Are you ready for 2021 or will it be another 2020?

by | Jan 4, 2021 | Articles

How did you fare in 2020 – were you one of the lucky ones whose business got a real and unexpected boost? Perhaps you managed to pivot or change strategy that allowed you to survive and possibly thrive or were you one of the unlucky ones where survival was your only focus. As someone with more than 40 years of business experience I worked with all of the above during 2020 and I am delighted to say that each client achieved their objective.

 

Interestingly enough, the one client who focussed on survival rather than pivot had cash and a plan. They knew exactly what they wanted to achieve, managed their employees extremely well and used the time to develop new markets and sign up contracts for 2021. They also anticipated the first quarter of 2021 being a zero contributor and that sort of detailed planning which we worked on together will see them thrive as we go forward.

 

How are you going to use the first quarter of 2021, will you sit it out or will you use the time to explore all of the options open to you. You may be surprised to know that most businesses have more options open to them than they realise but are too close to the coalface to see them.

 

These resources include contacts that have been forgotten, referrals that have not been sought and collaborations that have not been explored. The first 2-3 weeks in January are a very important part of your year as it allows you to make contact with people that you lost contact with. Here are three reasons to do that;

    1. Go through the projects that you worked on over the last two years and identify the ones where the client was particularly happy. This suggests that you have a good relationship so why not call, have a conversation around how things are now and ask for that testimonial. Don’t forget to ask them if they know of anyone who might have a similar project. More than likely they will be delighted to hear from you and you maybe surprised at what comes back to you.
    2. Call at least 5 people per day and ask them how they have been, how have they coped and just have a general conversation. This is a simple thing to do and please remember that this is not a sales call. Your generosity in calling them will at the very least remind them of you and will not go unappreciated.
    3. Have a look at projects you lost and use the time to find out why. Say that you were reviewing projects for 2019/2020 and in particular the ones where you were not successful. You would be delighted to know what you could have done to bring it over the line. Using phrases like ‘do you mind if I ask you’ usually get people to open up. Information like this is valuable and you reaching out like this will put you back in the right place for future work.

 

With everybody locked down people have more time on their hands and your proactive engagement will be remembered in a positive light. You are sowing the seeds for business after the lockdown and a small investment in time now could deliver big rewards.

 

If you feel uncomfortable or would like help please contact me and I will do my best for you. https://www.alecwdrew.com/bookings-checkout/let-s-have-a-chat-in-confidence

 

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