The holiday season truly is the most wonderful time of the year for B2C. After all, most retailers make upwards of 30% of their annual sales in the remaining few weeks of the year, according to the National Retail Federation. For B2B sellers, however, the holidays tend to be more humbug than ho-ho-ho.

That’s because at this point of the year, most buyers have spent their annual budgets. Others may be settling in for a long winter’s nap, following their travels during the fall trade show season. Still others are focused on plans for next year, not signing new deals this year. And if not for those reasons, the remaining are taking unused vacation or simply too busy with the hustle and bustle of the holidays to worry about finding new suppliers or partners.

Whatever the reason, B2B marketing can be a real challenge during the holiday season. But just because it may feel like a silent night by B2B buyers, sellers should use this precious time to do the little things that often get put on the back burner during the busier times of the year.

The following tips are inspired by classic holiday tunes, as we offer suggestions on what can be done before we all sing “Auld Lang Syne” and begin another busy year.

Write Christmas

Americans are still buying 6 billion Christmas cards per year, according to USA Today. So tap into the age-old tradition and write a personal letter, email, or LinkedIn message to your current customers, top prospects and partners. Let them know how much their partnership and patronage mean to you. The heart of B2B selling is about building and strengthening relationships.

Makin’ a List, Checkin’ It Twice

On Hubspot, on Salesforce, on Nimble, and Apptivo! It’s easy to fall behind on your CRM updates during the business year. Use the 12 days of Christmas to tidy up your contacts, import new ones, install the platform on both your desktop and mobile, and ensure you’ve made all operating updates to ensure you’ll go down in history this next sales year.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Time is incredibly precious during the year. But as things quiet down around the office, wherever that office may be, take some time to listen to a new business podcast, or listen to a podcast for the first time. The majority of podcasts fall in the 30- to 70-minute range and can help provide inspiration and instruction in your business life. Need a suggestion? Here are a few business podcasts *Forbes *currently recommends. Or perhaps you might prefer listening to a recent podcast that features Spire partner Steve Gray.

The Nice List

Surfing the internet for more than holiday deals is completely acceptable this time of year. In fact, it’s the perfect time to add new people to your prospect list. Conduct searches on LinkedIn based on criteria like job title, company size, department, etc. Peek at who follows your competition. And think about whether your product or service might solve a problem in a non-traditional industry. And if you do a little shopping online at work, you’re not alone. A Harris Poll found that 69% of employees do it and 89% of Millennials do too.

Said Many Times, Many Ways

You have more time on your business hands, so use it to learn something new. Read as many business blogs and articles as possible and pass that learning on by posting it on your LinkedIn feed. Better yet, write a blog of your own on a topic. According to LinkedIn, 73% of B2B decision-makers research products during the evening and 51% during weekends. With more time off work, there’s a higher chance that you can reach an otherwise disengaged audience with your content on holidays and off-hours

The New Old-Fashioned Way

With the new year around the corner, it’s important to contemplate your personal goals for 2022. How can you be a better coworker, partner and person? How do you achieve the coveted work-life balance? What does success truly look like for you? Take this quiet time to reflect on what you want to do in your professional and personal life to truly be happy in the upcoming year.

As you utilize these tips during the holiday season, might we suggest some festive music to play in the background? Perhaps you’ll rock around the Christmas tree with our Spire on Spotify country playlist, Vol. 16: Yuletide, Y’all. Or turn it up down on the ‘Shore with Vol. 17: A Very Jersey Christmas.

May you have a wonderfully productive holiday season, and a happy and prosperous New Year. After all, two-thirds of B2B marketers expect their budgets to increase next year. Cheers to 2022!

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