Why not decide right now, to make 2010 your best business year ever?
This post contains 8 common sense, buzzword-free ideas, intended to help you achieve better results for your business in 2010 and beyond. You will already be acting on some of these – You may already be acting on all 8 of them; in which case see this as a reminder and share it with your contacts and friends.
I would also like you to add to the list and make it more valuable for everyone.
So, to get the ball rolling, here are the first 8 ideas; to help a business thrive in 2010 and beyond:
1. Don’t wait for ‘it’ to just get better – It won’t
Do you know what most small businesses do when times are bad? They hunker down and hope things will just get better. Even when the economy was thriving and banks were throwing money at people and businesses, there were companies going broke every day; because they just carried on doing what didn’t work and hoped that things would magically, just get better.
Things didn’t just get better back then and they certainly won’t today – in the midst of the worst economic period in living memory.
Apple Inc produce an expensive range of premium products. They are the kind of company that was supposed to suffer most during the recession. However, during the past year, Apple Inc have posted record breaking profits; the best numbers in their history. They have achieved this through fusing great products with brilliant marketing. My business has just had it’s most successful year in our 15 year history – again, by matching a great service with highly effective marketing. Don’t wait for things to just get better in 2010. Make them better.
2. Embrace time management
Start managing your time more effectively, so you don’t waste major time doing minor things. Delegate whenever possible. Make it a habit throughout the day to ask yourself; “is this the best use of my time right now?” If the answer is no, go and do whatever it is you were just avoiding.
3. Avoid toxic commercial relationships
Look at your commercial relationships and see if you are associating with the right people for what you need to achieve. Associating in negative company does not only make good kids behave badly, it causes good businesspeople to make bad decisions too. That’s because the people with whom we habitually associate have an impact on how we think. As someone told me many years ago; “keep associating with people that are going nowhere and one day, everything they have will be yours.”
With this in mind, you can improve your thinking by listening to the right kind of influences. As our thoughts control our actions, this 1 step alone can massively improve everything for you. Start listening to people that already have whatever it is you want to achieve. Let these people be the ones that influence your thinking. Learn from them.
4. Spend less time staring at your TV
Don’t just get a year older in 2010, get a year better too! If you watch TV in the evenings, try spending less time in front of the TV screen and use that TV time to sharpen your skills. Just 1 hour less TV time each week night, will give you 20 hours of study time each month.
If you want to achieve more sales in 2010, learn how to sell and market your services during that time.
5. Set some business goals
It’s not enough to simply state on a piece of paper that you want to increase sales by X% – you need to make a plan for how this will happen. Set yourself some tangible, measurable, time-specific marketing / income goals and write up a plan on how to achieve them.
There are a million places on the Internet that will explain the simple process of goal setting. Just remember to keep it simple and back the goals up with action.
6. Sharpen up your commercial image
What does your business look like from the outside? People do business with and recommend people and organizations that they trust. If a business looks like it’s being run on the cheap, people are less inclined to use it; they want to believe that a business will still be there in 6 months or 6 years time.
These days, well over 90% of people check out a potential proider online, before they decide to do business with them. If a business operates behind an outdated website or blog – THINK about the image that’s creating in the mind of potential customers. It shows neglect and lack. It shows no commitment to quality. There’s no need for this to happen! Remember, you can get a polished, professional site or blog (like this one) using Headway (affiliate link) for very little.
7. Develop your own unique voice
I was joking with Chris Brogan last night, about the sudden rush of people stealing his content and literally republishing it without attribution. Last week, a so-called social media ‘expert’ actually placed a cut-and-paste copy of Chris’ work into an ebook, which he then copyrighted as his own work! Then, this week, a leading publication pretty-much rewrote one of his posts, again without attribution.
In business, it’s great to learn from others, but it’s really important to develop your own, unique voice. This means having the courage to say what you mean and mean what you say. Will you always be right? Probably not, but people will respect your honesty and your courage for voicing your own opinion.
People follow those who are courageous and trust those who are honest!
8. Measure it so you can manage it
Effective marketing comes from the process of testing and measuring. It’s impossible to know if your marketing is on track or not, unless you are able to accurately measure the feedback it generates. Most people count hits, clicks, bounce rates, followers, retweets etc – but seldom measure the impact each of these is having on their business.
What are 10 followers on Twitter or 500 Facebook fans actually worth to your business? Yes, every person is priceless, but in commercial terms, you need to know what your business networks are actually generating for you and your business. As my mentor, the late, great Jim Rohn used to say, money isn’t everything, but it’s easy to count.
So, start measuring what all your marketing is costing you (in both time and money) and what it’s generating for you in tangible, bankable results (that’s money.) Either learn how to fix what isn’t working or replace it with something that does work.
Now it’s your turn
What’s missing from this list?
Add your ideas and make this post more valuable for everyone!
Photo credit: Makou0629
I have one to add – talk to people. If you don’t make new connections, you won’t be able to open new opportunities. Unless you’re incredibly notable, people won’t be knocking on your door to form partnerships. You have to go out and connect with others.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Just this morning I made a connection with a marketing professional because he was throwing some idle ideas at me. Opportunities are everywhere. =)
That’s a very good suggestion Corey – thanks! Love the bit at the end.
