by Susan Walsh, President and CEO, Sales-Link Inc.
How is your corporation preparing for 2019? We’re all so quick to jump on the “new year; new me” bandwagon, with promises of more exercise, better nutrition and getting more sleep, but what about your business? What steps are you taking to improve the health of your company in the coming year? And why should you? As a good warm-up to thinking about 2019, watch this inspiring video with Simon Sinek, after which, you should be ready for this exercise.
Now ask yourself: Do you need to set a new direction? Do you need to infuse new life into the organization? Do you need to let an idea go? Do you need to acquire better tools?
Don’t let fear of change and your ego get in the way. And don’t be afraid to clean house. If something’s not working, change it!
With a base of excitement and enthusiasm for entering 2019, take time to think about the past year and the accomplishments of your leaders and your departments. Speak with the leaders for each of your divisions, either on the phone, or face to face. and acknowledge their successes. Tell them how they have helped the company achieve certain goals. Then take note, and recognize some of the goals that were not met. If they’re still viable, then make a declaration that you want to see them accomplished within the first 6 months of the new year.
Now it’s time to take a good, honest look at what’s working, and what’s not, and make yourself a list of what to focus on for 2019. Yes, an old-fashioned list with two columns: “What’s Working” – “What’s Not Working.” Once you see your list in black and white, on paper, go through each item one-by-one, and set a goal. If something is not working, make some changes.
As you’re making your lists, here are some ideas to ponder:
Are operations and sales working in collaboration?
Is there an effective sales training system in place?
Is content management being addressed effectively?
Have you assigned the right person to the job?
Do you have basic procedures documented?
Do you have some metrics in place to monitor productivity?
What tools are needed to improve efficiency?
Sales-Link has been addressing these matters all year in the “Insider Tips” blog section on our website, and we plan to keep addressing them as needed, in this constantly evolving business environment. We keep re-inventing ourselves, because we want to stay vibrant, informed and relevant. Yes, we’re getting ready for 2019 with a strong 4th quarter…are you?