The conventional wisdom among lawyers is to not bother marketing just prior to the Christmas Holiday and during the week before New Year’s. People aren’t paying attention; they’ve checked out; they’re spending time cleaning up – you’ve heard (and perhaps spoken) all the reasons typically given for pausing your legal marketing activity this time of year.
However, as marketing consultant Caryn Kopp points out, lawyers who take this position are missing an opportunity made possible by the very fact that most professionals have backed off. In fact, the next week and a half is an excellent time to reach decision makers. Sure, some of them are on vacation, but many are not. They’re working, yet their calendars are less busy (at least during the day) and they’re typically more accessible because:
1. Companies have fewer internal meetings during the last two weeks of the year due to employee vacations and mid-day holiday parties. This means decision makers are more likely to be working at their desks and available when you call.
2. Many assistants take year-end time off (especially if they have school-age children), leaving decision makers to answer their own phones…without gatekeepers.
3. Decision makers who are in their offices at this time of year are more relaxed and chatty.
4. Your competitors don’t think this way. They usually stop calling prospects the 2nd week of December. Your “share of voice” when leaving voicemails and reaching prospects live will be higher and you will get more accomplished with each call.
5. Decision makers will typically not accept a meeting from mid to end of December. However, if you request a date to meet NEXT year (which is just days away), their calendars are usually wide open. Ask for a meeting in early January and watch your calendar fill up. If you’ll be on vacation next week, we wish you great weather and a much-deserved spell of fun and relaxation. But if you’ll be in the office, consider reaching out to a few key contacts you otherwise might not have. You’ll be surprised at who you can connect with.