It’s no secret that business tends to slow down around the holidays. Sure, retail numbers may spike, but insurance isn’t something that can be neatly wrapped and put under a tree come December 24^th, so it’s rare that you and your sales quota will enjoy the same success. Between throwing money at gifts, decorations, and tinsel-tipped attire, your clients (and their wallets) are simply not allotting funds for you or your business. Maybe you’ve tried every strategy in the book but are still coming up short. How can you weather through the holiday sales drought without going into full-on hibernation? Brace yourselves: winter is coming.

1. Timing is everything. Keep in mind that the sales tactics that worked for you in August will not have the same efficacy come December. People’s motivations and desires change with the seasons; your strategies should reflect that.

2. Save the new business for the new year. Yes, you read that right. Even though doing so might go against everything you’ve learned as an opportunistic sales professional, pushing new leads to January 1^st realigns your priorities to focus on closing out the leads you already have. Not only will you feel organized and productive tying off all your loose ends from the previous year, you’ll step into the new year on the right foot—with a list of leads already at the ready. Pushing new prospects to January will also separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. In other words, those clients who have a real, imminent need for final expense insurance will readily make their desires apparent when faced with the possibility of postponement.

3. Don’t wait until January to fill up your schedule. If you’ve ever waited until June to start training for your summer beach body, then you know what I’m talking about: you’ve missed the window of opportunity by a long shot and it’s simply not going to happen. Make sure you’re setting aside time before the new year to make new customer connections. Remember, this is a time for quantity over quality. Whatever your style, cast a wide net, get out there and be aggressive. You’ll soon be watching the new prospects pour in.

4. Use December’s downtime to strengthen your company’s home base. Having internal meetings to focus on things like marketing, day-to-day operations, and overall company culture can only benefit you and the rest of your team moving forward. Address questions like: what are your company’s goals for the upcoming year? Did you hit last year’s goals? Are there any major company changes you need to plan for? How can we continually make our organization better? Ensuring that all organization personnel are on the same page sets the scene for a record-breaking year.

Try out these strategies over the next couple of weeks to reenergize your holiday selling efforts and position yourself for maximum success in the new year. And while you’re closing more deals than you know what to do with, don’t forget to enjoy your holiday season! Rest and relaxation are just as important as any of the tactics listed above. So pour yourself some eggnog, settle into an armchair by the fireplace, and savor that second cookie before your next sales call. You’ll thank us later.