Next week marks the 2nd half of 2024. If you want to finish the year strong, no matter how things are going for you right now, today’s newsletter is exactly what you need.

What follows is based on almost 30 years of experience, helping small business owners achieve their best results. It’s a very straightforward approach. And it works in every industry and profession.

And it starts with us taking a look at how our business has performed over the first half of 2024.

Reflection and action

If we reflect on our progress and discover we’re on course to hit or smash our 2024 targets, we need to take action.

1. To stay focused.
2. To persevere.
3. To carry on doing the right things, correctly.

If we reflect on our progress and it looks like we’re not on course, we need to take action.

1. To accept the urgency of the situation.
2. To decide that more of the same is not an option.
3. To get strategic. Important: Most business owners don’t know what an effective strategy is. Here’s a short, brilliant explainer video, by Professor Roger Martin.
4. To make better decisions.
5. To take better actions.
6. To finish strong and turn things around.

And here’s the GREAT news

Whether we’re on target or off target, we can still make this a very successful year. Equipped with the right strategy and support, our decisions will improve, our actions will improve and our results will improve.

The key is to act. And to act in accordance with the results we’re currently experiencing.

Lots of small business owners get this wrong. Many of those who are off target today, will stay focused, persevere and carry on… with more of the same. They’ll stick with what they’re doing and hope that things will improve.

Over the years, I’ve helped thousands of businesspeople to transform their results. In every case, their turnaround success started after they took that number one step above. They accepted the urgency of their situation, which inspired them to make the required adjustments. 

Yes, I do this same exercise myself

On a personal note, the only reason my own business has been successful over the years, is that I have learned to review my progress, or lack of progress, and then to act accordingly.

If I was using the same approach to my business in 2024 as I was using even a few years ago, my own business would be contracting today.

We all need to reflect on where we are, and then act accordingly. So please take time to see where your business is today, look at its direction of travel, and make the required adjustments.

Photo: Richard Stachmann on Unsplash

Today, I’d like to share a profoundly important marketing and business development idea with you, which is often ignored.

What makes it “profoundly important”? It’s literally (not figuratively) essential if you want to build a successful business and a very bright financial future! That’s why I am also going to show you how to get started.

I need to begin by asking you a question. How many of the marketing or business development tasks you worked on last week, were due last week?

Your answer to that question is important. It’s a great snapshot of how long-term or short-term your current horizon is.

The next 6 months, 12 months and 36+ months

It’s natural to focus on making your next sale or getting your next customer enquiry. It’s really important, too. However, it’s profoundly important to come up for air and look to your future. To work on the foundations of your marketing and business development, which will determine your success over the next 6 months, 12 months and 36+ months.

This might include answering key questions like.

• How can you greatly increase the number of sales you make, in the next 6 months, 12 months and 36 months or more?
• And how can you increase the profitability of those sales?
• What could you be doing in order to significantly improve your customer retention rate and the number of customer referrals you receive?
• What valuable, new product or service could you be working on, for your current and future customers?
• Who are the useful people you need to introduce yourself to now, so you’ll have an existing relationship with them in your medium and longer term? There is a direct link between how well connected you are, and how successful your business will be. There’s more information on this here, (in the 3rd marketing tip).

Today’s important tasks absolutely need to be worked on. But the only way to build a spectacularly bright future, is to work today with our future in mind. We need to regularly make time to think, plan and work on our longer-term success.

This means resisting the temptation of being so wrapped up in today’s business challenges, that we have too few foundations in place, for the future success we are capable of achieving.

Plant a seed today

Make time today, even if it’s just 15 or 20 minutes, to advance a business idea you have. In doing this, you’ll be planting a seed for the future success of your business. Then tomorrow, plant, water or feed  another seed. And again the day after.

When harvest time comes, you’ll be very glad you did.

Photo by Stas Knop on Pexels.com

Empathy is rarely discussed when people talk about building a successful business. However, empathy is one of the most important components of effective marketing.

Think about it.

• The vendors you feel closest to are those who understand you.
• The vendors you value the most are those who appreciate you.
• The vendors you’re most loyal to are those who take the best care of you.
• And the vendors you tell your friends about are those who eagerly go the extra mile for you.

Why does this happen?

It happens because business is all about people.

More specifically, it’s about how people feel. That’s because our feelings are what drive the decisions we make, and our decisions are what lead to the actions we take. Feelings are what cause people to hire you, buy from you, trust you, recommend you and remain a loyal client or customer.

You truly care. So don’t keep it a secret

Yes, you care about your clients. And they know it.

But what about your prospective clients? Does your marketing reflect the fact that you’re passionately committed to helping them? If you’re not sure, try this.

Take a look at your most recent marketing or the content on your website, through their eyes. Does it leave the prospect in no doubt that you care about the people your business serves? If not, get to work on it.

A lot is said about the importance of out-smarting our competitors, yet little is ever said about out-caring them. Ironically, one of the smartest things we can do, is to make darn sure that our prospects know how much we care.

Why?

Because very few of your competitors, even those who care a great deal, will make it a core part of their marketing. They just take it for granted that prospects will know.

So, give your business a huge competitive advantage. Make it clear that you genuinely care about the people you serve. It will massively improve the way prospects feel about you. And those feelings are what drive their decisions and their actions.