Get meeting, event, conference, and party planning resources, all at your fingertips

Ring in the New Year — Successful Year-End Strategies and Business Planning Secrets Revealed

Aside from silly hats, noisemakers and glitter stuck in your hair, one of the best parts about the New Year coming in is that the old year is going out. Farewell to last year’s mistakes, missteps, and mishaps! Welcome new opportunities, second chances, and a fresh start! Of course, we all know those things don’t simply drop into your lap at the stroke of midnight. It takes planning and strategizing to prepare for the success you want to see in the New Year.

With that in mind, here is a countdown of best tips to help you prepare for the good fortune you deserve going forward:

THREE

Let’s review…what worked?

It’s time to evaluate your processes and procedures. Look for success stories … promotions that skyrocketed sales; customers who gave positive feedback and referrals; dramatic increases in bookings. Can you pinpoint what went right? Look for patterns, influences (such as holidays or seasons), or new methods you may have implemented. For example, did you increase your online presence via a new website or social media? Did you engage with customers more? Did you attend classes, webinars, or networking functions? Were there books or trade publications that were especially influential?

Consider all the factors that influenced your success. Then, repeat, repeat, repeat!

TWO

Though it might be painful, it’s essential that you take an honest inventory of what went wrong last year. If you lost business, what happened? Was it preventable? For example, did customers complain, post negative reviews online, or have a bad experience with your services? What might you have done differently?

Remember it costs you five to ten times more to solicit new business than it does to retain existing customers. Additionally, repeat customers spend, on average, 67% more than new customers, so superior customer service is critical to your success.

Finally, the point of this exercise is not to cast blame or feel shame, but to reframe. In other words, look for solutions. Formulate a plan to prevent repeating mistakes, then implement it.

ONE

What are your goals for 2016? Be specific, while thinking both long- and short-term. (“I’m going to increase lead generation by 20% every year for the next three years. One of the ways I’ll reach that goal is to post to social media four times a day, every day, for the next 30 days.”)

Keep in mind, goals should be realistic, achievable, and measurable. You want to stay positive, focused and challenged while avoiding making goals too lofty, complicated, or vague. Too often, the latter leads to discouragement and ultimately, giving up.

Instead, break down your goals into “bite-size pieces.” So if you determine you want to increase your net income by 40% over the next twelve months, what do you need to accomplish in the first 30 days of the year? How about by the end of February? When you break goals into do-able pieces, then assign daily, weekly, and monthly tasks to reach them, you are more likely to stay on track and less likely to derail.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Who doesn’t love the thought of being that dazzling success story that is the stuff of legends and movies? Of course, it seems romantic to think we can tackle everything on our own every day and singularly (metaphorically) climb Mt. Everest. The truth is, we all need to accept that we need help. Everybody needs a Sherpa (or two…or twelve) to reach the summit.

Make your job easier, your load lighter, and your success more likely, by utilizing every resource available to you--tools, services, software, apps, experts, consultants, employees, freelancers, friends, mentors and more.

Most importantly, enjoy the journey while you make the most of the New Year to come!

Kris McNeely, Content Editor | meetingpages | kris.meetingpages@gmail.com

As a freelance editor and writer for more than twenty years, Kris McNeely has had the opportunity to write and edit everything from non-fiction books to blog posts, web content to white papers, ads to articles. She was named an Erma Bombeck Humor Writer of the Month, has been featured in multiple anthologies, and was selected by Amtrak Railway Service as one of five travel writers from among a pool of 1500 applicants nationwide. In her free time, she likes to jog, garden, travel, and spend time with her two kids and three grandchildren.