There are only 15 business days remaining to close out your 2017 sales pipeline. However, with the holidays approaching, prospects often want to postpone sales decisions to next year. They also may have difficulty getting buy-in from other stakeholders in the organization or have other priorities between now and December 29.

Steli Efti, CEO of Close.io, says that while the end of the year means more distractions, there's also more opportunity as companies often need to use up this year's budget. In fact, he says that studies show spending in the final week of the year is five times greater than in an average week.

In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share Efti's tips on getting your sales closed before end of the year.

1. Save your prospects time. The B2B sales process can take months. Help prospects finish one more task before the year ends. Offer them value to close over the next 15 days with time-saving incentives such as helping them to ship product or import data.

2. Make them an offer they can't refuse. Run a special end-of-year promotion, or give the prospect a special deal such as a discount or upgrade to a higher=tier product or service for their current price. Just don't discount the current price because it will be harder to retain that price in the future. And of course, make the offer time-sensitive.

3. Save them from upcoming price increases. As your product or service matures, and you offer more value, you're probably going to increase its price. Let existing customers and prospects know in advance. It's a great incentive for them to make a quick buying decision so they can lock in at the current (lower) price.

4. Give them exclusive limited access. If your product is new, you can invite prospects to order a limited supply and allow them to be part of a small group that receives exclusive access. By limiting access to your product, you create scarcity, which creates urgency and enhances the perceived value of your offer.

5. Ask your manager to reach out. If you've tried everything and are still at a roadblock don't go at it alone. Get help by asking your manager (or someone else) to follow up with the prospect. Backchannel sales, or selling by involving other people, works because it can reassure prospects. This can be a simple gesture such as having the manager send an email or make a quick phone call. A little attention can go a long way.

Try these strategies to close your year strong, and remember that lost opportunities this month could be fresh opportunities for the new year.

Source: Steli Efti is CEO and co-founder of Close.io, a platform that makes calls, sends emails and automatically tracks all activity. He is also CEO of ElasticSales where he helps thousands of startups succeed in scaling their sales efforts.