Almost before we know it, the holidays will be upon us. Do you have a plan in place for a fast start in 2017? SCORE offers free business consulting services to thousands of local business owners. Here are some of the things SCORE recommends .
- Do not wait for the new year to begin; start now. You need time to develop and implement your plan.
- When analyzing your results for this year, ask yourself: What were your biggest successes and how can you have more of them? What areas need improvement and what will you do differently in 2017?
- Analyze your top competition and use their successes and failure to benefit your business. Look
- at everything from their website, quality of staff, cleanliness of the office, social media platforms and the ways they advertise. Check out the products and services they offer and their pricing, too. Are there things they are doing to get a competitive advantage? Have they identified good niche markets you may have missed?
- Ask what are the goals for your organization? Clearly identified goals will help keep your efforts focused and on track. Write a detailed plan explaining how you will achieve those goals. What are the systems and processes you will use to measure your results?
- Examine all of your target markets and prioritize them. Break them down into easy-to-identify niche markets. Know exactly which will be your top target markets, and be specific. The easier it is to describe your target market, the easier it will be to reach them. Develop a specific marketing strategy to effectively reach each of your target markets.
- Ask whether there are additional resources you need to accomplish your goals in 2017? Some examples of these resources might be additional staffing, new technologies, company vehicles or marketing materials.
By investing some time and energy now, you will hit the ground running in January and you will be one step ahead of your competition.
