In the month of December, you’ll hear a lot of excuses from people why things aren’t done. You’ve probably heard them all. Everything from “you know it’s the holiday season” to “people are on vacation” to “nobody makes a decision in December about anything”. I’m sure you can add your own list of excuses as to why people don’t do business in December. But December is one of the most important months of your business year. It’s true there are holiday parties going on, people are hard to reach and some are on vacation. But we shouldn’t stop the process of doing business. It may be more challenging in the month of December to do business but expenses and payroll continue to go on.
There is another reason why December is extremely important. You need to make your plans for 2011. You need to review all aspects of your business in 2010. What did your company do right? What does the company need to improve upon? Be specific. What expenses do you need to cut? Where do you need to spend more money? For example, how do you increase sales and do you need to market your products or services more effectively?
If you don’t take time to plan for the new business year. If the sales force doesn’t have goals to meet. If you don’t understand what your objectives are, you’ll start 2011 from a losing position and spend the rest of the year catching up.
There is time to party in this month of December. Be grateful for all that you have and celebrate the season. But the work in your business continues no matter the holiday mood. Don’t just write December off. Instead, continue to do business and think through your plans and strategies for 2011. If you do, the prospects of having a successful business year are that much greater. And when you reach this same time next year you can take a moment, sit back and enjoy the rewards of your efforts.