The Countdown to Blastoff —Farquharson/Tedesco

IT'S AUGUST. You are likely chillin' in the company hammock, sipping lemonade and perusing PI's newest column while asking yourself, "Farquharson and Tedesco. Who are they?" Meanwhile, an important event is looming, one that would knock you off of your hammock if you understood its importance; one that should be a recognized holiday by salespeople everywhere; one that looks innocent but, in fact, packs a wallop.

Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you one of the most significant days of the selling year: The Day After Labor Day. (Insert dramatic sound effect here and brace for the certain shock and awe.)

Labor Day (in this case, September 6) is the unofficial end of summer. The kids are back at school and that first evening chill has come, signifying that fall is on its way. Labor Day brings closure and a page is turned. Symbolically, this change also affects business…in a good way!

Summer Is Over

You see, something magical happens the day after Labor Day. People get up, put their kids on the bus and then head into work. Settling in at their desk—either consciously or unconsciously—the impact of this date is felt and they think, "Let's see, the kids don't need all-day care. The calendar says summer is over. I guess it's time to get some work done!" Thus begins the three most important selling months of the year: September, October and November.

There are 57 selling days between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Imagine the impact of putting your head down and prospecting hard between those two dates. Given that the selling cycle in print is at least three months, you'd have some pretty serious momentum to close out the year.

Conversely, if you did nothing in that time period, it would be difficult for you to gain any traction. And traction is precisely what is needed in this critical selling block of time. Why? Because your selling efforts beginning the day after Labor Day and running through the end of November will determine how 2010 ends and how Q1 of 2011 begins. It's that important. No pressure, though.

Let's look forward and think backwards for a second, starting with the end of the year. December is a sketchy sales month, and your efforts to gain appointments are met with inconsistent results. After Thanksgiving hits, the closer you get to Christmas, the more things slow down and more likely you are to hear the words, "Call me after the holidays."

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