Don't Wait for January - Here's How to End 2024 Strong!

Can you believe it, that’s the firsweek of December down and out for the count – I can already feel some business owners mentally checking out for the year 🎄

I get it. We put up our tree and Christmas decorations this week, Maria Carey is fully defrosted and Chris Rea is on his way home (stuck on the freeway right now), plus your Instagram feed is full of people posting either their “best nine” moments of 2024 or their “predictions” for 2025. It's tempting to just coast into the new year, right?

I've also hosted the final Online Biz Meet Up of the year with some amazing business owners from right across Europe that all met in Heathrow this week (click here for 2025 dates).

Even when colds and flus kick in this time of year, like it caught me last week, you just want to wrap up warm, enjoy some Christmas movies in front of a fire and relax.

But here's something I've noticed every year in my business, and in the businesses of others that choose not to just let the year creep up on them – while everyone else is winding down, there's a HUGE OPPORTUNITY for those willing to stay the course until we do break for spending time with family and friends. In fact, some of my biggest client wins have come in these final weeks of December.

Last year I launched a brand-new product, my HodgesNet Community membership – over 60 people joined the community and signed up. Other people that I know that opened up coaching programs and sent out offers, completely crushed it too.

Yes, there is an argument that Black Friday and Cyber Monday sees many people spend all their money online, but let me share a quick story that changed my whole perspective on December and why people who really want help, will still buy at this time of year.

I was ready to stop early, but that all changed...

A few years back, I was ready to wind down my marketing around Dec 7th. Family wise we had a busy time coming up, we were going to Scotland to spend Christmas up there with some friends in a cottage on Loch Tay and I really needed a good long break. My reasoning for thinking about winding up early was the voice in my head telling me that “Nobody's buying in December anyway” – but then one of my mentors challenged me to the core.

If you have not come across Taki Moore, he is probably one of the smartest cookies on the planet. He posted into his Facebook group that talked about getting clients before Christmas. On thing that stuck in my mind  from the video he posted was… (here is my paraphrase as a I don’t have that good a memory to recall exactly what he said)

“If you think that no one is buying in December, and maybe many others are too, what if that's exactly why you should be marketing right now?”

That December ended up being one of my best months ever and all before we took the trip to Scotland on 18th of December.

Why was it exactly the right time to keep marketing my business? Because while everyone else was quiet, my voice was being heard.

I realised that if others were thinking the same thing as me – that no one buys in December – then marketing during this period will help me stand out, I will be seen and I will be heard. Essentially, there is less noise in the marketplace.

What Most People Miss About December...

December is like Perfect Storm of Opportunity that most business owners completely miss. Let me break down exactly what I mean by this, because understanding these dynamics completely changed how I approach the final month of the year and how you can too – it’s not too late for you. 

1. People Are Actually More Available

You might think everyone's too busy with holiday preparations to engage with your business. Actually, the opposite is true. Corporate calendars are clearing out, regular meetings are winding down, and people finally have space to think about reviewing their year and looking forward towards their New Year goals and what challenges they might encounter.

I noticed this last December when my email open rates jumped from around 35% to 58%. Why? Because people weren't double-booked with other commitments. They had time to engage with useful content.

The reduced competition in the inboxes of my customers resulted in the launch of my community going much better than I had expected.

2. Budgets Need to Be Used

This is huge! Some companies operate on a “use it or lose it” budgeting system. They need to spend their allocated money before year-end or risk getting a smaller budget next year.

Last December, I had one HR Director from a large company in London sign up for my highest-tier coaching service and get six coaching sessions in during the final three weeks in the run up to Christmas. She had been on a couple of my webinars during the year and when I looked, had also been on my email list for most of the year. When I asked why they chose to wait until December to jump in, she said “I had budget that needed to be used and time to focus on this before the start of the new year.”

But it's not just corporate budgets. Small business owners are often making tax-related decisions in December. Many are looking to make strategic investments before the tax year ends. This creates a perfect opportunity if you position your offering correctly.

3. Decision-Makers Are Planning Mode

There's something psychological about the end of the year that puts people in planning mode. As I said above, they're reflecting on what worked (and what didn't) in the current year and making decisions about what needs to change for the next year.

This is exactly why I started offering my “2024 Strategy Sessions” in December 2023 rather than January 2024. People are already thinking about next year - they want solutions now, not after the holidays.

3 Simple Strategies You Can Implement To Your December Marketing Work For You!

Strategy 1 - The “End of Year Special” Webinar

Remember what I said last week about going live with webinars? Well, here's your perfect opportunity and my challenge to you…

Host a live webinar next week, but not just any webinar – one specifically designed to take advantage of this unique December mindset that your customers are going to have.

Some people worry about running webinars this close to Christmas. “Nobody will show up” they tell me.

But here's what I've learned – the people who show up in December are serious. They're not tire-kickers or freebie hunters. They're decision-makers ready to take action. Those that aren’t bothered about growth in 2025 just won’t show up.

