Planning for A Tough Year Ahead?

Let's talk about what's keeping you up at night.

2011 has not been a good year. Business is slow. Customers and carriers are not optimistic about the future. And it looks like more of the same on the horizon. How do I get ready for the third tough year in a row?

Don’t!  Get ready for a better year in 2012! It can be, but it’s up to you. Your carriers won’t make it so. And the stock market won’t make it so. Certainly the government won’t make it so. It will be up to you. The big question you’ll need to ask yourself – and your team: “What can we do differently in 2012?

As November 1st approaches, start by asking:  “What can we do in the next 60 days to make a positive difference?”  60 days doesn’t seem like a long time – and it isn’t. If you could do one or two things during the next two months, in amongst all the usual madness of holidays and year-end, what would it be? One change – big or small – that will make you or your business more productive. Maybe the thing you decide to do is to stop doing something unproductive.

Use the remainder of this year to position your business for a productive next year. If you’ve already completed your planning cycle for next year, take another look at both where you’ve been and where you want to go. If you’ve given up on planning because it all seems so pointless, maybe that’s the one thing you really need to do.

For a powerful start to the new year, identify – and execute – on one or two things you can do to end the current year on a positive note.