Don’t Wind Down for End of Year; Wind Up!

I think ‘winding down’ can be a very dangerous thing for business momentum. We wish away chaotic November, party in December (unless you’re in retail) and recover/re-group for most of January. Practically losing 3 months of a year!

Don’t buy into the office and industry talk of: ‘Ohhh December’s my quietest month, there’s no point working, networking etc…”. December is often my biggest month; perhaps because there’s less competition?

It’s a fantastic time of year to contact clients, collaborators or otherwise, for no reason besides asking, ‘Hi, how has your year been?’. Throughout the other 11 months I notice so many people are focused only on the R.O.I of a meeting, networking event or “catch up” (a pitch or proposal disguised as a casual meet). There’s nothing wrong with that, but it enforces my reasoning behind December being the perfect month for professional socialising.

Nobody cares what you do, until they know who you are…

There’s no denying I am a serial networker. At three recent events I stood opposite person after person chatting and having fun, but I started to see a pattern. I would mentally disengage with people who launched into their ʻelevator speechʼ. I realised I wasn‘t interested until I knew who they were. The interactions I enjoyed, and those I followed up, were with the people I made a real connection with.

For me, an appointment to meet with someone is an opportunity to build a relationship, and I don’t define the type of opportunity I expect from the relationship. It could be that instead of getting a sale, I get a learning experience, a friend or a mentor. Or I may get nothing. Instead I might give them something in the way of mentoring, coaching or learning.

As December is a very social, festive time; it’s the best month of the year to FURK, which of course I do all year round. But now is the best time to coerce those workaholics you know into furking. It’s the one time of year that almost everyone decides it’s appropriate for client lunches or casual drinks.

So don’t begin winding down because it’s December. Start to wind up for 2010! Use this time to build on existing relationships and create new ones – but keep it focused on socialising. When you’re connecting with a client, colleague or collaborator this month, ask them:

• What did you spend most of your time doing outside of work this year?
• What was your biggest success, or blunder, in 2009?
• Did you find yourself mentoring anyone this year?
• What are you really passionate about achieving next year?
• What’s the most exciting thing you have planned during your time off over Christmas?

Just out of curiosity, what’s on your agenda for 2010?