get more done in less time in December. It doesn’t seem fair but it is the reality of the situation so plan for that as best you can. With 12 business days there is no time to waste in December.
2. Adopt A Growth Mindset
As outlined in my recent post How Can I Be A Successful SDR? adopting a growth mindset is absolutely essential for success as an SDR or BDR, and this is most relevant in tougher months like December. In a nutshell, this means that we have to have the ability to look at challenges as opportunities and identify creative ways to overcome those challenges. Many reps write off December as a failure before we even begin. Around the office I hear people say things like “It’s going to be impossible to hit in December” or “There is no point in calling anyone in December”.
With that attitude you are sure to fail. I am the first to admit that December is a challenging month as an SDR. There is no denying that however acknowledging that and approaching it with the mindset that it is a challenge you can overcome is your best option.
3. Build For January
The good news is if you do adopt a growth mindset and you fall short, you can still reap those rewards in January. Yes December is the end of the quarter and the year but it is also just another month. Many people will try to push out the meeting until January. Of course you need to do your best to handle this objection however if they really do not want to meet until January, that’s ok.
If a prospect tells you ‘not right now’ or ‘follow up in the new year’ and you cannot convince them to talk to you in December, then send them a placeholder for January. Ask them to confirm receipt by accepting the email and let them know you will follow up in early January. Too many reps accept the ‘call me in January’ excuse and never manage to get anything in calendar for either December or January. Focus on getting what you can from December and then start building for January.
4. Predict & Prepare
This might be your first December in the world of sales development but it has come and gone in the past and will again in the future. The objections are the same every year, the attitudes of buyers are the same and the challenges are the same. This means that we can accurately predict the objections and challenges we will face.
Instead of waiting until December is almost over, prepare now. Today. Ask AEs who’ve been around for the last few years to tell you what to expect and how to handle it. Talk to more senior SDRs and BDRs, ask your managers for advice. Don’t be surprised by something that you can prepare for.
In my experience you can expect people to do some of the following:
- Push out calls until the new year – empathise with their situation & let them know how it’s better for them to talk in Dec
- Agree to calls and then not show up – prepare by delivering value & confirming next step on call, follow up with email and update calendar invite on the day to try to ensure they feel compelled to show up.
- Ignore you, hoping you will go away (like always) – use Christmas as an opportunity to be human and connect with people by wishing them a Merry Christmas, asking them about their plans etc. People buy people first.
And remember December is intense for your prospects too so lead with empathy and value. Check out 5 Reasons You Need To Lead With Value As A BDR and Share any December tips you have in the comments and good luck!
Until next time!