Fall has always been my favorite time of year. I remember growing up in Cincinnati and have the fondest memories of falling into piles of leaves after hours of raking, performing at halftime at high school football games and drinking hot chocolate from a styrofoam cup in the bleachers.
Fall is still beautiful here in South Georgia. I am more than happy when cooler temperatures come along, when I see the falling leaves and of course, Pumpkin Spice flavored everything.
Fourth quarter is a time of reflection for my business. We don’t wait until December to see if we will meet our end-of-year goals. I like to use this time to assess where we are and work to finish the year strong.
There is still time to adjust
If you haven’t already, take time now and see how close you are to reaching your goals for the year. Are you on track? Yes? Great. Maybe it’s time to raise the bar a little.
- If you had a specific revenue goal and you know you are going to reach that goal, how about adding 2%?
- If getting more online reviews was a goal and you achieved it, maybe commit to personally thanking 10 customers per month with a note, discount or gift?
Stretch yourself and your team and see what else you can attain before the New Year ball drops.
Maybe you are not on track to hit pre-planned goals. After a good hard look, are you going to fall short? It’s okay to be honest and realize that you may not have been able to achieve all you hoped. Maybe lower the bar just a little so you can finish the year having a feeling of accomplishment. Then set aside some time to understand why you missed the mark and how you will overcome this shortfall next year.
- Did you do what you said you were going to do?
- Did you keep goals in mind every week of every month of the year?
- What obstacles got in the way?
How will you be prepared for challenges next year? Remember, a goal without a plan is just a wish. Perhaps you can strategize on that in the last quarter of this year.
With just a few short months left, you will need to be laser focused if you want to hit your goals. The way to do that is to narrow your attention and focus on those activities that will bring you the most results in these last few months. Are you in retail? How will you make sure this is the best holiday season for your company? Get out that planning calendar and set weekly goals with tasks to be completed each day that will move you toward success by year’s end.
Need a little extra motivation? I am here to help you strategize. Let’s chat. Book a free consultation today.