Wow, this year has sure gone by quick.
Those words have been flying around my office all week. And they are true, this
year really has gone by quickly. Either that or I’m just getting old…probably
both.
Every year since I began my career I
enter the month of December with the idea that I will plan ahead for the start
of a new calendar year. In the early years I’d procrastinate and then pay the
price. I eventually learned my lesson and took the planning process seriously
and have continued to this day.
I am often asked, however, if it’s
really a big deal to plan for nothing more than a calendar change. What is
really the difference in moving into the new month of January versus moving
into the new month of September? Isn’t it just a date? And, if it’s just a
date, why so much worry around planning?
The short answer is yes, it is just a
date, but for many it is a fresh start. It is a fresh start to their annual
budget, the money the customer/client can spend with you, or a fresh start to
your customers/clients own list of projects. Since an overwhelming amount of
companies now work on a calendar-fiscal year, January 1st is both a
real start to the fiscal spending season for you, but also gives many the sense
of renewal they need to forge ahead with their own business plans.
On a personal level, think of all of the
New Year’s resolutions people make, and more importantly why they make them.
With doing the research I am not going to pretend I know when this tradition
came from. What I do know and what we as a society have been shown & told,
is that the New Year is a time of personal renewal, a time to start things over
again. And, this has also trickled into our business lives.
Our own company’s set annual sales goals
based upon revenue and gross profit. They set goals on adding or releasing to
the market new services or products. Goals by the company are then broken down
by department, and for the sales teams and sales reps, these become our own
goals for which performance will be measured.
And so, for the sales reps out there,
don’t hesitate. Begin today, if you haven’t already, in preparing your EOY
plans. Set your goals for the New Year. Work closely with your management on
what is expected, and then prepare your own plan on hitting those expectations.
And, finally, be proactive. Don’t wait for your manager to set your goal,
rather set your own goals.