Many salespeople hate to see the holidays come around.  For many, if not most, business virtually shuts down.  It’s the time of parties and office get-togethers; the time of visiting friends and family, of meeting new people—and closing little or no business.

Beginning the week of Thanksgiving and continuing till January 2^nd, many salespeople shut down.  They may go through the daily motions, but their heart and mind aren’t in it.

They make no sales calls—or at least, no serious sales calls.  Their conversations turn almost exclusively to small talk and getting to know their clients and others as human beings, not as clients or prospects.  Business turns into fun and games.  Thoughts of production are replaced with thoughts of food and cheer.

Nevertheless, for others, this is prime prospecting time.  Not that they actively prospect at the parties and get-togethers they attend.  They aren’t handing out their business card and trying to twist arms while everyone else is singing Jingle Bells.

Instead, these men and women are listening and learning.  They are taking every opportunity to learn as much as possible about all the people they meet and mingle with.

When they meet someone new, they’re actively qualifying that person as a potential prospect or a potential referral partner.  When they spend time with their clients, they’re paying attention to who that client may know that the client could refer them to.  When they meet with prospects, they’re learning everything they can about that person, their business, their needs.

They are constantly on the lookout for information that can help them grow their business.  They take the old adage that knowledge is power and they use the casual atmosphere and the camaraderie of the holidays to enhance their knowledge of those they meet and those they spend time with.

Knowing your prospect, knowing your client, and knowing those you meet can give you tremendous advantages in January when business begins to get back to normal.

Don’t waste the coming weeks.  Recognize that you have an opportunity to get a head start on your competition.  The more you know about the people you try to sell, the more successful you’ll be selling them.  Use this time to your advantage and you’ll see the results early in 2008.