Smells Like Holiday Spirit

Many people love this time of the year! Yummy Starbucks flavors in our holiday cups, pretty candles burning of cinnamon spice cakes, and the food! We MUST mention the food! It smells like Holiday Spirit everywhere we go.

In 1991, Kurt Cobain wrote about his anger of business antics that seemingly were untouchable. Has much really changed, though? The grouchiness of the holidays is very much upon us and I'm feeling it everywhere I go, how about you? How about our clients? And where does that 'sit' with our marketing and reach?

By no means am I suggested you let up on your marketing, but I do hope during these times you consider the alternative. What about finding ways for your clients and prospects to slow down? What about offering a different version of yearend than they are used to experiencing??

BACKSTORY?- On Saturday, I got my COVID-19 booster shot. I honestly thought I had the weekend to recover and I'd be fine on Monday morning to get back after it, except?I wasn't. I'm still under the weather even while typing this blog article. I fought my body's desires to slow down and guess what? My body had other plans.

It made me start thinking about the gift of slowing down. And let's face reality, resting during a time of hustle and bustle seems all kinds of crazy. However, it is the only way I am going to be well enough to handle my busy schedule later this week.?

Our clients are under stress right now to finish out their year. Some of them are following their financial dreams and possibly are in a mindset funk that they're not doing enough for their friends and family at the holidays. Do you know how stressful that feels? Do you know how hard it is to choose your long-term financial goals over short-term Santa? It's rough. And that's what these clients are going through.

What about the ones you know are spending the bank to do the holidays big? You know which clients I'm referring to. The names of the people you just thought of right now are the ones you think about during these times.?

1. We should be reaching out to clients and checking-in.?
2. We should be asking our clients how they're doing.
3. We should be saying the thing they need to hear most, "Are you ok?"

Try wrapping up the yearend with a different experience of as slow as possible instead of as soon as possible. Try looking at your own situation and making sure it mimics what you want your clients to do be doing. (Hint - this isn't the time to show off your new car, jewels for the loved one, extravagant vacations, etc.) Try resting more instead of rocking it out.

Once again, I am sharing another post about stress during the holidays. That's because it's real. We don't talk about it enough in our business. And we need to normalize that dialogue more.

Stay well, friends.

Sheryl Hickerson, CEO - Females and Finance

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Sheryl Hickerson, CEO of Females and Finance, has proudly worked in the financial services profession for 32 years. She is an international speaker, an award-winning diversity advocate in the financial services community, and an award-winning financial services marketer.

You can learn more about her work?here.