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Do You Have a Plan – and Are You Following It?

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You Can Get There!

“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

~ C.S. Lewis

Where Are You Now?

No matter how you look at it or where you live, 2020 has been a weird year.

The thought that this year is three quarters done may cause you to feel relief, panic, or a sense of awe at all you have accomplished. For some people it might be all three at once!

No matter what has happened so far, it’s time to take some time to reflect on where you are; assess the good, the bad, and the ugly; and decide what to do next. (In fact, that is a very powerful habit to put in your diary around this time every year – like a ‘last sprint before Christmas’).

Personally, I’ve had a pretty awesome year, but it certainly hasn’t been anything like the year I had planned. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the quantity of marketing I’ve been doing on behalf of my own enterprises and those of my clients.

How is That Working for You?

Interestingly, the businesses I’m talking to that are struggling most right now as we’re 6 months into the crisis are the ones who went into hibernation and decided to put all their marketing and expansion plans on hold until this crisis had passed. That’s ok when it’s just a few weeks, and I get the ‘shock shutdown’ response, but it’s showing up in their balance sheet and client list right now. I do appreciate that many businesses had no choice about closing – at this moment Melbourne is in about week 10 of lockdown with no real end in sight which makes it hideously difficult for them to plan…

There are so many things you cannot control:

  • the global economy
  • the local economy
  • political actions and actors (both at home and abroad)
  • where Covid ends up taking us and what influence it has in the long term

So, here’s the question you need to ask yourself:

What can I do/control that will stand me in good stead even if all hell breaks loose in the world and the economy?

What Will You Do Next?

I don’t know what is going to happen next. However, looking around at the actions of governments and world bodies, I’m willing to guess that the next few years will be tough for many of us. (I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t see anything good coming from governments printing money, business owners suing governments, and all the other drama).

SO…

If you have hung in there, pursued your original marketing and expansions plans, tweaked your message and amplified your presence: Congratulations!

If you shrank back, then it’s time to dust yourself off, double down, and implement those marketing plans you had at the start of the year. Now is not the time to be a wallflower because there are plenty of opportunities and the more effectively you reinforce your positioning and activity now, the better prepared you will be to take advantage of whatever comes next.

I received the following email the other day from a client…

Hey Debra,

Just wanted to drop you a note to say how amazing it has been to have a solid marketing strategy. I was tempted to drop all my marketing back in March when things fell apart. All my advisors were telling me to cut costs as much as possible and my staff were apathetic, but I lit the fire under them and went ahead with the plan.

I’ve doubled my turnover, profit margins have increased by 31%, and had some unexpected opportunities to play in a bigger field just because I was out there while my competitors were shrinking back, or even going under.

Now we’re heading into the Christmas quarter and I’m going to stick with the strategy we mapped out because I believe you’re right: marketing is part of production. That’s true even when your industry is being hammered.

If you think it would help others, please share this with them.

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Do You Have a Goal?

Revisit your goal.

Refresh your mind.

Why did you set that goal in the first place?

The amazing thing about having clear goals is that they materially affect your outcomes. When you have a definite purpose to focus on, despite all appearances circumstances rearrange themselves to turn it into your reality.

Your Urgent Action Plan!

The lesson I’d like you take away from this:

Whatever your plans for this quarter were at the start of the year… Execute them, now! If you can possibly do so… AMPLIFY them! Your business will thank you.

You may need to tweak your message to fit the circumstances, but don’t let circumstances hinder your actions.

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