True or false: Now is the time of the year when it’s totally safe to check out of your business and let it run on cruise control all holiday season long until the new year?

I know many of you are thinking of the right answer: false. However, I see so many people checking out of their businesses in December, simply because it’s the holiday season. Is rest important after you’ve been working so hard this year? Of course, but this is also the perfect time to build your business and plant the seeds for a great first quarter. 

Cruising through the holiday season

Most people aren’t doing anything in their businesses right now. Sure, they’re spending the money they’ve earned this year on gifts for those they love, but they’re not ensuring they have sales going into the new year. Checking out at this time of year is how people with jobs operate. People with jobs coast during the holidays because things slow down. 

You might be able to trace this mentality back to the farming and agricultural system that was so prevalent. There’s not much to do in December – the crops have been harvested and are in storage. You’re waiting for the springtime to arrive again so you can get planting.

However, if you’re a business owner or entrepreneur, the opposite is true. This is the time to pick things up and ramp up your activities. Planting season is now. 

Plant the seeds for a lucrative spring

If you want a big harvest in the new year, plant seeds like crazy now! This means more Power Hours in which to do more activities so you can connect with more people. 

3 reasons to increase your activities during the holiday season

1. People are more responsive during the holiday season. That’s right; people – including your current and prospective customers – are more likely to engage and respond. Since most of the people in your network work regular jobs, their work is likely slowing down and they have more time to chat with you about the holidays, family, what they’ve been focusing on, etc. Plus the holiday spirit has taken over so they’re more warm and open and excited to respond to you.
2. People are spending money right now. They’re buying gifts for their loved ones and treating themselves for the hard work they’ve put in all year long. In short, wallets are open. It’s important to be top of mind as they’re looking for ways to spend their money right now. The best way to do so is to keep in touch with them – check-in and follow up – to ensure you stay in front of them while they have their wallets open.
3. People will be planning their New Year soon. They’re making plans for job changes, big purchases, and maybe even achieving their goals of becoming business owners. This means if you want to be part of that New Year plan, you need to be top of mind now. This is the most important season in your business. You need to be on fire right now!

So, now you know that you should ramp up your productive activities, how do you start?

3 specific approaches to boost your business that you can implement today

These things allow you to start the year strong and achieve your 2020 goals.

• Message as many people as you can from now until the end of the year. Seriously, now is the time to go into messaging overdrive. I recommend a minimum of six Power Hours per week; seven Power Hours will give you the best results, but six is the minimum.  

Now, I know you may be saying, “But I want to spend more time with my family” or “It’s just too busy at this time of year; I don’t have the time to spend an hour a day, six days a week on my business.” It’s admirable to spend a lot of time with your family now – I plan on doing it myself. But, trust me, your family is going to benefit most from your boost in activities. Additionally, there are 23 hours a day to do other stuff, like spend time with your loved ones and plan the family holiday party. 

Connect with as many people as physically possible from now until the end of the year. Even if they don’t respond immediately, they’ll see your message. They’ll think about your message and they may even respond to your message much sooner than they would at any other time of year. Remember, you’re planting the seed. 

A note about Christmas

Although you may be hesitant to message your favorite people on Christmas Day, it’s totally normal to send them a quick message to wish them a merry Christmas. You’re not being intrusive or interrupting their days; you’re merely showing you care. Also, personally message every single person you have personally enrolled or sponsored into your business. Yes, this may be a lot of people – an overwhelming number of people. If you’re freaked out by the number of people you’d need to message, focus on your team builders. Say, “I just wanted to wish you a happy New Year and tell you I’m really excited about what we’re going to build together in 2020.” It’s that simple. How impactful is that? How would you feel if you received a message like that? You’d feel super motivated, right? You can motivate people and it only takes an hour of your time.

• Make sure you have scheduled a holiday and new year event you can build towards. You want to be able to point super motivated people in a direction to act. Let’s face it, there will be some folks who are going to be willing and ready to do something right now. This is why you need a holiday event. If nutrition or health is your business, an event may be to lose 10lbs before the New Year. Or if your business is skincare, you may focus on gift-giving. The idea is to kick start the New Year and have prospects in your pipeline. You’ll want to fill people into these events. For the super excited and motivated people, fill them into the holiday event. For the folks who showed some interest, fill them into the New Year event. This allows you to plant a ton of seeds so you can start the year with a bang. 

Keep in mind, that not everyone you connect with will be eager to take advantage of your products or the opportunity you’re offering. The good news is you don’t need 10,000 people to be busy, you just need a handful. Focus on the folks who are most keen on what you have to offer. 

• Take advantage of opportunities to get face to face with people. This is the best time of year to get face time with people because of all of the office parties, holiday parties, events for children, etc. that you’ll fill your calendar with. You’ll connect with established friends and even meet new people. Be open to meeting people, and don’t be shy about asking to friend them on Facebook and other social media. This is how you’ll connect with them later and build a relationship with them. 

If walking up to strangers or acquaintances is intimidating for you, ask to be introduced. If you’re both at a party or school function, you must have people in common. Take advantage of your connections with other people to expand your network. This is the time of year to be busy connecting with people.

Connecting doesn’t stop with your customers

It’s vital to connect with your team as well. Check-in with them to see how they’re doing and model the behavior you wish to see them practice with their own customers, prospects, and team members. 

Some of your team members are super driven and are in the middle of ramping up production and connecting with folks. Praise them for their motivation to encourage them to keep it up!

However, you may have people on your team who plan to chill into the New Year and then ramp up production. These are the folks to get in touch with and let them know that if they wait, they’ll have a slow first quarter. And, a slow first quarter makes it more challenging to catch up with where they ought to be to reach their goals all year long. 

Let Teamzy help you boost your productivity this holiday season

Not sure who to connect with this holiday season? Login to Teamzy and review your Dashboard. You’ll see a list of customers, prospects, and team members to connect with today – and every day – during your Power Hour. increase communications with your network and you can be sure you’ll plant the seeds you can harvest well into 2020. On your mark, get set, CONNECT with as many people as you can in the next month in order to achieve your business goals in 2020 and beyond.