The Time Is Right To Start Planning for 2014

Thanksgiving is ancient history (how soon we forget!) and we are now on the march towards 2014. And it’s coming fast!

Now I know that December is filled with all sorts of end of year activities that include some fun (holiday parties and celebrations) and some not-so-fun (informing clients that you are raising your fees in 2014, etc.) and, at times, it might even seem as if you have absolutely no time to do what might just be the most important thing of all, and that’s starting to plan for 2014.

The time to act is now, not January 2nd and certainly not January 15th or 20th or sometime in first quarter. No, the time to start planning is right NOW.

 

So what should your plan entail?

Well, before you start to plan ahead you must take a close look at 2013. Did you accomplish your goals? Where did you excel, where was there a problem? Are there opportunities that you should have exploited but didn’t? And are there any (new) threats to your business on the horizon?

Armed with this information you can now look to the future:

• What are your desired revenue goals for 2014?
• What is your expected marketing budget for 2014?
• How do you intend to accomplish your sales goals? For instance, do you intend to retain and grow your existing client base or generate new clients? Regardless of the answer, what strategies will you deploy to accomplish either or both?
  • What sort of marketing and business development initiatives will you utilize? Direct mail, email marketing, trade shows, public relations, advertising, networking, telemarketing and more are all there for your disposal. How will you deploy them?
• Are you staffed appropriately?
• Will your physical space accommodate your plans for growth?

And on and on. You get the picture.

 

It’s not easy and yes, it does take time BUT it is imperative to have a definitive plan in place so that you can efficiently and effectively maintain and grow your business.

But back to timing. This is too important to put off so make an appointment with yourself, take the first step and get started.