Thinking About 2010

Yes, the holidays are here, which means time for family, fun, and relaxing. But this time of year also excites me business-wises, as it’s a fun, creative time for planning for the new year ahead, too.

I’m particularly excited about 2010 after having recently completed a three-day seminar with wonder-trainer Doug Nelson, of Peak Potentials. Doug shared some amazing insights on personal missions, entrepreneurship, financial freedom, and much more. (I have it on the skinny that he is working on a book—more details to follow soon.) Here are a few of Doug’s insights that I found particularly energizing, and which I want to share with you:

Everything is one thing—energy. Do you want more sales? More revenue? A better business? Expend more energy on marketing-related things. How? Begin by creating a written marketing plan with goals, time lines, and tactics. Then create daily—and I do mean daily—marketing-related activities (even something as simple as scheduling a lunch with another professional to discuss each other’s business).

To achieve new heights, get uncomfortable. Our mind wants to keep us safe, i.e., in our comfort zone. We must continually push to move beyond our comfort zone to continue growing and thriving. What would be a risky move for you in 2010? DO IT!

How you do anything is how you do everything. What is marketing? EVERYTHING. How you answer the phone. How you schedule lunch meetings with clients or colleagues. How your email signature looks, and the information it contains. And so on. Look at every interaction as a form of marketing yourself or your business. I know this can make many uncomfortable; just remember, if you are providing a valuable service, at a fair price, why not make this known to people with problems, looking for solutions?

The first 10 people who send me an email at tpcresults@gmail.com with “2010 Marketing Jump-Start” in the subject line, I will spend 30 minutes on the phone at no charge helping you craft your 2010 marketing plan.

To success!

Benefits to a Marketing Plan

I met with Nancy E. and Ray H. last week to begin the process of mapping out a marketing plan for their just-launched business of high-end, one-of-a-kind wine chests. Here are a few of the reasons they say they're excited to have -- very shortly -- a new plan:

* "gives us a clear path"

* "we don't have to do everything at once"

* "things are clear and more structured"

* "we needed the help prioritizing what to do, in what order"

* "we're honing in on what's most important"

* "Tim gave us new ideas/new thoughts"

Plans aren't dry, lifeless pieces of paper (at least not mine!). A well-conceived marketing plan helps clients sleep better at night by giving them clear direction on what to do, and in what order. Don't want to plan? That's your choice.... Just remember, if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there.

Priorities

Yesterday I met with the owner of the Sonoma Coast Villa and Spa (a wonderful resort near Bodega Bay), and over the course of our discussion J. told me seven or eight of the marketing "opportunities" he's been thinking about doing to help grow the Villa. I hear this often from business owners: lots and lots of ideas and opportunities. Two questions immediately come to mind about this:

1. Which opportunities do you focus on (or, more likely, in what order)?

2. How do you implement each?

Let's focus on the first question. Prioritizing your marketing outreach is one of the most important components of successful marketing. It's also where many business owners mis-step. My suggestion is this: create a meeting solely to list all opportunities (brainstorming) and then pick three to focus on in the coming year. Of the three, one should be something you can implement within 30 days, one within a quarter, and one within the year. In other words, think "quick", "quarterly", and "long-term". Then schedule and hold a separate meeting (as soon as possible thereafter) to begin building the plans to implement each of the three.

Yes, this is a little like Las Vegas, in that you're "gambling" that the time, effort, and money you devote to implementing an idea will pay off. How do you pick the three ideas to focus on? Well, either bring in a marketing expert for assistance or do what I tend to do more often than not: listen to my gut.

Successful Planning: Key Elements

Does the thought of planning out your marketing and business growth strategy for the coming year have you holding your head in pain and agony? Well, it shouldn't! Creating and then executing a sound marketing plan will pay huge dividends throughout the year, not only in terms of greater sales and stronger relationships with customers and prospects, but also for the simple fact that you can sleep a little better at night knowing that you're operating from a written plan and not "flying by the seat of your pants."

O.K., so what should go into a marketing plan? The marketing plans I help my clients develop are 1-2 pages in length, and focus on these big-picture areas:

1. Develop an overall "theme" for the year. This can take many forms, such as: A new product launch or a new focus on X. I strongly recommend that you develop a theme, which will give you a launching-off point for your marketing.

2. Develop a specific revenue target. Again, this usually is something like: We want to increase sales 15% over the previous year.

3. Develop a series of related marketing activities. Just like you can't eat a single meal and never be hungry again, marketing is not a one-time thing. The best marketing plans feature a series of related activities over the entire year. I usually like to think in terms of: one major marketing event per quarter. And ideally, each of these marketing events will be tied to your overall theme for the year.

4. Focus on an ongoing communication program to your best clients. Too many business owners focus, in my opinion, on landing new clients...and forget to market to their existing clients. I believe you should contact your clients ideally once a month, and at the worse, every other month.

5. Try at least one new "thing." Again, this can be anything from launching a new product (such as, for example, a blog to help business owners [!]) to trying a new marketing tool, such as an email newsletter. Trying new things keeps your ideas fresh and your juices flowing, and also sends a message to your clients and prospects that you are fresh, current, and cutting-edge.

6. Always be thinking about the following year. Is your web site getting outdated? Do you want to mount a major PR campaign? These things take time to develop and launch. If planned in advanced, however, they can be developed creatively, with as little disruption to your current activities as possible, and with the costs spread throughout several months.

Again, these are big-picture topics. Your marketing plan will have specifics, too. Yes, planning takes time and energy, but it is worth it. A sound marketing plan will point you in the right direction this year, and the following year. If you don't plan, however, you'll fall into the trap which Yogi Berra once so elegantly described (as only Yogi could!): "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there."

Successful Planning: Review

Though the trees are dormant right now, there is still growth going on below the surface. You should think of your business in the same terms--business growth planning now will lead to business growth successes later this year. January is a great time to create business growth and/or marketing plans. (I believe September and October are the perfect times to begin planning for the next year, but that'll be a topic for another post.) Before we jump into planning for this new year, however, there's an important step to take first: reviewing the previous year. Here are some questions to ask regarding your business results for the past year:

What were total sales? By segment or product? Were sales greater than or less than the previous period, and by how much?

What worked particularly well (new product, marketing initiative, etc.) last year?

What didn't work as well as we had planned for?

What new business or revenue opportunities "jumped out at us" last year?

What business weaknesses (be it staffing, web site, etc.) also jumped out at us, in terms of needing to develop or improve?

Once you have specific answers to the just-asked questions, you can begin to move forward with your planning for the coming year.

Next time: 2008 Planning