At this time of the year, we usually start thinking about making New Year resolutions and either decide to kick that tin can down the road or else we make ‘em and break ‘em in quick order.
In the same ilk, all successful businesses address their marketing plans for the coming year, before the Christmas holidays, so they can start the New Year fresh and ready to go. Hopefully, these plans are not sent the same way as New Year resolutions, because without an updated marketing plan, you simply delegate the growth and success of your business to luck and guess work.
So whilst New Year resolutions are personal decisions and marketing goals are related to your business decisions, there are other ways you can start the year off with a bang. This is where we need to talk about bad habits, not the ones where you eat too much and don’t exercise, but bad habits that directly affect your productivity.
These are the things you do or don’t do, that have become habitual, many of which you might not have recognised as being a problem, but which if not broken in short order, can cause ongoing problems. On the other hand, if you are aware of these bad habits, you can set about putting them to bed and increasing your productivity in 2017 accordingly.
Some of these bad habits are very simple and very easy to change, but you will be amazed at the difference they can make to your working day and to the success of your business.
- Micromanaging staff
Most managers or owners are guilty of micromanaging their staff at some time or another or as we like to think of it – keeping a close eye on everyone. Let’s be honest here, if you have employed the right people, you don’t need to keep looking over their shoulder do you? When employees think that you don’t trust them to do a good job they can become resentful and that’s not good for your business. So leave your staff to do their job and spend your time focusing on your job – running the business.
- Marketing is a chore
Marketing is the way you build brand recognition and brand loyalty (download our free Branding Guide), and is all about how you engage with your customers. If you or your staff think that marketing is a necessary evil and that it is just part and parcel of doing business, then this is a guaranteed way to let your competitors race ahead. Instead, you need to think of marketing as a way to engage with your customers, to build loyalty and to let them see the values and beliefs behind the brand.
- Procrastinating about difficult decisions
How many times have you moved your schedule around so that you can leave the tricky, difficult or challenging tasks to later in the day? We have all been guilty of this at one time or another, but as far as the business world is concerned, it is a bad habit that needs to be broken. Research has actually shown that making decisions is easier in the morning, waning dramatically as the day wears on. So scheduling hard decisions in the morning can help you make better decisions than if you leave them until later in the day.
- Leaving your email open
Many of us open our email first thing in the morning, respond to those that require a response and then forget about it – until the next email comes in that requires our attention. The problem here is that constantly reading and responding to emails distracts us during the day, breaking our train of thought and lowering our productivity. The best way to address this bad habit is to check your emails at the beginning and end of the day and in between, close it down.
- Attending meetings
Love them or hate them, most businesses need some meetings, even if it to organise the Christmas party! The problem is that many businesses seem to have meetings for everything, and of course, some meetings are necessary. However, in an effort to better utilise your time, make sure that the meeting is important to your role and your attendance is necessary, before agreeing to attend. You can better utilise your time by focusing on your business or marketing objectives and increasing your productivity, rather than attending non-critical meetings.
For help rebranding your business in 2017 or in fine tuning your marketing goals, contact us and we will help you knock the socks of the competition!