Cool list..
I’d like to add a something like point no.4 which is less TV. I recommend less social-networking and tweeting (less distractions) gives more productivity or just say extra time to do something new or to learn something.
If you lessen your 1-3 minutes of checking email, updating status on facebook/twitter tons of times a day.. that may end-up saving an hour or two.. a great benefit, isn’t it?
Thanks Enk,
One thing to consider there Enk: When used correctly, Twitter can help you achieve amazing results. I have personally generated tens of thousands of dollars worth of business as a direct result of connections I made on Twitter. I have clients that achieve great results too. It’s only a poor investment, if it’s not delivering tangible, bankable results. That said, your advice for most people is correct; in that they put a LOT of time in and generally get very little business back.
My tip would be to take a fresh look at what you do. What is it that helps you solve your client’s problems effectively? Identify that more closely. It’s easy to lose focus on that over time, so take the opportunity to refocus on what you do best for your clients.
That’s a great tip, Ash. The ability to see our business, through fresh eyes, and adapt as required is essential for ongoing success. Thanks for sharing!
Great post, Jim… I try to make each year better than my last, both personally and professionally…
If I could add a tip of my own, I’d say, “Embrace ‘I don’t know’.” “I don’t know” is where learning and growth begin, both professional and personal. It’s silly to think that everyone has all the answers, so if a client asks if your business can do X, or can you tell them more about Y, don’t BS them or yourself. If you don’t know an answer, then say, “I don’t know, but let me find out for you.” Then, go find out.
There’s no shame in not knowing, and saying “I don’t know” is a strength, not a weakness. It says, “I’m confident enough to admit I don’t have all the answers, but also confident enough that I can find one for you.”
Addressing and calling out your “I don’t know’s” makes you smarter, and makes your business stronger.
I love that Brett!!!
I remember Earl Nightingale talking about “the inoculation theory of education”. His idea, was that people finished formal education and saw their qualifications as an ‘inoculation’ against HAVING to study any more.
I’m committed to life long learning and everyone I know, who’s serious about their business or career does the same.
Thanks Brett.
Another keeper, Jim! This new journey I am on is going need me to look at all of these things. For me, time management has always been an issue. I get distracted easily and I also get involved in people’s problems easily. I have to tell myself that if I can’t provide real help, then I need to just refocus.
I know I will be reading more in the next year and probably taking some of my career industries many courses with a goal of new certifications. I believe in continuing to grow to help me stay fresh.
Glad you found it useful Julie. Thanks for the great comment.
My offering is to say “Don’t be afraid to think the unthinkable” – try something new, whether it’s a change of direction, or a new improved approach to customers, prospects, or how you run your business – just try it!
Now is a great time to take that approach, and New Year’s Resolutions are a good excuse to start!
Now, how much do I owe you Jim for writing out mine?
(Thanks to Brett, Ash, Enk & Corey too!)
As you say Howard, it’s important to remain open to new ideas. Thanks for the comment sir.
Hi Jim,
Insightful post as always… my two cents – reach out, connect via email, phone, in-person meetings, build relationships, collaborate. Team work can make all the difference in the world.
Those connections are gold dust Mark; for small and large businesses alike. Thanks for the contribution.
I think one idea I would add this this fantastic list is sort of a tag-team option with #4. Beyond spending that time studying in your field or niche, maybe spend that extra hour a night or a few hours a week studying up in an area you don’t know much about right now. Whether that means some self-taught basic HTML or Google AdWords or whatever other areas you may find beneficial, treating it as a regularly scheduled activity might help keep you focused and the long-term benefits could be huge.
For that matter, you can use it for anything you want. Take martial arts lessons or a pottery class or any other way to learn something new about yourself and gain a different perspective on life. Sure, shows like Glee and Modern Family can be entertaining, but they won’t do as much as trying something new will do for you.
Of course, I’m probably just bitter with TV in general because I still consider Arrested Development to be the greatest show that should have never been taken off the air. As GOB would say… “COME ON!”
Great post as ever Jim, I would add a suggestion to read something new/ different to challenge the way you think. Quite often people just read the same author / business authors and after a while they no longer actually ‘read’ because they are so familiar with the content.
That also applies to when writing your own content, you need to try new things so people actually read what is written.
I would like to add a thought on #2 (time management):
Managing your attention might be more important than managing your time. Because how you spend your time is determined by how you spend your attention.
If you have a customer that draws all your attention then you will spend a lot of time for this customer.
See also this link:
http://bit.ly/6pSvgO – Quit Managing Your Time… and Start Managing Your Attention by Lee J. Colan & David Cottrell
Simply get out, take in more oxygen, shake off the manufactured air …fresh air = fresh ideas.
Get healthy too and see the change in your outlook.
Thats somewhere Im going to be destined together with the great ideas above
This is really wise advice. Love how concise and focused it is. I’ve already forwarded to our team to see how we might use it as a guide for 2010. Thank you!
Great post Jim! Would like to reinforce your #2 Time Management and suggest delegating or outsourcing everything that isn’t your brilliance!
Hi Jim
I was sent a link to your site by my friend Jo Dodds on Twitter and found this post really useful. I have had a look round your site and signed up for your emails so I look forward to more! Thank you!
Hayley.