Getting the year started.

January 2009. First post of the year and first post for the new Mnemonic Marketing blog. As the title states, we're getting our year started. At this point most business owners are taking stock of the post Holiday successes, settling last year's issues, finalizing their 2009 returns and preparing to start Q2 with a fresh face.

A favourite topic of conversation between myself and a few colleagues is the sacrificing of Q1. Often done with little more thought than "this is how we do it". I have watched small shops to multi-national, enterprise level companies do it. More often than not, the business of the new year, the planning and implementing of new marketing and sales strategies doesn't begin until March. At the earliest. That is nearly three months of much needed planning and structuring for a new year gone.

Perhaps, more accurately, I should have titled this post "Getting the year started right." A common misconception is that January and February are low revenue months as people recover from over-spending in December. Not entirely incorrect, but definitely misconstrued. People spend. People love to spend. And if you're selling, chances are, there are enough people out there who want it. So, instead of jumping on a bigger, better pedestal and letting people know you're open for their business in a big way, you're cloistered in the office getting ready to finally say goodbye to last year.

January is the time. Q1 is the time. Now is the time.

Think hard about what you want out of 2010. Take stock of your resources. And then find the drum you need and start beating it. Q1 is a starting block. What you build in the first three months of operation will seriously determine how far you can get this year. And we all know where you want to be. At the top.

This January, take the time to set aside those ledgers for a few hours each day. Well implemented marketing strategies take time to plan. Make the time and I promise, you won't be disappointed with the results. That said, I'll take my own advice and devote the rest of the day to where we're going to be this year.