• by Stephen Hull , November 26, 2008

There are, traditionally, two schools of thought surrounding lead generation and business development efforts during the holiday season: The first tends to view outbound B2B efforts as "wasted time," and the latter sees certain advantages to increasing their efforts at the exact same time.

Let's examine the first viewpoint: Adherents to this philosophy point to the great number of people who vacation during this time of year. They can tell you, based on their personal experience, that typically budgets are locked and generally everything has been put on hold until January. There is some truth to these statements, and the degree to which they hold true will vary greatly on the specific industry one is targeting.

The second viewpoint consists of individuals who have historically had great success in lead generation during the holidays. While they may agree that an increased number of prospects are out of the office during this time, they will also be quick to point out that the decision makers who remain "in the workforce" generally are more open to discussion, as their schedules have lightened up.

Obviously, personal experience plays a huge role in which school of thought you personally adhere to. But let us consider, for a moment, the nature of lead generation for the creative services world: Selling marketing, advertising and public relations in the B2B marketplace is much different that selling a product. It is based on establishing relationships, and the sales cycle can be long. Being successful requires getting on the radar screen of those companies you wish to do business with. To fully assess the merits of holiday lead generation, we must also examine how companies that use creative services typically engage with agencies to fulfill their needs.

Typically there are two forms of engagement: The infamous "agency review" and the "project-based" relationship. As recently as 2001, agency reviews were the primary target of a majority of agencies in the U.S., particularly larger ones. Since then there has been a fundamental shift toward accepting more and more project work as a means of building a working relationship with a client. This, too, has changed the nature of Holiday Lead Generation.

Agency reviews are typically conducted by companies at a predetermined time every year. In this scenario, despite the success of their existing agency, they will invite up to five new agencies to present their case and then, based on the merits and presentations given, will award a new contract to the winner. As a rule, if an agency is not "on the radar," they stand little or no chance of being invited to the review. How is this relevant to holiday lead generation? If the review is not in late Q4 or early Q1, there is really no need to reach out from a marketing standpoint. However, a majority of companies are now entertaining project based work: Smaller opportunities for smaller agencies to execute their skills on as "as needed basis." These projects can arise at anytime, and often the smaller specialty agency can work under the umbrella of an "agency of record." To be selected for such projects, agencies need to have established a rapport with the client beforehand. To successfully make contact, the least amount of distraction is preferable. A strong argument can be made that the holidays are an opportune time to reach out and begin establishing this rapport, as decision makers will have more time on their schedules to engage in conversation, review portfolios, etc.

Regardless of your personal opinion, if you are in the office this November and December, and your schedule allows, pick up the phone and reach out to prospects: You might be surprised at the results.