Optimize Your Downtime

I once had a manager in my sales career that loved to say, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” As a quote junkie, this quote sticks in my head. There have been times when I have not lived by this quote, and I have had to suffer the consequences. As the holidays approach and knowing there will be some downtime in my schedule,  I have decided to take advantage of the slower season to prepare and keep my pipeline filled. I find that in my speaking and coaching business, late fall is the time to regroup to reboot for the upcoming New Year. Here are 5 ways to optimize the slower winter months:
1. Review your past year. Revisit those goals you set at the end of last year. Did you hit your goal of speaking at all of the events you had planned on speaking at? Did you write down the number of events you wished to speak at? Now is a good time to set a new goal for the number of speaking events you would like to speak at next year and perhaps look for new audiences you would like to speak to. Write this down! When you write your goals down, you are more likely to achieve them.
2. Research your market. Take the time to go through your audience evaluations. Are there topics they wish to hear more about from you? Are there areas for improvement? Feedback is powerful only if we take the time to actually receive it and take action upon it. Based on your audience’s feedback, decide on a small step that will you change or do differently in the New Year.
3. Update your marketing materials. Have you added a new topic to your repertoire? New testimonials? New focus? It might be time to update your one sheet – your premier speaking marketing tool. You may need to develop several one sheets to meet the needs of the different audiences you serve.
4. Network. The slower months around the holidays are a great time to show appreciation to people who have helped you throughout the year. It’s also a time to develop new or stronger relationships going into the New Year. Invite someone to have coffee or lunch. Be intentional about what you want to achieve with the relationship. And enjoy the holiday gatherings! You never know where a conversation may lead.
5. Take the time to plan your first 6 months of the New Year. Most of us would not go on a trip without some sort of plan, if only a rough sketch, of where we are going. For those who are spontaneous, you don’t have to decide on every detail of the trip. But with planning, you are much more likely to accomplish the things you set out to do.
As Maya Angelou once said, “Nothing works until you do.” Use the holiday downtime to your advantage. Time invested now will yield better results in the long run.