business planning Archives - Page 3 of 3

It’s a funny time of year, November.

You might be finding, like several of my clients, that Christmas sales are slow so far, that Christmas is following a pattern of getting later each year. That, perhaps, customers are now expecting Black Friday in all its dark, looming glory.

I remember saying, back in April, that it’s still possible to launch great products, talk about them, and sell them for Christmas, without all the forward planning that’s expected and primed by journalists and bigger companies. I still believe that, though time is kind of at its last now. (Translation: if you want to sell something for Christmas, you should probably have it live and finished now.)

In that post from earlier in the year, and with much of my work, I aim to help clients and readers juggle priorities, often between short-term, deal-with-it-right-now, get-the-sales-in stuff and long-term stuff of dreams. I often talk about the difference between urgent and important (more on this below), which we tend to muddle up in the day to day.

At Christmas, over the coming weeks, it usually becomes purely about the short-term. It’s time to just get the orders out, just keep on top of stock levels, just make and sell – no long-term planning, nothing particularly strategic, save for the odd strategic coffee run.

I get that, and I encourage it. Please avoid trying to write your five year business planning in the next eight weeks!

But.

(You knew there was a but coming, right?)

But, I do truly encourage you to keep a little notebook to hand, or a spreadsheet open, to make a note of the things that happen each day during the Christmas sales period. A place to write down how sales are going, how many hours your and your staff did that day, how your stock levels are going, whether you were featured, whether you ran out of anything or encountered any disasters (from staff being sick to the postman turning up late to running out of printer ink).

Keeping records like this, making notes of the learnings as they happen, will help you to dissect more accurately what went well and what didn’t at Christmas. Past experience helps us to anticipate future experience, and knowing what you could do differently next year will help you infinitely.

I posted a little note about this of Facebook earlier in the week, and Betsy Benn made herself a snazzy notebook, which I’m sure she’d happily share, should you wish:

After @jenny_hyde post yesterday I made me one of these! Let me know if you’d like one!

A photo posted by Betsy Benn (@betsybenn) on Nov 12, 2015 at 5:00am PST

Here’s the thing:

Yes, get completely stuck into the day to day over Christmas. Focus purely on orders and keeping going.

But, out of the corner of one eye, in a little space in your heart, know that there is a whole future beyond Christmas that’s worth a little of your time.

Think of keeping notes as a way of sending messages to your future self. (You can pretend to be in Back To The Future if it helps…) “Ran out of wrapping paper.” “Supplier not picking up, and extended lead times.” “Staff member sick, so calling in the cavalry (mum).”

Whatever your experiences are, you’ll appreciate being able to read them back in black and white after Christmas, so that you can remember them accurately and make plans based on facts, as well as feelings.

A little note on urgent and important:

Take a black page or piece of paper
Divide it into four quarters
Across the top, mark the columns as ‘urgent’ and ‘not urgent’
Down the right hand side, mark the rows as ‘important’ and ‘not important’
You now have four segments to fit your to do list into:
- urgent and important
- urgent, not important (like replying to a Facebook message, or dealing with a sales call – it’s happening right now, but it’s not helping your business)
- important, not urgent (all the things that are going to make a difference to your business, but fall to them bottom of the list)
- not urgent and not important (most social media, or piddling about)

We tend to get caught up in what’s important, but the wiser businesswoman shifts her gaze to what’s important, and not urgent, because that is usually where the most value lies.

Wherever you’re at, whatever your Christmas plans, I wish you all the best in the coming weeks. I’ll be here, should you stumble or need a clear thought. And I hope you keep track of what you’re up to.

I’ll be honest – I’ve been working myself up to this one. Because it might not be entirely what you think.

Let’s start with what’s happening.

Lots of people, like glossy magazines, marketplaces, retailers, and PR and marketing people of all kinds are starting to plan for their Christmas content and collections and campaigns. It takes them a long time to put things together and, especially for print, it’s important to plan ahead.

Nothing new here.

But it filters back to designers and makers who suddenly get into a flap in April about not having their entire Christmas range planned and made and photographed and the rest of it.

If you’re sat at your desk right now feeling totally organised and wonderfully placed for Christmas 2015, I am so pleased! It is a huge effort to get things done, especially if this is the first year you’ve met the deadlines and timetable of all these other people. You may not need to read the rest…

Because, for the rest of you, I want you to receive this message loud and clear: it does not matter.

I say this with love and respect for the big marketing wheel, for the PR industry, for everyone who mistakenly believes that creating exceptional products is a conveyor belt process.

I say this because I have seen products created and launched in November that have sold beautifully – exceptionally.

I say this because the brave new world of the internet, of digital marketing, of reactive marketing, of the unplanned and unseen opportunities – they have all made it possible for less planning, less insanity, and less fear-based craziness.

Do you want to know what will make your business a success at Christmas? Lean in a little closer, because it’s a big deal.

Great products. Really, really wonderful unique products that people are going to love.

And if you don’t yet have them, it’s not the end of the world. I also implore you not to rush something out in a day or two weeks in order to meet someone else’s deadline. Create something magnificent (which requires an unfixed amount of time) and people will love it, buy it, want it.

So here’s the thing:

I propose a new Christmas master plan for you.

Concentrate on what you do best: making new, wonderful, delightful, want-able products. Give yourself time (lots of it) to create, to play with ideas, to percolate and see what feels good and interesting and right to you. Be inspired by whatever inspires you. Emerse yourself in the creative process. This is the best investment you can make, because it will give you the best results in the end.
Share your creations. Once they’re there, once they’re ready (FULLY ready), tell people. Send out lovely press releases. Take wonderful storytelling photos. Share them online. Send samples to people who might like to feature them, sell them, or promote them. Even if it’s too late for print, it’s not too late for everyone else.
Stop thinking short term. Worried about not having a million billion pound turnover this Christmas because you haven’t got 100 products to market yet? You’re thinking too small! Products have a lifespan. When they’re especially new and exciting, it can take a couple of years for them to build up traction and excitement, especially if they’re seasonal. Your trend-setting, thought-leading product might not sell a million billion units this year, but you’re investing in the future. Have a good Christmas this year. Create products full of integrity and interest. And see what unfolds.
Stop dancing to other people’s tune(s). Collaboration is important. Working with people who will help you get more sales is important. But please realise that you’re the boss of you and your products. You do not need to meet other people’s (sometimes unreasonable) demands in order to succeed. If you can, without too much effort or compromise, then do. If not, walk your own path.

I know that, to some of you, this may sound crazy. Maybe it sounds like I’m off my rocker, never to have a commercial thought in my head again. But, seriously, it’s not about meeting deadlines or being influenced by fear-mongering.

It’s about creating something really good.

There are buyers, seekers, your dream customers out there who look for products like yours, even that one you haven’t even made yet. They’ll find them. But allow yourself to create them first.

Here's the thing: think long-term for Christmas

Here’s the thing:

Here's the thing: Christmas in April

So here’s the thing:

Enter The Forge