Back to School Means Back to Business
Back to school signals to you that the summer distractions of kids, vacations and time by the pool are over and it’s time to get back to business. Begin by taking a look around to see if there are some basic business routines you’ve developed that need changing. Also, do a quick review to make sure you’re on track to meet your revenue goals.
Take a look at your strategic marketing schedule. Have you done everything you set out to do this year?
Website revamped – check.
Ezine developed and being sent out consistently – check.
Shopping cart added to website – check.
Facebook and Twitter accounts set up – check.
Likewise, review your sales goals to make sure you’ll meet your targeted income for the year.
With just four months left in the year and a holiday season that takes many people out of the office for extended periods, you need to know where you’re at in terms of meeting your revenue goals.
Take a quick review of the last several months of your calendar and to-do lists.
By doing this, you can get a pretty good idea of how you did in staying on track to accomplishing your various project goals. Were a few items pushed back and then pushed back again? Ask yourself why.
Consistently spend time on important tasks that move your business forward.
Sales and client management should be top priorities. As yourself, “Do my clients have big plans for next year that I’m not in the loop on yet?” If you haven’t begun scheduling your year-end review with each of your top clients, do so now.
Answer honestly the question of whether you manage distractions well.
Most people complain that email is overwhelming. Make it less so by setting up rules within your email program that filter incoming emails into designated folders so that they can be read later. Then, block time daily to check those emails and block more time for handling other tasks such as voicemail.
Delegate those tasks that don’t require your personal touch.
In whatever you’re doing, always ask yourself, “Does this task directly impact sales and profitability?” Keeping that question central in your mind throughout the day will help you to more effectively manage distractions and changing priorities.
Be smart about the meetings you host or attend.
Most people complain that they attend to many meetings that are unnecessary. Reduce these time-wasters by understanding the components of an effective meeting:
- A clearly defined purpose
- An organized and focused meeting host
- An agenda that keeps everyone on track
- Meeting notes that summarize the core aspects of the meeting
It’s time to put the warm memories of summer behind you gear up for your year-end sales and marketing push. Soon enough there will be another series of distractions to take your focus away from your business: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s. The fourth quarter begins soon, so gear up now.
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[...] Nelson, Virtual Assistant with Champion Assistants posted “Back to School Means Back to Business” with some great ideas on taking this time of year to reveiw business routines, marketing efforts [...]
[...] Back to school signals to you that the summer distractions of kids, vacations and time by the pool are over and it’s time to get back to business. Begin by taking a look around to see if there are some basic business routines you’ve …Page 2 [...]