IT Consulting: Seasonal Selling Trends

Summary:
IT consulting has a hot season and a cold one. Be aware that the holiday season and mid-summer are the slowest times for IT consulting.

In IT consulting, you should be aware of your seasonal selling trends. The general rule of advice is don’t expect anyone to make a major buying decision for a small business IT project in the late summer or during the holidays; unless it’s an emergency. 

Avoid the Typical Vacation Months

For most of you running an IT consulting business, keep in mind that from early July until Labor Day in early September, you shouldn’t expect any major decisions to be made by clients or prospects.

If you have a stack of hot IT consulting leads, prospects and proposals that you’ve cranked out, you better be following up very heavily in April, May and June.  When July first rolls around, it’s going to be a pretty quiet time for those next eight weeks or so. 

Know When to Promote Your IT Consulting Business

Along the same lines, it’s best to focus on sales/marketing in the fall season, from Labor Day in early September until mid to late November, around Thanksgiving.

These ten to fourteen weeks are the season to hit the pavement hard, follow up on all the IT consulting leads you have, get out on as many sales calls as possible, generate as many proposals as possible and try to get the commitments for the big projects.

Don't Expect Committments During the Holidays

Once November fifteenth or twenty-fifth rolls around, unless it’s an emergency or really hot issue, it’s tough to get people to commit to major IT consulting projects until after the first of the year.

The typical response and objection is, "That sounds great. Let’s talk about it. We’ll be ready to go after the first of the year." Make sure you’re aware of these seasons and factor them into every financial decision you make with how you’re going to allocate your time and money.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, PC Support Tips .com. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}