With Christmas soon to be celebrated around the world, the temptation to neglect efforts to grow and enhance your entrepreneurial efforts reaches its apex. The stress of all your extracurricular activities is at its peak, the demands on your already limited time grow exponentially, and you are already thinking about how slow the first quarter of the following year can be and how it will affect your pocketbook. The good news is there’s good news!
With the exception of a few occasions, the world’s mileage varies when it comes to holidays. Canada has already celebrated Thanksgiving, and every country has a different day, or multiple days, for celebrating other events, like their independence. In the global marketplace, your holiday is just another day around the world. Use a part of it to keep working your plan for growth and prosperity for your business!
Here are 3 things you could be doing before the holiday festivities begin in your back yard that will pay dividends……..
1) Shift your marketing efforts to foreign companies
Folks in your own country will have the day off, but folks in other countries may not. Take an hour and send emails, postcards, etc. to introduce yourself to as many overseas prospects as possible. They’re open for business and could need your services TODAY!
2) Send “thank you” notes to any existing foreign clients
It doesn’t have to be a hand written “thank you” note, although that is certainly going the extra mile and will be much more appreciated assuming there’s no language barrier. Email is perfectly OK. It keeps you at the top of the mind and is an extra mile that your competitor might not travel.
3) Check the calendar
As we’ve established, your holidays aren’t always their holidays. Use your holiday to take some time and find out when their holidays are. Find out how they’re celebrated, then use the knowledge to take a moment to wish them a great holiday when they occur. It’s a nice marketing touch that will separate you from your competitor!
Down time is certainly precious, and I am certainly not suggesting that you not enjoy it on the rare occasions when you get it. But a little time invested on a day off now could provide the seed to exponential growth down the road, and all because you took an hour to show your foreign clients a little extra love.