Simply Junior

Mile markers on major U.S. Highways are measured in tenths of a mile along with a plethora of other types of signs indicating the distance still to be traveled. With 2010 quickly coming to an end, now is the time to establish your mile markers through your strategic plan beyond the usual ones of end of month or quarterly.

For example, April 10 and September 23 are significant beyond what happened in history in years gone by. The significance of these dates are important to all small business owners, sales professionals and anyone engaged in economic activity.

Now some maybe shaking their heads to raising their eyebrows “Spock style” with quizzical expressions on their faces. They may be thinking what is so important about April 10 and September 23 relative to my business or professional success?

The answer is 100 days. On April 10, 100 days have passed since the turning of the New Year. September 23 marks 100 days before 2011 comes to an end. For many in business, the last quarter is considered a make it or break it benchmark. However, for some, maybe due to conditioning from past years, the urgency is no longer there.

I realized the significance of these dates after entering a marketing challenge sponsored by one article directory site. The goal was to write 100 articles in 100 days and it even had its own Twitter hash tag sign of #HAHA. Since I have engaged in education based marketing for the last 5 years, this specific tactic has worked well for me. The results have included:

Increased traffic to my website Increased sign up to my lists from which I can continue to market Improved Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ranking Increased passive income Increased clients Increased knowledge for myself

These results are in alignment with my strategic plan.

With small business owners still comprising 99% of all businesses, the reason I mention this marketing and selling challenge is to call attention to your own actions for the first 100 and last 100 days and you are not where you want to be. Imagine for a moment if you could be where you wanted to be. What would that mean to you, your employees if you have any, your family, your customers and your community?

Consider these strategic planning steps to help you leverage the first 100 days and the last 100 days to their full advantage:

Review where your sales, profits, productivity and operating goals as they currently stand Make any necessary course corrections based upon current results (now is the time for honesty and not hopeful projections) Construct a positive and proactive communication document to let everyone know where the organization is respective to the finish line of 12/31/2010 Schedule weekly meetings to keep on top of these critical targets Share the successes when each goal is achieved Repeat steps 1 through 5

Many times it is step number three where organizations fail. People in the 21st century still have not mastered mental telepathy or being mind readers. If you want improved results from yourself and your employees, you need to positively and to proactively communicate the current results for the 2011 performance race.

This does not mean giving any proprietary financial information. What you can do is state: Our sales goal currently stands at 95% completed. The next 3 weeks we need to complete that sales goal. This may be somewhat difficult, as the last month of the year has not been the best one to increase sales. However, if our team pulls together from management to our front line workers, we can finish the year at where we need to be.

By taking these actions, you can still make 2011 one of the best years ever in spite of this turbulent economy.

Warning: this article reveals an essential strategy that must go in your business plan for small business success. After working with 146 businesses of all sizes I have noticed an inherent difference between success and struggle.

Virtually every sustainable long term enterprise inserts into their small business plans this key strategy. Without fail, most struggling enterprises do not implement this key tactic. So what is the strategy?

Essential Strategy to include in your business plans for small business success.

Stay in touch with prospects and past customers on your database at least every 90 days or less. Now it can be as frequent as weekly, fortnightly, monthly but never more than 90 days.

How do you do this? Well the very first step is to collect all contact data and have a simple database to put them in. Worldwide database management software such as Goldmine and Act are good possibilities for smaller business. Larger businesses will need more sophisticated industry specific versions.

Burn this saying into your mind: “More contact equals more sales.” The reverse is also true: Less contact equals less sales.

In the 21st century a new paradigm of successful business communication has emerged and it does not matter what industry you are in. After all, we are all human beings with wants and needs. Our past and current customers deserve our attention.

If you do not stay in touch with your past or current clients at least quarterly, there is a high percentage chance they will become someone else’s (your competitors new customer).

So this must do strategy no matter what business you are in, is critical to your success. Include it in any business plans for small business success.

Have you considered outsourcing for your small business? If you are like the majority of small business owners, the answer is probably not. In fact, many small business owners fail to realize the unique and cost saving benefits that global sourcing can provide their company.

While business owners are often offered countless tidbits of business advice, rarely does the advice offered include the suggestion of turning to other countries to fill staffing and manufacturing needs. This tip, however, is often one of the most useful that a small business owner can encounter. Outsourcing can easily save a great deal of money without requiring an owner to compromise on quality or production needs.

Several years ago, global sourcing was an option only for the largest companies. Negotiating with factories was difficult and finding skilled labor was almost impossible. A lot has changed in the past couple of decades. The worldwide market makes it easy to outsource manufacturing, skilled labor and call center needs to a variety of countries including China and India. Each company will need to carefully consider their manufacturing and staffing needs to best determine how outsourcing can benefit them. Nearly every small business start-up will find, however, that global sourcing can offer a large variety of cost saving solutions for their business.

Small business owners are often enjoyably astounded when they discover the many opportunities that are available. In fact, outsourcing can successfully accommodate a wide range of business needs. Factories can easily produce almost any product. These goods produced in other countries are often available at much lower price than many business owners are able to anticipate. This is not all. Outsourcing can help with various labor needs. There are many talented professionals available in a skilled labor workforce that can help to affordably meet many company needs and objectives. Call center work is also available at a fraction of the cost.

Business owners that have not considered global sourcing may be missing out on a valuable and cost saving opportunity. Before starting any small business, it is wise to consider the bounty of opportunities available through outsourcing and to determine how they can benefit your company.