4 Easy Keys to Keeping Your Business Connections Alive Through the Holidays

As the Winter Holiday Season approaches, it is very easy for any Business Professional to let the season turn into a sleepy lull of activity. The best way to avoid this? Preparation and Planning. With a little bit of extra effort now, you'll be able to avoid the anxiety of decreased sales, and lost prospective clients. 1. Take the time to create a calendar highlighting all known upcoming holidays, vacations, and currently known meetings, including those that you yourself may not necessarily celebrate. When it comes to maintaining business, its critical to keep cognizant of the days other people might not be working, even though you are, and vice versa. This way, you'll be able to plan around important dates, rather than completely canceling your usual activities altogether. 2. Remember that Holiday Party's and Events are a great opportunity to stir up business connections. Many of us have the tendency to strictly categorize our time between work and personal, which is important in terms of maintaining an appropriate balance. However, our friends, family and friends of friends are professionals, as well! Utilize your resources by taking the first initiative of reaching out with an offer to connect with those you know or meet after the event. If they say they can't until after the Holidays, immediately set a reminder for yourself to reconnect with them at a specific later date. The key here is immediately- if you say you'll do it later, you run the risk of forgetting to do it at all, and that connection may be lost forever. 3. Don't let yourself fall off the boat. Now is a great time to read or listen to one of those motivational business books you've been thinking about checking out "someday". Even if you think that all you have is 10 minutes of free time during your drive, remember this: Every little bit of forward motion, even in simple ways like keeping your spirits positive, will give you that much more of an edge compared to others in your professional. If you aren't, you can be sure that someone in your direct competition is. 4. Stir up your usual meeting routine by a change of scenery. Going stir crazy in the office? Getting tired of visiting the same old Starbucks day in and day out? Why not meet with your co-workers or clients someplace a little different for once to generate new energy? Instead of the 4pm "bored meeting", mix it up by meeting at a local small wine bar or tapas restaurant. Instead of the same old coffee shop, try meeting at a park or stepping outside the office building and going for a walk. Even the lightest of exercise has been shown to improve brain activity; You'll be able to decompress while staying productive at the same time!