STOP! Don’t Throw Your Year Away
It happens every year around this time. Businesses decide to throw out the months of November and December as if it were old food rotting in the refrigerator stinking up the joint. The excuses are endless and sound familiar: “Next week is Thanksgiving”; “We’re having our Company Christmas Party”; “Our office will be closed for the week of Christmas, and then it’s New Years”. These excuses are usually followed by “Call me the first of the Year”.
My marketing professor had a saying “Don’t give me excuses, give me results”. And while the excuses above may be valid, does it really justify throwing away 8 weeks of productivity. Even if a business decides to shut down for 3 weeks during that period, that would give its employees 5 weeks to be productive and finish the year strong. Here are some suggestions on how you and your business can be productive during the Holiday Season:
Establish a Holiday Plan. Who’s working and who is taking off? What tasks would you like completed before “Bob” goes on vacation? Who’s covering for “Bob” while he’s gone?
Spread the Holiday Cheer. Don’t just disappear for your vacation. Send your clients a personalized gift and give it early. Most likely the purpose of your corporate Holiday gift is to reward your loyal customers and to inspire future business. Don't let your gift get lost with the others. Let your clients know you're actually thinking about them! Follow up. Make sure your gift arrived, and wish your clients a Happy Holiday. ImagineThatPromo.com has great Holiday Gifts with No Set Up Fees. Ask your clients if there is anything you can do for them before you take off. Your Holiday well wishes might even result in some business.
Evaluate your Vendor Agreements. The end of the year is a great reason to check around for the best prices for services and products you use. Don’t expect the phone company or the Landlord to call you and offer a reduction, however, you may be surprised at what happens when you call them. This is also the time you should be consulting with an accountant regarding tax planning and write offs.
Create a Marketing Action Plan for the New Year. Marketing is not something you can turn on and off like a light switch. If you’re planning a product launch in the New Year, the time to start marketing is…NOW! Remember, marketing is about delivering your message to the largest possible audience who can buy your product or service. Use the end of the year as an opportunity to develop a real plan for marketing your Company in the New Year. If your business slows down during the Holidays, than this should be the opportunity to sit down and plan with your key executives and advisers for the New Year.
Feel free to contact me if your Company needs to develop a Marketing Action Plan or provide personalized corporate gifts. I definitely believe there needs to be a good work/life balance. As I get older, I realize the importance of family, especially around the Holidays. Good planning and modern technology allows us to take care of both business and family from anywhere. Enjoy the Holidays and if you would like more information about any of our other products or services you can contact me at marc@imaginethatpromo.com or visit www.imaginethatpromo.com.
