Every year in mid-November I hear the same comment from agents:

“Denise, the market is slowing down. I think I’ll just wind things down, assume nothing else is going to happen, and then wind up next year.”

Think again!

If you aren’t ready to close your books on your business for the year, it is not advantageous to slow your business down to a crawl just because we’ve entered the holiday season. If you’ve been enticed to put in less effort just because you hear sleigh bells ringing, you may want to rethink your strategy.

There are opportunities during the holidays that just aren’t available to you at other times during the year.

First and foremost, there is a serious lack of competition. Other agents are falling into “holiday mode”, that means opportunities for those who are not “checked out”.

Second, this is also a great time to be connected to your buyers and sellers. They too are in danger of winding down their buying mission or taking their listing off the market for the holidays. But you can circumvent this by talking truth to your clients about the benefits of moving forward now:

• Remind them of the tax advantages of closing a transaction before January.
• Remind them that deals are more plentiful for both buyers and sellers because there is less competition at this time of year.
• Remind them that interest rates are expected to rise in 2014, so now is the time to take advantage of the historic lows.

Agents who see the power of staying focused during the holidays and keep their clients on track reap the benefits and have a very merry holiday season.

You might be asking, “Denise, what about my ‘quality of life’? Why should I be working during the holidays when others are roasting chestnuts on an open fire? Don’t you always preach that it’s important to take time off?”

Yes, absolutely take time off. I’m not suggesting that you be out there on Thanksgiving or Christmas giving a listing presentation or touring buyers. But I am saying you can’t let your business slide between Halloween and the New Year.

If you want time off around the holidays, then take it! Just remember the phrase “Work hard, play hard.” If you’re off, then you’re off. Immerse yourself in being off. Enjoy it. Be with your loved ones.

But if you’re at work, then work! Don’t put in half the effort just because Elf is playing every night of the week. Treat a day at work the same as you would in any other month.

Make a plan. Get your time off scheduled – so you can get your time on scheduled. Wind up when you are on and wind down when you are off.