This year has been unlike most others, and for some of you, it may feel like it has been a total drag and you cannot wait to see it gone.

For me, it has been a total blur with the weeks and months disappearing faster than lightning.

Either way, here we are with less than 2 months left of the year. And with this often being the busiest time of the year, this may be a good time to create a roadmap to make these last months of 2020 a huge success for you and your business.

 

Here are some ideas to make the most of this time.

 

Stock Up

With longer postage times and the closure of many companies over the Christmas and New Year period, now is a good time to order enough stock to see you through to the end of January. Remember to include things like your packaging and marketing materials as well.

You may need to do a stocktake of your current inventory to help with planning out what you will need to order in.

Keep in mind that if your stock comes from China, most of February will be out due to Chinese New Year, so you may need to order enough now to see you through to March.

 

Trading Hours

Decide on your trading hours leading up to and during the Christmas and New Year period.

Let your customers know the hours you will be available and when you will be posting customer orders if you are product-based business. Or when you will be available for appointments and enquiries if you are a service based business.

You can do this by adding a note on your website, social media posts or emailing your customers, just to name a few ideas.

 

Plan Ahead

Plan out your social media and marketing content for the rest of the year. If you are taking some time off in the New Year, try to plan out all of January as well.

There are plenty of apps and tools available now to help with this and many that allow you to schedule ahead of time.

You can plan months in advance by just blocking out a half day now, leaving you more time to focus on packing those extra customer orders or taking those additional festive season appointments.

 

Run a Sale

Consider running an end of year, new year, or boxing day sale or competition.

If you are going to take some time off, this can be a great way to keep momentum going and give you a great way to start the new year.

Another trend that is gaining traction here is Australia are the BFCM sales. Customers expect super deals on these days, and it can be a great way to attract new customers to your store.

If you have a shop or online presence, you might want to participate in this sale period too.

 

Say Thanks

Now is a great time to think about all your staff and contractors that have worked with you this year. Considering arranging a lunch, dinner, or party to say thanks.

For others that have positively influenced your business in some way, consider sending them a card, bunch of flowers, or a simple thank you call to show your appreciation of their efforts.

And don’t forget your customers! They need to be thanked for supporting your business throughout the year too.

  

Reflect and Set Goals

Take some time to reflect on the year. What has worked well and what could be improved? Use this information to set your goals for 2021 so you can hit the ground running in the new year.

At the end of each year, I like to do this exercise and write down all the things I would like to achieve the following year. It is always amazing to see how many achievements you can tick off.

 

 

Now with all that done, you cannot go wrong, and I wish you every success for the rest of 2020 and the New Year ahead!

 

Feel free to reach out to me if you found this helpful, or have any super tips of your own.