Real Estate is a people business and there is no better time to connect with people than the holiday season.

Most of us are burned out and ready for a break by the time December comes along and while rest and restoration are vital to your long term success, a little effort at this time of year can go a long way towards building an abundant business for 2017.

My past Holiday posts have spoken of the choices we can make around attitude and presence and how these choices can vastly improve our holiday experience in a world wreaked with havoc and materialism.

2015 Give The Gift of Your Presence

2014 Refresh Your Holiday Attitude

These are worth a read but this year I’d like to take you one step deeper.  What if we were able to be relaxed, present and curious while we engage in conversations with people with an eye out to see if they have any real estate needs? The stats say that 1 in 4 of the people you know are either considering making a move in real estate or someone very close to them is.

Those numbers tell us that if you could talk to 8 people at each social event you attend, and you attend four social events over the holiday season, you are likely to surface 8 quality leads moving into 2017.

Your attitude and language matter.  Don’t be pushy and don’t use scripts.  Be calm, curious, present and ask people about themselves.  When you are able to uncover some interest in real estate, spend a few minutes talking about it and then ask them if you could continue this conversation at another time.  This makes you appear professional, gives you an opportunity to set a phone appointment and allows you to circulate and speak with more people.  What I say is, “this has been a great conversation, thank you.   Now isn’t really the time to talk about business. Would it be ok if I gave you a call tomorrow (later this week) and we could continue this?  Great – what is the best number to reach you at?”

The holidays can be an enchanting time of the year if we give ourselves permission not to get caught up in all the hubbub and really take the time to enjoy the people in our lives.

Check in next week for an important and valuable reframe on goal setting.