Picture by Yevhen Smyk
Holidays create challenges but also open up opportunities.
Is the holiday season a misnomer for you? It probably is if you’re overwhelmed looking hard for income — either for clients or in job hunting. Take heart, there are options for a new approach.
These days if you have desperation in searching for clients or a job, it doesn’t feel like a holiday season. So turn it into one. Yes, this can be an unnerving time. So don’t try so hard.
How holidays create opportunities
In a sense there’s less competition. The field is left wide open because many of your competitors stop prospecting.
Holidays are great icebreakers. Many people are cheerful, which means holiday greetings provide a natural, low-key opportunity to reconnect with cold leads.
You can identify pressing year-end needs. It is common for companies to find it necessary to spend leftover budgeted funds before January 1 or risk losing it.
Year end is often a perfect time to prospect because many companies use it as a strategic planning time. Executives are planning for Q1. They are often receptive to future-focused ideas.
Strategize to creat momentum
There are “urgent need” business sectors. Focus on retail, hospitality, or accounting firms.
Make your pitches for the first quarter. Be the first in line and schedule meetings for just after New Year’s.
Holiday options
Aside from family and close friends, this is a season to reconnect with longtime business associates and pals. Use the holidays to your advantage.
Sure, continue your quest, but spend the majority of your time building your network. Meet for coffee. Take someone to lunch. Connect with past associates or people with whom you’ve done some profitable business.
Out of sight, out of mind – too often, that’s true. So rekindle your relationships. Your acquaintances will remember your commitment to excellence and skills.
Don’t forget to get your exercise.
Oh, now’s a good time to brush up on your skills in the dos and don’ts of negotiating. Or it might be time to get a head start on New Year’s resolutions.
If all else fails, look around for someone less fortunate to help. Believe me, these folks are out there. Volunteerism will put a smile on your face. You’re more apt to get some deserved attention.
You don’t have to feel frustrated in looking for clients or job. Soften your approach.
From the Coach’s Corner, whether you’re searching for new clients or job hunting, here are more resource links:
10 Strategies to Overcome Stress and Energize Your Career — If you feel stressed at work, join the crowd. Job stress is everywhere. It causes absenteeism, lower productivity, weight gains, high legal and insurance costs, accidents and turnover. Stress costs business about $300 billion a year, according to the American Institute of Stress (AIS).
30 Time Management, Stress Reducing Tips — Tips that will enable you to take bold measures to invest in your future and make money by saving time and reducing stress.
Business Got You Down? Tips for a Morale Boost — If sales are discouraging and you feel like you’re on a treadmill going nowhere, it’s probably because you’re worried about the future. Trust me, you’re not alone. The trick is taking baby steps and not worrying about the future results. Instead, focus on the positive. Business success and strong sales stem are made possible by enthusiasm, and an attitude of service and gratitude.
Discouraged in Job Hunting? Powerful Tips for the Best Job — Whether unemployed or under-employed, a person needs two things: A sense of hope and the right tools to negotiate a job. More than 100 years ago, Oscar Wilde wrote: “What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.”
“Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living!”
-Amanda Bradley
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