Christmas fairs, networking events and lunches with clients and friends are part of the build-up, and all bring opportunities to meet face-to-face to discuss plans for the year ahead. It’s also when we get to produce the annual Midwich Christmas video which is tons of fun and an opportunity to really get to know a Christmas classic!
I think it’s the sense of excitement and slight panic in the lead-up that makes me smile. I thrive on a deadline and I think it helps force people into making better decisions. When time isn’t on your side you need to quickly weigh up the pros and cons of doing something before the big day or leaving it until January. Sometimes end of year budgets come into play but great ideas don’t always have to mean a big spend. Taking time to step back and look at the opportunities ahead is always time well spent.
Take stock of what you have
These last few weeks of the year are perfect to look at your business, what works and what doesn’t, make moves towards a new career or even consider setting up on your own.
I tend to use this time of year to look forward, think about what we want to achieve the following year and how we need to go about it. We think about the type of clients we want to work with and how we can get their attention.
Forming new working habits and ideas now means when everyone else is struggling to get going in the New Year, we’re full of plans already put in place months ago and ahead of the game.
Make a start now
People often relish the idea of a brand refresh or website redesign for a bright new year and I don’t blame them. We’re working on a few sites right now that will be delivered to the client early December to give them time to approve and for us to fine tune before launching the first week of January. It takes the pressure off and if you can start a job it’s almost done – right?
Practically there are many things that make sense to fix now rather than leave it until January when you might find it hard to get going or your message runs the risk of getting lost in the noise of the sales. If you are intending to launch a new service or product, refresh your website or take on new team members to help grow it’s worth considering how you can kick start the process now. Making time to discuss ideas and designs gives you a head start. If you know you want a campaign to start at the end of January to give you that much needed sales boost in the first few months, get it booked in before your festive diary is too busy.
Fresh challenges
It may seem strange to think beyond Christmas already but if you can begin now you’re likely to start the new year feeling a bit lighter and much brighter. Whether you plan to explore new markets, start selling your products online or wish to stand out amongst your competition, it helps to get in there early.
If you need to freshen up your marketing to attract new clients or look at why your website isn’t bringing you the right type of business, don’t leave making plans until January. Bring things forward a couple of months and you’ll hit the ground running in 2020.