As part of the launch of my community last December I ran what I thought would be a “quiet” webinar. While the registration numbers were slightly lower than usual (87 people), the conversion rate was almost double what I normally get. Almost everyone stayed until the end and from that one webinar 38 people joined the community. Normally my webinars run at around a 10-15% conversion rate – this was a 39% conversion. Why? Because everyone who attended was there with purpose.

Here's the exact structure I used in my webinar that you adapt…

Part 1 – Review the biggest challenges of 2024

• Get your audience nodding along as you highlight the specific pain points they've faced.
• Use real examples and stories from your own experience.
• Show them they're not alone in these challenges.

Part 2 – Preview the opportunities in 2025

• Paint a clear picture of what's possible when they solve these challenges.
• What will the difference be in terms of success for their business, by being part of a community.
• Share specific case studies of transformation.
• Help them see the cost of waiting until January – the fact that they will be ahead of the game and ready to go in January rather than letting the first few weeks be a warm act.

Part 3 – Offer a special “Join Before January” package

• Give them a clear path on how to use the community and live Q&A calls, plus the bonuses included to achieve their goals in the New Year, together and not alone.
• Add urgency with genuine scarcity (the offer expiring on 31^st December).
• Schedule a bunch of follow up emails that run right through until the offer expires.
• Make a secondary offer in the follow up if the community was not what they wanted – and in addition to those that choose to join.

When I ran this exact format last December, focusing specifically on joining my community, I generated £13,500 in two weeks of new sales.  This was a mixture of those signing up for the community and others buying my dedicated coaching packages – some starting right away and others wanting to start in the January.

The key was positioning the community AND the secondary offer of my private client coaching in the follow up, all with the message that this was their opportunity to get ahead of the January rush.

Strategy 2 - The “Planning Partner” Approach

This idea is perfect for December because everyone's thinking about next year. The secret is that few will actually be taking action.

Instead of trying to sell your training or full service right now, offer a specialised “2025 Planning Session” at a no-brainer price point.

I learned the power of this approach when I noticed something interesting about my clients' buying patterns. From those who signed up for full programs in my first launch of any New Year (typically in February), almost all of the people that had first engaged with me through a planning session in December joined the training cohort in the launch.

Let me repeat that…

Almost 100% of those who purchased a planning session with me in December, went on to buy and get access to my course when I launched it a few months later.

Here’s the structure I use for my strategy sessions:

• Deep dive into their specific challenges and opportunities
• Help them identify their biggest potential wins for 2025
• Clear action plan for Q1
• Give them a roadmap they can start implementing immediately
• Break down big goals into manageable chunk
• Include specific metrics for success

I currently charge £497 for these sessions and almost all participants convert into long-term clients worth £5,000 or more. If interested, you can book one here.

Why will this work for you?

Because you're not just selling – you're actually helping them create their roadmap for success.

Implementation will be their downfall – and if you can offer a way to help them take the right action, provide a level of accountability for them and be the encouragement they need to keep going, they will want to buy more from you. This is my experience anyway.

Strategy 3 -  The “Early Action” Incentive

This is probably my favourite December sales strategy because it combines urgency with real value.

Offer your January price at a December discount, but with a twist – they start working with you now, not in January.

I discovered this little strategy by accident when a client asked if they could “sneak in” before my January price increase one year.  I wasn’t planning a price increase but they thought that I was going to bring one in. It made me decide to actually do an increase in prices for the New Year and then offer out to my list an offer to buy now before the price goes up.

Here’s how you can do it…

• Say your current price for your course is £1,500.
• In January you might plan to increase this to £2,000 for access to a new group you want to start in February.
• Send out an offer to your list that they can get exclusive access to the next class that you’re about to run, for the regular price of £1,500 rather than the new public price that you will start to market in January.
• You can even offer an extra bonus or some live calls before Christmas to get people started if they do buy right away.

The offer writes itself…

“While everyone else is planning to start their transformation in the New Year, you'll already be weeks ahead.”

This isn't just marketing speak – it's absolutely true and a genuinely authentic offer. What makes this work is that you're not just discounting – you're adding immediate value and deadline.

Remember - the key to making any of these strategies work is fast implementation. You don’t need to create overly complex funnels and sequences. You've got about 15 working days until most people check out for Christmas, and really only about 10 days where you can make a significant impact.

Here's your action plan for this week:

• Choose ONE of these three strategies
• Block out 2 hours tomorrow to plan it
• Announce it to your audience within 48 hours
• Start promoting it immediately

Don't wait for the perfect moment - that moment is now.

Up for the challenge?

Which strategy are you going to implement?

Drop a comment and let me know – if you’re in my community, drop a note in there and I'll personally help you refine your it all.

If you have any questions on these strategies, join tomorrow's live Q&A session inside my community at 4pm UK time where I'll be breaking down each one in detail.

Click here to join the community if you are not a member.

Baby steps, right? 😉

Speak again next week.