At the beginning of the year, I mentioned that we would literally blink and we’d fast forward to year end.
Doesn’t take a fortune teller or some kind of sorcerer to make that statement, just someone who respects how quickly life zips on by.
The ideal thing would have been for you to not only have come out of the gate at a more aggressive pace, but continue running long after the typical 30 day abandonment of New Year’s resolutions.
I won’t ask you how you did with that one 
But here we are and I have some really awful news for you . . .
Things are starting to come to a grinding halt!
Many prospects and clients have begun their “mental sabbatical” and started with the “Call me back after the holidays” thing and sadly, many reps will use this as their excuse to mentally wind down too.
And don’t get me wrong, all work and no play makes Uncle Paul a very dull Uncle, but I find it beyond ridiculous that we’ve allowed the few days between Christmas and New Years to become a 4-6 week sabbatical.
Here are a few things I’d like for you to consider . . .
1) Tell your ego to go wait in the car and then answer this question honestly. Did you give it your all this year? I mean if you’re feeling pressure right now, you do understand that bad years don’t wait until the end of the year to happen, right? Perhaps you should take some time to ponder where your year went and make a note to self NOT to let it happen again next year?
2) Understand that you still have a brief window. That’s your gentle nudge to really pick up your pace.
Make more calls
Send more emails
Make more appearances to your network
I’ve been sending out more snail mail before and after hours and early Saturday mornings.
And that reminds me, as much as I love hanging out with my family and have some time to recharge, I’m going to have plenty of that in a few weeks so I’ve been . . .
Getting up earlier, working after hours and putting in some weekend time.
Time Out! Once again, I want to be clear in what I’m saying. I’m not telling you to neglect your loved ones, I’m suggesting that maybe a little extra time, here and there (especially while they sleep) isn’t a bad thing!
3) Give some serious thought to how you’ll respond to “Call me back after the holidays” Challenge yourself to come up with 3 responses to this this seasonal stall.
Sales Leaders and Business Owners: Plan an immediate sales meeting with your team and discuss the 3 suggestions I just made. Challenge each of them (during the meeting) to come up with 3 responses to the “Call me back after the holidays” stall. After the meeting, have each person email you their “3″ and then compile a document with everyone’s responses that you’ll email back to the team within 24 hours.
4) Learn some new “tricks”! There’s a strong possibility that the stuff you’ve been doing isn’t good enough! Read a book , listen to a podcast or CD. And while you’re at it, check out our online sales program by clicking HERE or our upcoming webinar Cold Calls That ROCK by clicking HERE!
5) Put something in place to help you own 2015! How about hiring a coach or taking an online course to help you hunt for business differently?
That’s it for now, but remember to take action!
