Warning … I’m going to talk about the C word. Christmas! There I said it!
Do you feel as though Christmas starts earlier and earlier every year? I do. Decorations start going up in November; Christmas gifts are in the shops months in advance; Mariah Carey is on the radio for the 14 bazillionth time; everyone at work is talking about Christmas parties and Christmas holidays.
More importantly, customers and suppliers start to turn down meetings. “Let’s do that in January instead.” By mid-December the roads start to get much quieter. People are staying in their offices instead of getting out networking and building their businesses.
But this has the potential to be a massive trap!
Every year January is a bumper month for me. I’m inundated with people who started to wind down in late November and they’ve cruised through the first week in January “well nobody’s really back at work yet are they?” So mid January comes around and they suddenly realise that their pipeline is as dry as a bone, a couple of customers have finished their contracts or decided not to re-order and very quickly the business feels like it’s on a slippery slope, and it’s scary.
The good news is that with your eyes wide open Christmas can actually be a fantastic opportunity and here’s why:
- The dreaded gatekeepers who have blocked you from speaking to your dream prospects all year are starting to wind down. Or even better, to take a holiday. The last couple of days before Christmas and even the days between Christmas and New Year can be a fantastic time to get through to the people who’ve been evading you for months.
- Your competitors are winding down which leaves the way much clearer for you. December is the best time to take advantage of that and really push your business forwards.
- The quiet roads means it’s a great time to get out and visit your best clients. They’re stuck in their offices because they’ve started the Christmas wind-down so get out there and visit them and build that personal connection. This can give a huge boost to your client retention.
- The customers and prospects who don’t want to meet up in December are gifting you back some extra time. Start your plan for 2018 now. Don’t wait until mid-January when you’ve already lost half of the first month. Imagine what an amazing start to the year you could have if you had already defined January’s perfect marketing plan?
- Because Christmas DOES give you the chance to take a break, recharge your batteries and spend some quality time with family and friends. You SHOULD take advantage of this and reward yourself for the hard work you’ve put in all year. Just keep it in balance so that Christmas lasts a week or two, rather than a month or two, and doesn’t throw your business completely off track.
If the long wind-down followed by the January panic sounds familiar then get in touch about my free 90 minute business brainstorming call so we can help you have a bumper December instead. But don’t wait too long because my diary is very close to capacity. I only have 2 coaching slots available so this January, for the first time, I’m expecting to have to turn people away or start a waiting list!