4th of July has Come… And Gone…

Know What That Means, Right?
Uh-huh… **GASP** The year is officially HALF OVER.
The first half of 2016 is… Gone. Gone! GONE!
Now before you start levitating in anxious terrified panic, remember this: The year is only half over. Just like a glass that’s half full, you’ve still got another six months to realize all of your grand plans for 2016.
But chances are if your anxious-o-meter is going off, you’re already a bit underwhelmed by this year’s progress thus far. So the questions is…

How Do You Make the Most Of The Time Remaining?

Time for your mid-year review… The year’s halfway point is the perfect time to step back and take in your biz from that all-encompassing panoramic, big picture perspective…
And reflect, assess and re-calibrate course as you plan your route to financial success in the remainder of 2016.
Toward that end, here are three strategies to help guide your Mid-Year Review and adjust your course accordingly…

1. How Are Your Business Development + Revenue Growth Efforts Shaping Up?

I recently attended a panel discussion with a group of retailer expanding into the California marketplace for the first time. As you can imagine, California’s a tough nut to crack. If you succeed, the rewards are HUGE. But it’s most definitely a case of PAY to PLAY.
In the closing Q & A, an attendee asked the panel how they determined if a new store was successful… The answer across the board? PROFIT.
The same goes for your business, right? Of course (DUH!). In the professional service game, business development – converting prospects into new clients + generating repeat business from existing clients – drives profit.
As such, assessing your business development efforts (what succeed + what’s falling short), and measuring the revenue resulting from those business development efforts (how much do successful campaigns gross? How much do losing gambits cost?) provide useful benchmarks. Both for evaluating your success thus far, and for determining how you can improve moving forward.
As I’ve preached ad nauseam in the past, I eschew focusing on goals and instead concentrate on developing habits. But regardless, setting your sights on minimum revenue amount makes sense. In the end, profit matters. It’s how you keep your doors open and your family fed.
Thus if your business development efforts and revenue stats are falling short of your desired expectations, it may be time to reconsider your (marketing) habits. And that brings us to our second point…

2. Have You Developed The Marketing Habit?

Have you carved out time in your schedule dedicated exclusively to marketing?
Have you set a daily check-in, or at least a weekly appointment, and blocked out that time in your Outlook calendar? A timed appointment during which you focus on nothing but marketing your biz?
In other words, have you taken a step toward developing the Marketing Habit?
If the answer is no, you shouldn’t be surprise if you haven’t reached your desired revenue target.
Think of it like this… As you sit basking in the sun’s summer rays, swilling your tasty mint julip, and flouting your marketing duties whilst you peruse your P&L statement, don’t be shocked the L is far outpacing by the P…
Marketing is the key to growing your business. If you’re not making time for the mission critical practice, your biz is NOT going to flourish (neither is your bank account).
And this guides us to our third point…

3. Have You Tackled Those Lingering Marketing Projects?

I’ve blabbed in a couple of posts about the Dreaded Summer Slowdown – highlighting several ways you can leverage this often slower period to your advantage.
Well, one significant way is taking on marketing projects you’ve left otherwise neglected (gathering dust in your proverbial mind-space)…
==>Revise your LONG out-of-date website – Yeah, I’m talking about your web 2.0 site that looks like internet kindergarten, filled content that reflects your biz seven iterations ago, and lacks mobile optimization (which is KILLING your Google search results).
==>Launch that email marketing campaign you’ve pined for but haven’t managed to implement
==>The type your competitors have scored with BIG TIME.
==>Finally dip a toe into Social Media Marketing – That newfangled thingamajig all the kids are prattling on about.

Now These Are Just Some Suggestions…

Each business’s circumstances are unique. The above strategies may not apply to your business, they just happen to reflect the situations I most commonly encounter.
Your Mid-Year Review, and the actions you take in response, may look quite different. But the point is to follow through with the exercise. Ask yourself…
==>Am I on the right track?
==>Why aren’t I achieving?
==>I’m doing well, but could I doing better?

What Does the Second Half of Your 2016 Look Like?

Where is your marketing, and your business in general, headed between now and December 31st? What marketing plans are on your horizon? Swing by my Google+ page and share – Looking forward to seeing you there!