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How to Prepare for a Successful New Year

By Olivia Watson on December, 22 2017

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Olivia Watson

Olivia C. Watson is the Marketing and Business Development Manager at Ackert Inc. She has experience in diverse industry settings including environmental non-profits, financial services, fashion and SaaS. She is a versatile, creative marketer and B2B business developer with a talent for developing original content and initiatives that drive business growth.Olivia C. Watson is the Marketing and Business Development Manager at Ackert Inc. She has experience in diverse industry settings including environmental non-profits, financial services, fashion and SaaS. She leads the marketing efforts at Ackert Inc. and contributes significantly to the company’s business development. Her written work has been featured/quoted by various publications including Strategies Magazine, JD Supra, PM Magazine, and the American Bar Association.

It’s December. You made it. You need a break.

Besides, your clients and prospects are generally unresponsive as they focus on internal year-end deadlines (and holiday party hangover recovery). Might as well put your business development on hold until next year... right?

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Well, sort of. It’s true that you won’t gain significant traction on most of your pursuits over the holidays, but the prudent business developer takes advantage of December downtime by focusing on strategy. Meet with your team to flesh out a game plan for Q1 2018. The calmer office atmosphere offers you the freedom to take a step back and evaluate your opportunities from an elevated perspective without the usual distractions.

Use this meeting to accomplish a few strategic activities:

  • Review your top revenue sources for the past year. What were some key wins you learned from?
  • If you see a trend in client type, identify the most productive client profiles you can seek out in 2018.
  • What you find might surprise you. Maybe it will require shifting your marketing strategy, so determine some first steps.
  • Consider running a SWOT analysis of your practice or your department so you can identify long-term changes that will bolster your results in Q1.

Remember, once January arrives, you'll have precious little time for planning. Use December to improve your aim so that when you take your shot in January, you hit your target. Best of luck to you in the New Year!

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