Show Notes

Planning for the new year part 1: Are you on track to meet your goals, or do these need to be adjusted?

Because we’re in month one of Q4, now is the perfect time to take a look at where you’ve been so far this year, analyze sales performance for the last 9 month of the year, and review how this stacks up to the objectives you set for 2021.

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Hey there. Thanks for listening and welcome to the marketing matchmaker podcast. If you're looking to grow your business, increase your revenue and scale your impact all while staying true to who you are and the people you serve. This is the show for you. I'm Jennifer Tamborski, digital marketing strategists, fractional CMO, and founder of Virtual Marketing Experts. My team and I work with six and seven figure coaches, consultants, and online entrepreneurs who are tired of playing the guru game of one size fits all marketing. They're ready to create a business and marketing strategy that actually builds relationships with their ideal clients creates massive shifts in their business and rapidly increases their revenue. As your marketing matchmaker, I'm going to help you find the perfect marketing match for you. This show will teach you how to reach your ideal client, connect with your audience, build that perfect relationship and generate more revenue. All through a process I like to call dating your ideal client. Now let's go have some fun!

How crazy is it that we’re already in the 4 quarter of the year. Seriously, this year has seemed to fly by for me. There have been tons of growth and changes in the last 10 months, and sometimes it’s hard to really see all of the positive things that have happened when we’re mired in the day to day. Which is why I take a week of October to do 3 things. First I review the last 10 months and assess what has worked and what hasn’t. Second, I make adjustments in my Q4 plan and lastly I plan for the next year. 

You see, I have been a planner my whole life. I like to map things out and have a really good, tangible idea of what’s happening, how and even WHY. Don't’ believe me, just ask my family. I drive them crazy with plans. My sister once said to me that I get everything I want, while that’s patently untrue, what is truthful in that statement is that I get everything I plan for. And this my friends is exactly what I want for you and your business. 

Unfortunately I see too many entrepreneurs try the lean back and go by the seat of your pants  route. And then they wonder why things aren’t going "their way".

They throw things around the internet (the new spaghetti at the wall), and hope, wish and pray (without a plan) that it’s going to work. I can tell you from observation and experience… IT RARELY WORKS.

They are constantly reinventing the wheel and moving from thing to thing, or offer to offer without following through on one thing and evaluating what needs to be shifted or changed. Instead of pivoting one or two small things or making slight changes, they throw the baby out with the bathwater hoping the "next thing" will work…. IT RARELY DOES.

This is a theme I discuss with my clients often because reality is business owners rarely actually create an overall plan and stick to it it long term. Let’s face it we’re a society of instant gratification, and we want those instant results. I’m even guilty of it myself. 

However when you make a plan and stick to it, it's a lot like: 

Getting into a car and  turning on your GPS. Even when you know where you’re going… Putting in your destination allows you to see the BEST and the FASTEST way to get there without too many detours or bumps in the road.

This is what planning allows you to do in your business as well. Knowing where you are going (your goal or target) and the best route to get there (the strategies that work FOR you and are in alignment WITH you, your business and your audience).

Because we’re in month one of Q4, now is the perfect time to take a look at where you’ve been so far this year. Analyze sales performance for the last 9 month of the year and review how this stacks up to the objectives you set for 2021. Are you on track to meet your goals, or do these need to be adjusted? 

Here’s the cold thing, we still have a full Quarter left to make adjustments and reach those over all goals. And it also gives us time to look forward into the new year and assess what we want to take with us from 2021 and what we need to change for 2022.

I always beginning my planning for the next year in October. Why, because by October I have a really good sense of what has been working and what hasn’t. It allows me to make adjustments to my plans for Q4 AND beginning planning for the next year with solid data behind me. 

This is a great time to think of your strategy. You can’t be strategic unless you know what’s most effective – the last thing you want to do is pour more time and money into marketing strategies that didn't produce any results. So as you plan, make sure you take the time to review your efforts from this year.

Over the course of the next several episodes we’re going to dive deeper into how I go about reviewing my business and planning for the coming year. For me there are 3 main areas that I focus on:

Review: What metrics should you be looking at?

review your progress, identify how you can make the most of the market position you've established and decide where to take your business next.

Assuming you conducted an annual business audit the year before, it’s a good idea to dust those goals off and measure results. Where did you fall short? Where did you excel? What strategies and tactics were responsible? Answering these questions will help you establish goals for the upcoming year. 

Goal: Goal setting for the next year.

Make both long and short-term goals. The short-term goals should exist to service the long-term goals. The idea is to keep building and growing, month-over-month, quarter-over-quarter, year-over-year. Momentum is key. Realize that you still have 2 months of the year left, you can really make a difference in your current year end goal by creating goals for the remainder of 4th quarter. This can set you up for success in the coming year

Strategic Planning: How are you going to reach your goals for the remainder of this year and what is your plan for next year?

Because a strategic plan establishes a direction for your business to take, it will help it sharpen its focus in order to get there. Strategic planning can therefore help your organization develop the right goals and targets and help everyone focus their efforts into meeting them.

One significant benefit of strategic planning is that it creates a single, forward-focused vision that can align your company and its shareholders. By making everyone aware of your company’s goals, how and why those goals were chosen, and what they can do to help reach them, you can create an increased sense of responsibility throughout your organization.

Here’s the best part, because your marketing strategy should be an integral part of your overall business plan you get to also look at your business as a whole and assess what went wrong and what you did exceptionally well. This really does help us to create a strong business foundation which then allows us to grow and scale our business. 

Thank You for listening to the Marketing Matchmaker podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, I would love to hear your feedback. Please head over to iTunes and leave a review so we can hear from you. And if you are a coach, consultant, or online course creator who are looking to grow your business, increase your income, and scale your impact connect with me at yourmarketingmatchmaker.com. I look forward to hearing from you.