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Margie and I were just discussing how quickly this year has gone by.  After all, tomorrow is December 1st; 2007 is just around the corner.

Not only is this the holiday season, it’s also the time to begin planning for next year.  Except for retail and some service industries, you may be in an industry that faces a ‘natural slowdown’ between Thanksgiving and the New Year.  Take advantage of this time to look back at how your business fared in 2006, evaluate what worked well and what didn’t work so well, and make adjustments for 2007.  We’re doing that now, and I have to tell you, it’s a time consuming task that will only make 2007 a more productive year. 

Here are some thoughts on what to look at when planning for 2007:

• Expenses and Revenues: All of us would love to find a way to cut some of our expenses.  Unfortunately, that isn’t always possible.  The alternative: make more money!  By focusing on how you can bring in more revenues, you’re looking at the positive side of your business.  I don’t know about you, but I always prefer to look at the positive side of things first.  Look for ways that you can increase your revenues in an efficient way without increasing manpower.  Affiliate programs, product sales, and other passive revenue streams are a great place to start.
• Public Relations/Marketing: As a public relations firm you’re probably expecting me to say that you have take advantage of what a firm like ours can offer to you.  Well, you’re right!  However, as you probably know by now, you can invest your time and money in this area differently in 2007 than you did in 2006.  By that I mean the following: if you tried something in 2006 and didn’t get the results that you expected, change how you spend your money here.  Spend it wisely and it will come back to you over and over.
• Charities/Sponsorships: I’ve mentioned this before, and I want to mention it again.  If your company doesn’t contribute in any way to a local charity organization, non-profit organization, or sponsor any community program, now is the time to take a serious look at doing so.  Here’s an example of why this is a powerful way to get your company name out there for just a little bit of money: If you sponsor a walk-a-thon for a local chapter of a national charity, it’s likely that the participants will receive t-shirts for the event with the names of all of the sponsors printed on the t-shirt.  Once the event is over, it’s also likely that those participants will wear those t-shirts around town.  Therefore, for a small amount of money, you’ve just hired hundreds of walking billboards in many places for as little as a few hundred dollars.  Not bad.

There are so many ways to change your business plans for the upcoming year.  Take the time to make the changes that will benefit your company the most, and then go for it.  Remember, change is good.

Happy Holidays!

David Fisher