Keep Your Business Running During the Holidays

It is that time again! The holidays are here, and business is starting to show the signs of the slower season. Don’t fret! You can keep your business running during the holidays while preparing for the next season to come! Here are some ways to keep your business running during the holidays.

1. Focus on what you can do instead of what you can’t. If you focus on all the business you do not have during the slow season, you aren’t able to look at what you can do! Spend this time focusing on building a plan to better your business. If you noticed that your infrastructure isn’t functioning well, now is the time to figure out a plan. 
2. Make a plan for streamlining. Now is the best time to reflect on what you needed help with when you were in the busy season. Get a plan in place for streamlining this. If you thought you needed help with certain things, figure out how to get that help and hire somebody now - not when you actually need them! Get a person comfortable in helping with your business and then they will be ready when you really need it.
3. Show yourself! Take pictures of your holiday activities and share them with your social media followers. Putting up a Christmas tree? Take a picture of it and encourage others to share theirs. Make your followers see you as a real person, and not just a business. The more somebody sees that you care to share your life with them, the more you will be on their mind when they need what your business offers. 
4. Plan ahead! The holidays come at the same time every year. Record your sales, income, and expenses for this time. Try to plan ahead before the holidays hit so you know exactly what to expect. If you notice you spend a lot more during this time, you can either save up early, or set a spending budget so you don’t hurt your business. 
5. Stay connected with your customers. This can be a simple email, text, or even a phone call just to say happy holidays. Spend your spare time showing you are thinking of them, and that you appreciate their loyal business. This is the best time to nurture your relationships and show your clients you really care. 
6. Take time off! I know this doesn’t really keep your business running right now, but it will give you the break you need to do great during the busy season. Take a vacation while you are slow. Relax, breath, spend time with family, and enjoy having time to do this before you get busy again. 

What are some things that you have found help you get through the holiday season? If you decide you need help preparing your business for the busy season, give us a call! You can also schedule your appointment now to see what we can do for you.

Make a Work Plan, and Stick to it!

Running a business is hard. There is a lot that goes into it. If you drop the ball in one area, other areas will suffer. It is important to sit down, make a work plan, and then stick to it! Where do you start?

First it is important to understand what a work plan is. A work plan is a detailed plan of activities and events to get from point A to point B. This helps you get and stay organized, and also determine where you may need help. Start at six-month to a year in your plan. 

What kind of work activities should you have in your business? For a real estate agent, some tasks can include sales calling, database updates and follow up, marketing items, transaction coordination, meet and greets, customer appreciate activities, and more. Now take these items one by one and decide what your ideal activity would look like. Do you want to have a customer appreciation event every month? How about sending out a monthly e-newsletter? Write it all down with each item having its own section and prioritize the items.

Now it is time to make a plan. Take your highest priority level item and outline it. For example, let’s say you want to send out a monthly newsletter to all of your database. Step one would be to get your database in order if it isn’t already. Next step is to decide the platform from where you will send the newsletter. The next step would be to set a deadline to have your newsletter created by and decide if you will be creating it or if you need help. Once the newsletter is setup, it can be scheduled to send. After it is sent, the analytics will need to be reviewed to see if anything needs changed. Do this with every item on your list. Each thing will eventually have its own work plan. 

This may seem very overwhelming, but take it as the beginning of getting organized! Once you have everything laid out in front of you, you can really sit back and decide what you need help with, what you can manage on your own, and what you don’t really want to do with your business. 

Once you have all of your ducks in a row, start putting them into action. Whatever you can do on your own, face it head on and start making moves. If you can’t do it on your own, find help! You are running a business. What business do you know of that is a single owner without any sort of help? If you need it, get it so you can focus on what you do best, SELLING!

Do you think you can get started today? If you need help, let us be your real estate consultant and help you organize your business-services. If you are interested in more information, or for a FREE Business Analysis, call us at 202-469-6774.