This year, it will continue to be very important to ‘front foot’ business, take control, and proactively make every month count.

There are opportunities in every economy, but this may take creative thinking – looking at your business through a different lens – to find new markets, a new client base, new referral partners, or new strategies.

Don’t wait for the remainder of this year to happen TO you – make it happen FOR you!

Here are some key steps to help you achieve this:

Focus on your pipeline

What future sales are in your pipeline? What activity is being done to generate leads, set up opportunities, build relationships, drive interest, and keep cashflow, workload and momentum consistently going month after month? Right now, it is more important than ever to have a strong focus on sales and marketing and keep revenue and profit coming in.

When you place your focus on filling your pipeline, you can avoid that ‘feast or famine’ cycle.

Make marketing count

A lot of companies will pull back on marketing when they’re being careful with spending. Do the opposite. Spend more. Why? Because – why would you shut off a primary source of leads and revenue when you need it the most? When others stop marketing, you benefit; it creates a less crowded marketplace and can help you achieve better visibility online, and a greater return for your marketing spend.

When you place your focus on good, consistent marketing, you stand out even more.

Supercharge your sales

This is the time to make sure your sales team (or you, if you’re responsible for sales) are taking part in training and learning new skills. When client spending is tight, it’s crucial to have a clear sales strategy, have a solid sales process, and know how to close and ask for the business.

You can market till the cows come home, but when you place your focus on sales, your bank account will thank you!

Share your wins

Keep yourself and your team strong, proactive and positive. Sharing your ‘Wins’ is a great way to start team meetings and encourage everyone to share what’s gone well, find the ‘good’ in the week, and focus on the successes. (If you’re on your own, take a moment to share your wins with someone who supports you.) Also, remember to share wins from a big picture or business perspective – to give the team confidence in the direction of the business and the future of the company.

When you place your focus on sharing wins and maintaining a positive attitude, you go a long way toward retaining high performers and not giving them a reason to look for their next role.

To find out more about Fiona’s programmes, check out her website:  https://www.bbsolutions.co.nz/