The holidays are always a busy time both personally and professionally for most people. Office parties, companies slowing down in preparation for the holidays and just an overall relaxed atmosphere when it comes to most offices. We have a saying, you may not be hiring, but you should always be recruiting. This is never more true than during the holiday season. This is not the time to slow down recruiting and hiring great sales people. This is perhaps one of the best times of year to recruit, interview and hire great sales people for your organization. Here are 3 reasons why:

Holiday Parties

Over the holidays, you will no doubt be attending parties for you, your spouse, suppliers and clients alike. While some people prefer not to mix business with pleasure during this season, it is a great time to meet sales people you may not otherwise have met. Try and find out who will be attending the party ahead of time and plan on approaching people who are able to get you an introduction. Have business cards ready and don’t discuss business too much but ask if it’s OK to follow up with them the next day or week to discuss an opportunity with your organization. You will find yourself sales candidates you never would have by posting a sales job on a job board or in the newspaper.

People Take Time Off

One of the biggest challenges in hiring sales people is getting access to them and then getting the time to interview them. The holidays are a perfect time as most people are on modified work schedules or off all together. Your schedule is also probably a lot lighter which gives sales managers more time to interview potential new hires. Sales also people take advantage of this time of year to seek out new opportunities but usually have to wait until the new year to hear back. Take advantage of this. Instead of catching up on paperwork, fill your schedule over the holidays with interview slots. You will be able to take more time interviewing each sales person and likely end up with better overall interviews than at other busy times of the year. It will be a very productive use of your time.

Your Competitors Are Not Acting

Most companies shut down or tend to be focused on year end planning or strategy in the month of December. Most companies will actually be finalizing their hiring plans for next year instead of actually trying to achieve them! By continuing to recruit and hire sales people through the holidays, you will be way ahead of your competition who will wait until mid-January to begin their sales hiring. This means, you get first crack at top sales talent and make it less likely they go to the competition.