12 Ways to Profit and Get Ready for the New Year
Posted by jklemeyer | Posted in Growth Strategy, Marketing, Planning, Sales | Posted on 19-12-2012
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I’d like to give you a quick checklist on actions I’d be taking if I were you, actually, I am taking these actions. I learned this process / strategy from my good friend, Scott Manning. Some of these steps require a little extra effort, some fast attention, but all will be well worth it. The end of the year only rolls around once every 12 months…You have to make the most of it!
In addition to maximizing the end of the year, you want to be primed and ready to go for 2013, before it gets here.
For Your Customers:
1. Send some sort of New Year greetings, tips, message or card to them, show them your appreciation. All the while, remind them how smart they are to be your customer.
2. Have some type of Holiday Sale, New Year promotion or campaign that enters the conversation already going on in their minds, they are buying tons of stuff from other people, why not you (note: the appreciation and the sale are two different things…It’s better that way.)
3. Offer a special renewal program where it’s applicable (and if not, why don’t you have some form of membership or continuity in your business…make that a goal for 2013)
4. A “get in while it’s still 2012 pricing” promotion, is a great strategy for any type of premium product, service or membership program. Use that wording in your message, it’s a great motivator, and it’s a great excuse for you to raise your prices.
5. Painstakingly go through your customer database and allocate into a VALUE Pyramid, top 5%, top 20%, top 50%, bottom 50%, etc. Look at what can be done to move people up to the next level of value. And then, most importantly, determine what you can do to keep your customers at the top, at the top. Next, what can you offer to increase both your value to them and their value to you. Now add this plan to the ones you’ll work on in the upcoming numbers. Identify who your best customers are, where they came from and where you can go and get more just like them.
6. Map out your Customer Relationship and Sales Campaigns for next year. So many people look at this as being the ENTIRE business, but it’s only a part of the business. You should be focused at least 50% on getting MORE customers, not just selling your current ones. By the way, you should do that too, but just make sure it’s not all you do. In short, you focus on KEEPING customers, and SELLING them more stuff, what will you do every month. Take information from #5 and apply it here.
For Yourself:
7. Take a look back at 2012 and make a list of everything that you did, tried, put in motion. What worked, what didn’t work? What’s new, what have you forgotten about. Then dissect it and figure out what you learned and what you can take with you into 2013 to make them all work better.
8. Similar to #5, but specifically to your goals and numbers. What were your real goals, and benchmarks, and where are your numbers currently. Decide what made it so. And write down your plan for 2013 specifically about your numbers.
9. Now take #5 and #6 and begin outlining your Marketing and Money plans for 2013. What you’ll do, start, try, implement. How much money, customers, etc. will you have and where will you get them from what sources? Remember your goals/numbers desired in 2013, dictated the rest of the story… make the plan that leads to the results that get you those numbers.
10. MY FAVORITE. Make a list of all the adjustments, changes, new rules, and most fun, what you are going to eliminate for 2013. Frustrations, negative people, time wasters, and profit killers. Make the list and get to work, make Dec. 31st your deadline to have this # fully in motion.
11. MY FAVORITE #2. Make the list of everything you want to tackle and try NEW for next year. Make a list of everything you are going to do to make sure it happens and that you’ve got the support you need. As example, mark you schedule for the year, allocate all Monthly Indy Success Events 2nd Friday (seriously) Mastermind Days (if applicable) Private Coaching (if lucky) and whatever else you know you need. This is your Implementation Plan that ties into your “what’s new” plan. New business, new markets, new income streams, etc.
12. Now, this will be your favorite part. Plan and schedule, your vacations for next year. You should be able to outline your 2013 calendar after completing
1 – 11, now go back and decide on when, where, and how you’ll take some time away. There’s no right amount. But you need to put them in place, it gives you something to look forward to, and if you commit to them and tie goals to them, you’re stuck, in a good way, to making sure you stay on track for the year and for your vacations.
Now after all of that, you ought to be ready for the New Year and to take a break before it begins and then hit the ground running. I know this, with money and opportunity comes great responsibility, planning, and strategic thinking. Nothing is on accident. And the 12 ways to profit and get ready for 2013 are a perfect example of what it takes to make success happen ON PURPOSE.
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