The last two weeks of the year are without a doubt the best to reach out to people on the phone who you normally would not have a chance to reach. Use the time to call people several levels above those to whom you normally sell. The objective is to wish them the best, and in doing so, take a moment to find out how their year has been and what their outlook is for the next year.

You’ll be amazed at who you are able to reach, because with many people out of the office, people who normally have their phone answered by others may actually answer the phone. Even if you do get their voice mail, it still gives you the chance to wish them the best and get your name in front of them. There is virtually zero risk to this strategy. Even for the most hesitant salesperson who is leery of reaching out, this is an opportune time to do so. You may just end up creating new contacts. More importantly, you will establish a new habit of using the phone to network. It’s a simple telephone sales tip, but over the years, I’ve found it to be very powerful.