7 Simple Steps to Take for a Successful 2015
Reconnecting with your network
If you're sick of your current business results and ready to make 2015 your best year ever, your planning needs to start right now. Here are seven tips for getting a head start on building a successful enterprise next year:
1. Sort contacts in the database.
Are you really going to send another holiday card to a client you haven’t spoken to in a decade?
Sort through your database and label each person as an A, B, C or D prospect. The A people are cream-of-the-crop clients. They've referred you business over the last 12 months. Your B people are clients who haven’t referred anyone this year but have in past. They are worth holding on to.
2. Call clients.
If you want a successful start to 2015, then start today to call clients in your database. Divide up the list so that you're making 10 to 20 calls a day. Simply say that you are updating your records to send out holiday cards.
3. Update the website.
When was the last time you revamped your company's website? Does it collect cobwebs, too? Is there a blog on the site? Does it have a call to action? The best business websites have lots of content (perhaps on a blog) and a call-to-action button (offering a free downloadable guide or book for anyone who leaves a name, email or phone number).
Related: 3 Reasons Your Website Will Never Be Finished
4. Review the last 20 sales.
Where did your last 20 customers come from? Do you have a system in place for thanking people who refer business to you? This could be as simple as having an assistant send along a thank-you note to show your appreciation.
5. Create a dossier on the competition.
Who are your top three competitors? What do they do better than you? Spend a few hours researching your competition. Check out their websites, product offerings and even consider posing as a secret shopper to see what they're up to.
6. Review expenses.
Pull out your profit-and-loss or credit-card statements, checkbooks or all of them. What are you wasting money on? You're probably paying for subscriptions to technology, marketing programs or social-media add-ons that you're no longer using. While you’re at it, take time to see if you can negotiate for more favorable terms on cellphone, Internet and energy bills.
7. Hire and fire.
Fall is a great time for determining if everyone is on the right seat on the bus at your organization. If there are employees who are not cutting it, you need to fix things now or cut your losses and ask them to leave.
Once mid-November hits, you are considered a scrooge if you let go of unproductive employees, so start determining who are the A players who will move forward with you in January. Hiring now gives you two and a half months to get ready for an awesome start to the new year.
Read the full article at: entrepreneur.com
Patty Block, President and Founder of The Block Group, established her company to advocate for women-owned businesses, helping them position their companies for strategic growth. Charting the course for impactful, sustainable, profitable businesses, the beacon is control: of your strategic direction, your money, your time, your staffing, and your ability to bring in business. The Block Group brings together the people, resources and ideas that build results.
Business consulting for women entrepreneurs in Houston.
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