Wondering what is the best strategy for telemarketing during the Christmas season? Our friends at Adversus are here to help you create the best strategy for this time of the year. And remember you can accept payments with Waytobill through Adversus!
Can you call prospects during the Christmas holidays?
Many people usually take a break from work between Christmas and New Year. They recharge their batteries by spending time with family and friends and eating way too much Christmas food. But is it a good idea to disturb them during their Christmas hibernation?
When working with telemarketing, the timing of your calls hugely affects your conversion rates and this applies to both B2B and B2C.
If you work in B2C marketing, you have probably noticed that people rarely have time to talk on the phone while they are at work. It can also be challenging to get a hold of your leads in the late afternoon while they are busy doing grocery shopping, picking up children from school, or preparing dinner. And if you call B2B, there is a limited amount of time during the day when people are actually at work, thus able to pick up the phone.
Planning your calls is, therefore, crucial if you want to sell. But it is not just a matter of catching people at the right time of the day. There are also seasonal fluctuations in how easy it is to sell.
All things considered, December is a difficult month for many in the telemarketing industry, let it be either B2B or B2C calls. Businesses are busy finishing the last assignments before Christmas and not too willing to make new deals. And B2C customers are occupied with Christmas events, Christmas preparations, and, not to forget, buying last-minute Christmas presents. And the fact that Christmas can be expensive for most consumers doesn't make it easier to convince them to buy new goods unless it fits under the Christmas tree.
On the other hand, once Christmas peace descends over land, it is evident that people are more likely to pick up the phone because many take time off during Christmas. But is it a good idea to call people during the Christmas holidays?
According to data from our customers, we can see that many of them shut down their telemarketing activities between Christmas and New Year – with good reason, as many companies are closed during that period. But in some cases, it may actually make sense to grab the phone and call. However, there are a few things to be aware of.
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Check if it's legal to call during Christmas
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Consider who you're calling during Christmas
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Christmas telemarketing: remember the tone
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A few tips for calling during Christmas
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Is it a good idea to call B2C during Christmas?
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Use data to spot your peaks
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Schedule your Christmas callbacks wisely
Check if it's legal to call during Christmas
Okay, so rule number one: before you even consider calling between Christmas and New Year, keep track of the rules and check the law! Not all countries allow telemarketing during public holidays, and you may face fines if you do not comply with the rules.
Consider who you're calling during Christmas
In some industries, it can be an advantage to call between Christmas and New Year. Especially if you call B2B. Just keep in mind, it may not be possible to get hold of the right stakeholder.
Most people who are at work during holidays may not be so busy, and the atmosphere in the office may also be a little looser. Therefore, you should consider which customers you can contact during this period. When people have plenty of time, they are likely to spend time listening to your offer. Conversely, you run the risk of calling in vain if the employee you need to get hold of is not at work. This can be also be a good thing... Some gatekeepers may be away on holidays and you may finally get to speak to the decision-makers!
Christmas telemarketing: remember the tone
Christmas is the feast of hearts, and the way we communicate with each other over Christmas also tends to be gentler and happier. Therefore, consider your sales pitch as well!
Perhaps this is not the time to take an overly aggressive approach to your sales, but instead, use the occasion to get to know your potential customers better by chatting and small talking. Or even better, utilize your time by following up on existing customers by calling them to wish happy holidays.
A few tips for calling during Christmas:
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Check to see if the company in question is closed between Christmas and New Year.
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Consider calling leads you’ve already had a chat with and get to know them better.
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Don't expect to close the sale, but spend your time warming up your leads by small talking.
Is it a good idea to call B2C during Christmas?
Our recommendation is to not spend time on your B2C activities during Christmas unless you have data that indicates that it is possible to sell.
The likelihood of disrupting their Christmas holiday is much greater, and your leads might find it irritating when you call them in the middle of a Christmas dinner. You're wasting both your own and their time – and risk losing a later opportunity by being inconvenient.
Also, keep in mind that Christmas is expensive, and because of that, their purchasing power is not very high when it comes to products that cannot lie under the Christmas tree.
Use data to spot your peaks
Timing, as mentioned before, is essential in terms of your sales. The only way you can locate when your sales are peaking is by collecting data and analyzing it. By linking call time data to the outcome of your calls, you can plan your calls much better. Here, for example, it is relevant to systematically collect data on your hit rate over time.
You may discover that the probability of selling a particular product is higher at certain times of the day, on specific weekdays, or at certain times of the month. With that knowledge in hand, it's much easier to plan when your agents can create the most value at work.
Does your hit rate increase at a specific time of the day, week, or month? By knowing what time of the day, week, or month you have the highest hit rate, you can plan your workflows better.
Perhaps your B2B leads are easier to turn into customers at specific times of the month or year – e.g., at times when the liquidity is high? Or your B2C customers may be easier to get in touch with outside working hours? You'll find the answers you're looking for if you dig into your data.
The data you use to locate best-selling timeslots can also be compared to the types of products that sell or which agents are working, thereby gaining unique insights into where you need to place your bets.
Schedule your Christmas callbacks wisely
With the data in hand, it's also easier to schedule your callbacks. There can be times of the day when leads won't be available to take the call. By moving your redials, e.g., by a few hours, you increase the chances of making that sweet, sweet sale.
Another scenario is to contact your leads when you have a new relevant offer for them. However, it requires you to have data on which products they previously purchased, so you hit them up when you can offer them something better than what they already have.
Do you have more questions about telesales and calling during Christmas? Or maybe you'd like to share a creative tip that has been working well for you? Make sure to contact us!
