One minute it was all go, prepping for the Holidaysplease Homeworkers Conference in early September, and then all of a sudden it was bonfires and fireworks, Remembrance Day and now Christmas lying just a few short weeks away.
It could of course just be me getting older, but the instantaneous nature of modern living and working does seem to lead to the days flying by. The result of this often means that time gets the better of us, and we spend each working day in a whirlwind of calls, emails, meetings… not forgetting Facebook posts, Twitter hearts (bring back the stars, please!), and LinkedIn connections.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking: “Just get me through today; tomorrow can look after itself.”
But this is a dangerous mindset to have; very dangerous.
Of the myriad sayings designed to remind us why we need to stay on track, there can be none more appropriate to business than Benjamin Franklin’s: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”
So reader, I ask you – do you have a marketing plan for 2016 sorted? What will your staff requirements be for the next 12 months? Which destinations are going to be big?
Is there a segment of the market presenting a new opportunity for you to grab? For the business owners and shop managers out there, please don’t argue that you are simply too busy to plan for tomorrow. This does not wash as an excuse.
The best business lesson I ever learned was from Barbara Collins - Worldchoice’s training director in the early noughties. As a guinea pig for what became Barbara’s award-winning Partnership for Profit programme, I learned the value of spending time working on my business rather than in it. The key lesson was remembering that it’s all about stepping back from the hurly burly; taking stock, planning, and then implementing it.
People who certainly do like to plan ahead include our customers.
At Holidaysplease we are already seeing strong sales for 2017 departures, and we’re even receiving enquiries for 2018.
There is a demand, but the travel industry still makes it difficult for customers who want to commit and book well in advance. Wouldn’t we be better served finding ways to secure as much of all this lovely early business, rather than putting it off and simply hoping that customers don’t choose to spend their hard-earned cash elsewhere before we are ready for them to do so with us? It’s time to apply some free thinking to eradicate early booking sales prevention. Until then smart niche players and savvy agents will continue to find ways to satisfy a demand that is there for the taking.
This time of year is the perfect time to be mapping out the future of your business or team; no more excuses – make the time to do it today.
