It’s one of my favorite times of the year: time for my clients and I to map out that quarterly plan. It’s a time to get focused on how to move things forward in your business, one goal at a time.
But I think the question we’ve all been asking ourselves over the past few weeks as things have evolved for all of us is what can and should shift in online business for this coming quarter?
Let me be clear – planning is even more critical during times of upheaval. I’m not suggesting setting aside planning, but instead I’m sharing three things to consider while creating your plan in this time of uncertainty.
A time of reflection and evaluation
The most important place to start your quarterly planning is to still evaluate what is working in your business and what needs to shift?
Let’s start with income – In this time that could mean if your current offerings aren’t bringing in revenue, what else can you bring to your market that will serve people? Has your audience been asking you to create a program, a lower cost offering, or a more in-depth or high-touch class? This can be an opportunity to share more of what you have already created or create or package something totally new.
For your current clients, how can you really show up for them right now? What does ‘above and beyond’ look like? I believe that the people who are showing up to serve authentically and from their heart during this time are going to create a relationship and a bond with their audience and clients that will endure long after this pandemic is over.
Now for some (most?) of us, this may be where we stop. If you have kids at home or find yourself busier than normal or outside of our routine, it’s important to focus your limited work time on the things that really move the needle.
Follow the money
This is an ongoing process, but now is a perfect time to reign in our spending on outdated or redundant systems and software.
If you’re paying for software that overlaps and does similar things, let’s evaluate and cut out what’s no longer needed.
Alternatively, are you paying a team member hourly to do something like add people to a Facebook group when that can be automated and the hours allocated to something more important, like customer service?
There is no better time than now to take a good look under the hood at the financial health of your business.
Good, Better, Best
I love the concept of good, better, best when goal setting – especially in business. Metrics and targets can not only push the team forward but tell us how we’re doing.
During any time of upheaval or crisis, there is an invitation to still show up and offer our best work but also be gentle with ourselves. For many of us that means adjusting our expectations temporarily. Where in months or years past we might show up and always push to hit our “best” numbers, for now hitting our “good” numbers might be our best.
While some online businesses might be moving forward with business as normal, some may measure success on just making it through the next few months.
Look at your current numbers and expectations and consider whether the goals you have set are realistic for right now.
