Q2 - A REALITY CHECK

For many business people, a new quarter provides an opportunity to reflect on the previous quarter and a chance to start a new page in their professional lives. You know that you have to take steps to continue to grow your business for the rest of the year. Now Q2/08 is upon us. The following tips will help you to put things in perspective.

1. Reflect on the previous quarter: What Worked? What Didn't?

How did you do during the last quarter? What worked well for you? What would you have done differently if given the chance for a “do over”? Are there any areas of your business that were neglected? Compare your actual performance in the last quarter to past performance data. Did you generate more sales than in the previous quarter? Which categories saw an increase or decline? Did your income improve in the last 3 months? What contributed to your successes, and how can you continue that success this quarter? Ask yourself these questions and use the answers to improve your business during Q2/08.

2. Set Attainable Goals: What Do You Want to Accomplish This Quarter?

Setting goals is one of the most important things you can do for your business. After reflecting on these past three months, set some high-level goals for the coming months.

Perhaps you would like to grow your overall sales by 10 percent. Or, you would like to establish 5 new advertiser relationships. Whatever your goals are, it is crucial to think carefully about them and record them in some way.

Write down your goals, but even more importantly, make them a part of your event and task scheduling. Doing so will make it easier to later assess whether or not you are on your way to achieving them. Keep your goals in focus. (For more information on incorporating goals into your schedule, sign up for a free teleconference on Friday, April 25, 2008).

3. Gear up for Q2: Ready, Set, GO!

Once you have set some realistic goals for the entire year, it's time to dig in and nail down your plans. Make sure you are geared up and ready to get off to a great start. Plan which products/services you will promote in the coming months. Pay attention to those products/services in key categories that relate to your present and potential customers’ needs. Travel, Health & Wellness are examples that fit this description.

4. Plan Your Networking Events: It's All about WHO Knows YOU!

Networking is a vital component of a successful business. For this reason, make it a priority to look at the calendar and plan which industry events you would like to attend in the coming months. By planning in advance, you can save yourself some money on flights, accommodations and other travel expenses. And you'll be able to look forward to events and prepare for them well in advance to make the most of each networking opportunity. This is an excellent way for others to get to know you and your business. Each event will enable you to establish, rekindle or solidify business relationships.

5. Review Your Web Site: How Are You Benefiting From That Analytics Package?

Look at your Web analytics reports from the past 12 months. If you don't have any Web analytics for your site, this is a great opportunity to do a little homework and find a package you like. Google Analytics is a fairly popular package, and you can't beat the price

If you already have some kind of analytics package installed, review the data and look for ways to improve your site. Are there certain pages that are converting better than others? Try to determine what specific qualities are helping those pages convert and apply that information to improve other pages on your site. Are there other areas of your site that could use a little improvement? Think about making those changes now.

6. Get Some Feedback: Reach Out to Your Site's Visitors

If you are having trouble figuring out your next step or how you can grow your business, consider consulting the best resource you have – your current customers and your web site’s visitors. Reach out to your customers and ask them for feedback. They may not give you a definitive answer, but their input can help steer you in a new direction. You can post a brief Web survey to ask them what they like or don't like; or, you can contact users individually and try to get some more detailed feedback. Ultimately, these people are responsible for the success of your business, so it doesn't hurt to cater to their needs, when you can.

7. Promote Yourself: Try Something New

Your success depends on being able to bring visitors to your web sites. To that end, you can never do enough to promote yourself and your site. This is a great opportunity to test a new method of self-promotion. Take a stab at a paid search campaign. Try sending a newsletter to your users. Consider sending out a press release. Build out a page on a social network. There are countless ways to get your name out there; why not pick one and give it a try?

8. Clean House In Your Company Back Office Manager: Is Your Information Up-to-Date?

Spend a few minutes reviewing all the information about your company in your back office web site (what your company gives you to help manage your efforts). Verify that everything is accurate and up-to-date. This includes your contact information, address and payment information, as well as all the details for your various Web sites and promotional methods. While you're in there, look at your Performance Reports and find any relationships that were unproductive (i.e., any products/services for which you generated no sales in the past 12 months). Spend some time evaluating the relationships to ensure that you are not missing an opportunity and try to jump-start those that still have potential.

Finally, consider removing non-responsive relationships to help you focus on your more productive ones. While this may seem mundane and non-critical, a few minutes spent on this now can save a hassle in the future.

True; we are already in Q2/08; however it’s never too late to start looking at new opportunities and planning for a successful year. I hope these tips will generate some great ideas for you that will help to make 2008 truly great!

Copyright © 2008 - Florette Anderson.

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Florette Anderson is a marketing consultant and the owner of CSS Company. This company develops seminars, workshops and digital training materials designed to motivate proactive professionals to become more effective with people and efficient with resources. For information on our proven system, please join our mailing list at http://www.csscompany.com.