Show me a family business that has passed down through generations and I can show you some fatherly wisdom that was shared and remembered. In fact, check out this article from Forbes on some of the biggest, oldest family businesses and the fatherly advice the current owners received that they still remember today.

My father shared a nugget with me that I recall every year on this date.

“There are always twenty four days in December prior to Christmas.”

Throughout the year we are constantly measuring ourselves against last year’s numbers. Week to week, month-to-month, quarter-to-quarter. But in these final days, it gets hard to measure. Oh, you can measure Black Friday Weekend to Black Friday Weekend, but because Thanksgiving changes every year, those last few days don’t always line up so perfectly.

I remember trying to figure out projections based on last year and this year and how many Saturdays and when they would fall and my inventory levels and and and …

Dad stopped me in my tracks. It wasn’t time to project any more. It was time to sell. It wasn’t time to compare. It was time to make hay.

“There are always twenty four days in December prior to Christmas.”

You can take that statement to the bank. Your job is not look at the numbers in comparison to anything else. Your job is only to go out there and find gifts, solve problems, and make happy customers. After Christmas you can compare this 24-day period to last year’s. But for now, quit looking at the numbers (other than to track them as they happen) and start looking for the opportunities to make sales.

It is December 1st. You have twenty four days left. Make them count.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS I’m a numbers guy, so I still tracked them like a hawk, but whenever I got anxious about those numbers, I would remember what Dad said, take a deep breath, and go hit the sales floor.