Many people comment, (complain), about the appearance of Christmas decorations and paraphernalia in the shops as early as September or October.
But I was somewhat astounded to hear a business owner talking up the infamous XMAS Shutdown already in October.
But another business owner in the same conversation had an interesting solution . . .
Before we get to that however, it got me to thinking . . .
How much do business owners actually create the Xmas shutdown phenomena just by talking about it and expecting it.
You could get all metaphysical about it and say that The Secret predicts that you will get what you most think about.
But it is even more practical than that.
When business owners literally and physically are planning for a slowdown in business, how can this not slow down business for them, and in general?
And the more people that talk about it and plan for it, the more it is going to happen. Stands to reason.
People shutdown their business over Christmas because they expect that everyone else is going to do the same. It becomes self-fulfilling.
But what if they didn”t ?
The Solution
Well, there are several solutions.
The first and most obvious is this:
Do not talk about or plan for a shutdown!
You can plan to be busy or you can plan to be quiet. It all comes down to the actions that you take.
It might mean thinking “outside of the box” and doing something different from what you would normally do.
Which brings me to the strategy taken by the other person in that conversation . . .
At this time of year, he starts running introductory seminars and promos that generate client interest in his services.
They may not be ready to buy, (especially if they are stuck in the Xmas shutdown mentality), but it gets them thinking and planning for the new year.
And of course, some will commit to a start in January.
This way, he can hit the ground running in January with clients and prospects in the sales pipeline.
Businesses that take the Xmas shutdown approach face January with an empty sales pipeline.
Where would you rather be?
Also consider this . . .
If your competitors are all closed down over Christmas, what opportunities might exist to service some of their clients during that period . . . ? ?
And possibly retain them as your clients in the new year!
Well, that is quite simple really!
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What should you do now?
- Ask yourself – Do you really need to shutdown for Christmas?
- How are you contributing to the Xmas Shutdown?
- Want some help or ideas? Just contact us at Hotpink Websites now.
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Quote
My heart goes out to all the incredibly strong kids fighting cancer right now. Hope their christmas wishes came true.
~ Unknown
Remember – The XMAS shutdown – and how to avoid it
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