As we head into the homestretch of 2018, it’s easy to forget the looming holiday season and all its attendant slowdowns. During this time, it’s often more difficult to get commitments from your existing clientele, and prospects will be predictably elusive. The best strategy is to think ahead – and there’s no time like the present to get on top of it so you can finish the year strong.
Here are some tips to help you develop a winning approach:
1. Review your goals: Sometimes, it is necessary to take a step back to assess where you’re at in relation to your business goals for the year. Are you on track to meet your targets? Carefully review your goals and determine what efforts will be needed to accomplish them by year’s end. These might be strategic goals, financial goals, or they could be related to growth or organization. Seeing what these targets are on paper will help you visualize what needs to be done.
2. Be proactive: We all know how difficult it is to get sales commitments during the holidays. People are out of the office and largely preoccupied with personal matters. Make an action plan now and begin the process of anticipating your customer’s needs over the next few months. If you deal with the retail sector, keep in mind that most outlets have already done their holiday buying, but you still may have some time before that window closes. Take advantage of it.
3. Optimize workflows: By streamlining your workflows you will get more done in less time. Remove unnecessary steps to free up resources for more important activities. Working smarter in this way will help you get ready for the holiday rush. Ensure that communication is transparent and well-understood by all employees and stakeholders. This will minimize any slowdowns or disruption stemming from a lack of understanding.
4. Delegate wisely: When you identify extra steps that need to be taken to accomplish a certain result, delegate these duties to individuals who you can count on to get the job done. Recognize who is able to take on more work and don’t pile extra tasks on people who are already stressed for time and attention. This goes for you too – you can only do so much before quality starts to break down.
5. Check in regularly: Weekly meetings, scrums, updates, and progress reports are important to make sure you stay on track to reach your end-of-year goals. Whether that is based on sales, production or prospecting for the future, checking in regularly will help you correct situations and avoid slowdowns.
6. Motivate your team: A motivated team is a successful team. Engage them with positive reinforcement and insights that keep them focused on the task and motivated to succeed. Your proactive approach requires more than just setting a plan in motion – you need to track and analyze your results as you go to ensure you stay on track.
Are you ready to finish the year strong? My Annapolis Office is ready to help, with flexible, affordable executive office solutions that will help you grow. Call today to learn more.
