Dec 29, 2014

By: Chelsea Haley, DKI Ventures, LLC

As we enter this New Year, do you have a business plan? Has your team set new goals, new budgets?

If not, now’s the time to start!

INCREASE SALES

I’m sure we all want to increase sales this year, and every year – But, by how much? How do you plan to get to that number?

Having a goal in mind is a great start, but having an execution plan will help you maintain that goal. We all know at least one person, who sets New Year’s resolutions year after year, but only keeps them up for a short time. Usually this is because they don’t have a week by week or month by month plan to keep their motivation high.

If your goal is to increase sales by X percent by the end of the year, then make monthly or quarterly short-term goals for your team to achieve. Starting small to reach that big goal has a better rate of success.

INCREASE BRAND EXPOSURE

Research new marketing trends. Pull reports of your current market versus your competitors’. Who do you need to reach?

By following certain trends, you can stay within sight of consumers. But, don’t follow too closely that you get lost in the realm of every other competitor out there. Create your own marketing ideas, using knowledge of “what’s hot.”

According to Forbes, 65 percent of us are visual learners. We grasp knowledge, products, services through images, video, etc. Utilize the newest trends of infographics and YouTube videos; they’re inexpensive, yet effective.

INCREASE EMPLOYMENT

This one may not be on everyone’s minds, considering more overhead means using more money, but by increasing your number of employees, more work gets completed. Think about it:

Company X has a portfolio of over 100 products, but only three customer service representatives. These employees have to juggle email, website and phone orders daily. If the company is closed on the weekends, then on Mondays, the three representatives handle orders from Friday evening through Monday. Not to mention, if one is sick, then there’s only two arranging all of these, including customer comments and complaints. When is the work complete? I’m overwhelmed just thinking about it!

If one of your departments doesn’t have the bandwidth to complete all of their responsibilities in their 40-hour work week, maybe it’s time to hire more people to help. Less work will be pushed aside, which will, in turn, increase your sales, which brings me to my next point.

INCREASE CUSTOMER LOYALTY

With more employees and more delegation, customers will receive more attention. How many times have you heard someone rave about a company’s “excellent customer service?” This is huge! Your customers are your business. Treat them above expectations, and they will continue to use your services or products, but also send their network of friends and family to your company. And, if you offer excellent service to their friends, as well, the cycle will continue.

Use these general goals this year to help create your own New Year’s resolution for your business to prosper. Happy New Year to you all!