Graham McGregor: How to get a fast start to 2017

What are you going to do in your business so you get off to a fast start in 2017? Photo / iStock

In a few short weeks it will be January 2017 and the start of a brand new year for all of us.

Now the good news is that near the start of a New Year many people are actively looking for ways to make improvements in what they are doing.

Business people are looking for new ideas to increase sales, improve productivity, reduce expenses and increase profits.

They want to make 2017 better than 2016 and at the start of a New Year they are very receptive to considering new ideas that will help them to do this.

Non-business people are just as receptive to new ideas to help them solve the pressing problems they have or reach their important goals faster and more effectively.

They want to increase their incomes, improve their relationships, have less stress, get in better shape, have new and interesting experiences, feel more valued and appreciated in
The main point here is that in January and February huge numbers of people are actively looking for ways to make improvements in their lives.

So why not come up with a promotional campaign that ties in the New Year with a good reason to take action now and invest in your products and services?

A number of businesses do this already and the obvious example is the health and fitness industry.

They know that huge numbers of people make New Year's resolutions to lose weight and get in better shape.

So they run vigorous promotional campaigns in January and February that encourage people to get in better shape. And doing this generates large numbers of new sales.

So why not consider using a similar idea in your own business?

In other words, run active promotions in January and February that show people how to make 2017 a super successful year for themselves in the area of XYZ by investing in the products and services that you offer.

(XYZ is the area you can help them with.)

If you are a travel agent you could show people the importance of having new adventures in their lives. And how you can help them to do that with a special collection of 'mini adventures' that will make 2017 special, exciting and a year they will remember positively for the rest of their lives.

If you have a kitchen or bathroom renovation business you might talk about how you can help people move into their dream home in 2017 without moving from where they are right now.

(For many people a good kitchen or bathroom renovation could actually give them their dream home without the expense and inconvenience of having to sell their current home and buy a new one.)

So you recommend that people take a 1-2 week holiday in 2017 and you will come in and transform their kitchen or bathroom while they are away.

If you are offer computer training you might show busy business people how they can have an extra 2-3 hours of extra leisure time each week by becoming far more effective in how they use various programmes on their computer.

So 2017 could be the year they finally have the spare time they have been looking for to achieve some really important goals.

The main idea here is you take something that people are already thinking about (making improvements in the New Year.)

You then show them how you can help them to make these improvements faster, quicker and easier by investing in your products and services.

This is a powerful way to get 2017 off to a fast start with new sales and delighted clients.
And is well worth testing for many businesses.

'Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.' - Oprah Winfrey

Action Exercise:

• What are you going to do in your business so you get off to a fast start in 2017?

Graham McGregor is a consultant specialising in memorable marketing. You can download his 396 page 'Unfair Business Advantage' Ebook at no charge from www.theunfairbusinessadvantage.com.