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Ron Stein
Sales and Marketing Advice for Florida business
How to drive more revenue (and not drive yourself nuts)
I bet you're still thinking about all the things you didn't do last year to get ready for this year.
Starting a newsletter, adding video and infographics to your marketing mix, following up on leads, updating your website, blogging quality content more often, finalizing your ebook, increasing your social media activity, and booking speaking engagements.
Everything you planned to do leading up to a product launch or to come out of the gate flying fast in the New Year -- yet, never did.
Please forgive me for making your head hurt. But read on, because this is not a typical “new habits and resolutions” New Year column. It’s all about how to drive more revenue without driving yourself crazy.
Here’s the first thing to know: stop thinking about what you needed to do for your business last year and never got around to. Aside from taking too much of your precious time reflecting on how far behind you feel it’s getting you down in the dumps.
Get over it!
In her hit song “Hard to Say Good-bye” Beyoncé sings, "We each got to go our separate way." It’s the New Year and your mission is to rocket forward at the speed of light. So, separate yourself from last year’s baggage.
But don’t make the same old boring and general resolutions for the New Year that no one keeps. A study by the University of Hertfordshire found that people broke their resolutions 88% of the time.
Why does this happen? We humans tend to get stuck on the negative. So, as an alternative to “fixing the problem” of all the stuff you didn’t complete last year focus on what’s working and where your business needs to go and do more of it.
It’s time to swiftly decide what’s really important to your company’s success and build a plan of action around that.
Focus on your key marketing strategy initiative. Yes, there’s a lot to do. Instead of feeling overwhelmed with that thought, decide what the number one objective is for you to accomplish. And don’t simply say it’s to grow revenues. Layout the single strategy that you believe will grow revenues -- maybe it’s to finally launch that new product or service you’ve been planning that will reposition your business. Now layout HOW you will do that. Everything you do needs to support that. Nothing else matters.
Zero in only on a few actions at a time. Outline and put into action the two or three activities that will get you the results your marketing strategy initiative calls for, but no more than that. For that new product you're about to launch there isn’t anything more important than getting the word out to the right audience as soon as possible. Focus only on a few quick start promotional actions that will lead directly to revenue. All of your energy goes there."
Create a no interruption zone. The challenge you face is finding the dedicated time to focus. Set aside two blocks of time everyday that you schedule. The first is for your key marketing strategy initiative. Since this is your high priority activity it’s a good idea to break it up -- let’s say two and a half hours in the morning and three in the afternoon. The second block of time is dedicated to the ongoing activities of running a business and customers that you need to attend to. Let associates and team members know about your “time out” schedule. Better yet, insist that others on your team follow a similar schedule. Close the door and remember; it’s a meeting-free, no email, no interruptions time.
Your cup need not overflow with tasks. There’s no two ways about it; you have a full plate in front of you. You feel overwhelmed and know you could really make great strides if you could focus more on what’s important. To make this a reality delegate to others inside and outside of your organization and make them accountable. If you’re a small company, you don’t necessarily need to hire a full-time, physical assistant. I highly recommend a virtual assistant for both administrative and technical support. You can do it!
Make a commitment to smaller, more manageable activities that will help you succeed quickly at the beginning of the New Year. You’ll have a better chance of victory.
You’ll only drive yourself crazy dwelling on what you didn’t do last year to drive revenue. You can’t do everything -- at least not all at once. Focus on bite-sized actions that will ensure success, one step at a time.
What’s the key marketing strategy initiative for your business in the New Year? Feel free to share – comments welcome, below.
Ron Stein is President of FastPath Marketing (www.marketing-strategies-guide.com). He works with small business owners, helping them to energize their marketing and sell more of their products and services. Ron has developed his own highly successful 7-step approach to winning new customers as a result of his experience as a small business owner, corporate CEO, marketing and business development executive, salesman, and mentor at two nationally recognized business accelerators. Ron offers one-on-one and small group mentoring, conducts seminars, and consults. He can be reached at 727-398-1855 or Ron@FastPathMarketing.com.
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