Thanksgiving week is here, and while many call this holiday “turkey day,” it’s better understood as a day for reflection and making sure you’re practicing gratitude. Striving and hustling are essential for an agent, but if you don’t also feel thankful for what you have, you’ll never feel satisfied. While it may go against every cell in your body and instinct as a salesperson, consider that this might be a day to sit back and not work.
That said, if you make that decision, be mindful of the business you do have and don’t leave your clients hanging. If you decide to take Thanksgiving off, explain to them why you won’t be reachable (ideally with a personal message, not a blanket scheduled message) and if there’s something pressing, try to schedule immediately before or after Thanksgiving Thursday.
Weigh if working will truly be worth it
In any business, you need to consider return on investment. So, ask if the potential benefits of working Thanksgiving are worth the distraction from the holiday. For one, the end-of-year holiday season is well known as a time when most people put off decisions like trying to sell their home. Thanksgiving is also one day where it’s almost guaranteed people won’t pick up if you try cold calling. If someone does pick up, they could well react badly to you calling them on a holiday.
Not working Thanksgiving can help nurture a grateful mindset
You’re probably familiar with both the perception that real estate is a field where you can choose the hours you work, and the joke that agents get to choose which 80 hours of a week to work. This is where we come back to gratitude; unless you take advantage of that flexible schedule to benefit yourself, it’ll feel like a curse, not a blessing. Be thankful you’re working a job where you can make this decision about working (or not) on holidays for yourself.
Family is the most enduring sphere of influence
You spend a lot of your average day cultivating and maintaining relationships with clients, who will hopefully appreciate the effort and send referrals your way. It’s a cliche, but with reason, that in maintaining your business relationships, you should be sure not to neglect your family. Thanksgiving, especially, is a holiday where you’re likely to see extended family. From a purely business standpoint, family members can be a vital part of your sphere of influence. If you can’t take the holiday off without the guilt of not working, reframe it as a day for nurturing your relationships with extended family, who may also be future clients or referrals.
Prepare Thanksgiving-themed reach outs
On the days leading up to Thanksgiving, you can still take advantage of the holiday to boost engagement and stay in touch with clients. An easy opportunity is to reach out to recently-closed clients who are spending their first Thanksgiving in their new home. Such a message reflects the holiday’s theme of gratitude; they’re (hopefully) thankful for the home, and they’ll be thankful to you both for the role you played in getting them there and caring enough to stay in touch.
