Turn December downtime into revenue

December is a great time to build and enhance relationships, add value and help prospects and clients fulfill their New Year needs before breaking for the holiday.”

Jeff Sleete, a 50+ year broadcast industry veteran

There is a misguided notion in sales that December is a dead month because everyone is wrapped up tight in the holidays and things are winding down. History says otherwise. In the month of December:

• The Wright Brothers achieved the first powered-controlled airplane flights.
• The Boston Tea Party was a protest against British taxation.
• Thomas Edison provided the first public demonstration of his electric incandescent lamp.
• The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, which abolished slavery.
• Guglielmo Marconi transmitted the first transatlantic radio signal.
• The birth of the modern American Civil Rights Movement began when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus, for which she was arrested.
• Apollo 8 became the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon and captured the famous “Earthrise” photo.
• Christian Barnard performed the first successful human heart transplant.
• Astronauts completed a five-day repair job in space on the Hubble Space Telescope.
• “Gone with the Wind,” which won eight competitive Oscars and two honorary awards, had its world premiere.

Salespeople who set priorities to generate new business leads and make sales calls during the December holidays achieve a return on their sales success.

The best way to take advantage of the sales opportunities in December is to press into them. The “extra mile” is never crowded.

December is the 12^th month of the year. Why is it again that you can’t make a sale in the last month of the calendar year?

“Yeah, but I take a few days off, maybe a week during December.” Good for you! But there are still another 2-3 weeks to put your pedal to the metal and make deals.

Even though Christmas falls on a Thursday, there is no reason to wipe out Monday, Tuesday, early Wednesday, and Friday if you are working.

December is a great time to build and enhance relationships, add value and help prospects and clients fulfill their New Year needs before breaking for the holiday.

Just because schools are closed doesn’t mean everyone is on break. Many business pros will have already taken their vacations earlier in the year and will be working over the holiday period. On the other hand, as many support staff are using up their vacation time, there is a greater chance of connecting with C-suite decision-makers.

Santa is making his list and checking it twice. How about making a list of prospects that you want to work with in 2026 and reaching out to them in December?

Calendars that are hard to get onto at other times of the year are usually wide open at the start of the new year. You can maximize on that by making connections in December and filling your January with prospect meetings.

As you enter the month, look at your existing client base and see if there are ways you can up-sell them at the start of the new year.

Pitch ad ideas into a series of upcoming events that make for good ad copy, retail sales events and promotions:

• Super Bowl — Sunday, February 8, Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California
  Think restaurants, sports bars, consumer electronics, grocers, c-stores, beverage distributors, sports apparel (team jerseys) and home goods.

• Valentine's Day — Saturday, February 14
  Think restaurants, gift and card shops, florists, candy retailers, jewelry stores, spas and salons.

• February white sales and furniture sales

• President's Day — Monday, February 16
  Think automotive, household appliances, consumer electronics, furniture and apparel (clearing out winter merchandise).

• Mardi Gras — the official Carnival season, which begins on January 6 and ends on Fat Tuesday, February 17
  Think restaurants, bars, catering services, liquor and wine shops, party supplies and ride-sharing services.

• Patrick's Day — Tuesday, March 17
  Think restaurants, bars, bakeries, apparel, party supplies, convenience and grocery stores, liquor and wine shops and ride-sharing services.

Have some reflective moments with your key clients and set yourself apart from your competition, who are in a total coast mode. Ask them:

“How did we perform overall for you this year?”

“How can I improve what (name of your media outlet) does for you?”

And while you are at it, do a little introspection: What sales lessons and new experiences have you gained this year? What do you want more of, and how can you best attain it? What do you want less of, and how do you put a stop to it?

Use December to get ahead of your 2026 quota. Make your December a month to remember.

Jeff Sleete is a 50+ year broadcast industry veteran — sales manager/GM/corporate sales head. He most enjoys helping sales departments position themselves as “mavens” (experts) of business to be more successful at selling advertising. Fundamentally, Jeff is a salesman. Through his media sales consultancy, Sleete Sales Script, he provides a daily road map for sellers of any media outlet type to be more consultative in their approach to their clients and set themselves apart from all their competition. Learn more about Jeff at https://www.sleetesales.com/. Or reach him at  jeff@sleetesales.com.