I used to spend this time of year by taking kind of a break. Are you doing that too? I mean, I still got work done, but I took a break from marketing, promoting, anything that might cost me money. I would think, “You know what, it’s the holidays and I’m just going to try to get by and then I’ll really get to work in January.” I know better now. Do you? Are you tired of struggling every January?
Do you know what the problem with that type of thinking is? Come January, you’ve realized that you spent a lot of money in December on traveling, presents, food etc. And, you didn’t prepare for hitting the ground running for the following year. Now January is here, and the holidays are over and you have to figure out how to find the money necessary to make more money in the new year! And, on top of everything, it will take you a solid month or two to get the ball rolling again! So, by the end of January or February, you’re struggling to get by. Quit doing the same old thing over and over again!
Don’t take December for granted. If you haven’t already done it by now, it is the month where you need to set yourself up for success in the coming year. If you wait until January, it will be February or March before you have your marketing ball rolling downhill and bring in fresh income. Get ahead of the game. You have to start now! Today!
1.) Start promoting what you are doing next year, right now.
Don’t wait until January 1st to start talking about the new year. Start promoting what your business will be doing and offering in the new year right now. Everyone is focused on Christmas right now. But, come January first, a lot of people who procrastinate about taking care of business will be looking for your services. If you aren’t ready to reach them effectively, on Jauary 1st, you’ll be left behind. They will pick someone who is ready.
- Write blog posts.
- Share on social media.
- Send emails to your email list.
- Call potential clients on the phone.
2.) Have a system already in place to take orders.
Whether you are selling physical products online, services, or virtual products (web subscriptions), you need to be ready on day one of 2017. After the last football game is over on January 1st, people will start focusing on business. Remember, most people have procrastinated just like you have in the past. If you are a business to business company, this is especially important for you.
- Make sure you have an e-commerce solution ready to go on day one of 2017.
- Make sure you have a credit card processor setup correctly.
- Make sure you have your shipping method planned out and ready to go (if you need one).
- Make sure you have auto-responder emails setup and ready to go for inquiries on the web.
- Make sure you have your Facebook page setup.
3.) Have a website that sells your product or service ready to go.
If you wait until January to start your new web project, it could be February, March, or even April before you are ready to launch — depending on how complex your web project needs are. That’s up to 25% of the year wasted. You need to be ready to go day one of 2017. To do that, you need to start your new web project today!
- Have a website that looks better than your competition.
- Have a website that performs better than your competition.
- Have a website that collects potential customers’ contact info.
- Have a website that generates leads.
- Have a website that is easy and intuitive for you to update and make adjustments to on the fly.
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the holidays. And, we should in part. But, don’t forget what affords you the ability to enjoy the holidays — your business! If you don’t want to start out 2017 by struggling, get started today with making sure that you are setup for success on January 1st. Don’t wait until then to start to get ready, or you could miss out on 25% of the year.
Contact us today if you are ready to start the new year off successfully.
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