End of Year Engagement

When a Hush Falls Over the World

I'm hearing folks are winding down ahead of Christmas and New Years a bit early this year. Many are sharing contacts are wrapping up online time this week, hosting final events, putting up the "out of office" messages the full week before Christmas, or at least moving toward a lighter work week. 

Many enjoy the week between Christmas and New Years as family time, travel time, or thinking time to reflect on the past year while preparing for a new year. With the holidays on Thursday this year, it's almost like bonus time in addition to the week between holidays!

Considering this the last full work week before the holidays seems a bit early, but many may be considering travel plans sooner as the airlines have price breaks ahead of the travel rush or can be more flexible in schedules and wacky airline schedules.

What Do I Do Now?
You may be on a roll and still highly active in your business - good for you! Here are some ideas to consider while you have energy and your contacts are heading offline. 

Share Gratitude
Wish past and present clients Happy Holidays with a heartfelt (specific/personalized) thank you!

• Mail cards: You may send cards in the mail on behalf of your family - you can just as easily do this for your business connections as well. Print content is getting more attention as mailboxes are now more full of ads than useful information. 
• Email or digital cards: So many of our connections are online. You have email addresses or can message through social media but have no snail-mail address. Go with what you have and keep it simple, for you and the recipient. 
• Stay top of mind: Simply getting on someone's radar at the end of the year puts you at top of mind for the start of the year. 

Budget Check
It's not unreasonable to politely ask if your connection has extra budgeted dollars looking for one last project to round out the year. It can be done in a non-threatening, non-pushy, non-icky way where you're simply offering to help someone see how their budget plans are finishing before end of year. You may be the right person at the right time!

Propose A Check-in Call - Schedule It!
Suggest time in January to meet to catch up and see if there are any needs you can fulfill, catch up, or offer helpful ideas to give a client a running start on the new year. They'll appreciate your time, care, and concern! The trick here is to schedule that January time now, in December. 

How Are You Wrapping Up?
How—and when—are you dialing back to begin the holiday? Have you tried any of the ideas noted in the past? Have other suggestions to add?

​Let's Chat or message me on LinkedIn! Love to add your ideas here!

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