I can't believe that we're 2/3rds through 2008 already. So I'm looking ahead to the last four months of this year for what I want to get done, and still have time to enjoy life and spend it with family and friends.
And I know the last 4 to 6 weeks of the year can be the most difficult for a business owner. That's because people are busy with holiday parties, get-togethers and travel.
How many times have you talked with a potential customer between Thanksgiving and New Year's, only to hear the dreaded phrase: "What you have looks good, but get back to me after the 1st of the year." This is frustrating, and a momentum-killer for your business and bank account.
That's why you must have a plan of action between now and Thanksgiving, and through the rest of the year.
There's two ways you can deal with the holidays in your business:
1) Have a laser-like focus from now until Thanksgiving to get as much business done as possible. I call it the "90 Day Marketing Sprint."
Plan your marketing promotions, and make sure folks you outsource business to (such as graphic and web designers, copywriters, and event planners) know what you're doing, and are available when you'll need them.
Make sure you have enough lead time to get the design work, copy and other work done without being rushed. This way you'll be more productive, have fewer year-end regrets, and built-in momentum to carry you into the New Year.
The second option is...
2) Promote your own (or become an affiliate for other marketers') products during the holidays, to provide a secondary income stream for your business. You can promote these to your e-mail list easily, when you use an e-mail program like AWeber.
You can use AWeber to send e-mails at a pre-determined time, so you don't have to spend time to manually send each one to your list. If you don't have that big of a list, Joel Christopher and Tellman Knudsen have good advice on how to build a list quickly.
By doing the 90-Day Marketing Sprint, and getting income from affiliate programs, you can better deal with the 'holiday hurricane' of activity from Thanksgiving through New Years Day. You'll have a sense of accomplishment... more peace of mind... not to mention more money in your bank account.
If you haven't done it yet, plan out what you want to get accomplished from now through December 31, 2008. It'll make your business life easier, and give you a head-start on positive momentum for 2009.
