As I sit down to write this months’ newsletter the sun is shining, birds are singing and all is good with the world. But this unexpected autumn brightness and warmth won’t last and it set me thinking about the next few months of approaching winter and how much I really dread it coming. Not a helpful attitude I know and one I need to talk myself out of pretty quickly.

The change from one season to the next is inevitable so why fight it? Instead find ways to relish the thought of those cosy winter evenings in with a nice warm mug of coffee and a roaring log fire.

It’s no different in business really. Change is inevitable – customers come and go; suppliers perform well then go off the boil; new staff arrive, full of enthusiasm and interest and experienced workers retire or move on. And markets change too. New methods of distributing and promoting products and services are introduced; the economy forces a close look at pricing, offers and deals; and the pressure is always on to provide better products or services as customer and client expectations are raised by their experience of the very best companies around.

Change is inevitable – so will you sit there moaning or worrying about it or embrace it and plan for the change?

I’d certainly suggest that successful businesses are one’s that embrace change, that see it as an opportunity to raise their profile, talk to their customers, introduce new services and find new ways to reach new markets.

So how can you embrace the coming winter and do more than just accept change and instead use it as a springboard for new marketing initiatives, business improvement or growth?

Wrap up warm – The way in which you present your company is all important. How are you packaging your services and products, are they attractive as well as practical? If you offer a service is it really clear what you can do for clients – and don’t just think about the features of what you do but concentrate on the benefits.

Enjoy the daylight while it’s there – be up beat and positive, shout your successes from the roof tops and celebrate little successes internally to keep spirits up. A bunch of flowers or box of chocolates or even a glass of wine on a Friday after work goes a long way to showing your staff they are important and rewarding their hard work.

A cheerful, motivated team will be invaluable to get you through those tough dull days.

Stay indoors – focus on doing a great job for your existing clients, rather than getting out and about prospecting for new ones.

All too often we focus our attention on attracting new customers and can sometimes fall into the trap of neglecting existing ones. Spend time talking to clients, find out about their business, check what they like about you and how you could improve. I can almost guarantee that if you have structured conversations with a dozen of your customers over the next month some work will come out of it. You can of course extend this to dormant or past clients too.

Plan your summer holiday – or in business develop a simple marketing action plan. Creating something to look forward to is a great way to survive those long winter days.

Whilst you are all cosy inside why not spend time in quiet contemplation about where you want to take your business and what steps you need to take to get there.

As you would with any holiday – decide what you want to achieve. For a holiday you’d consider whether you want relaxation, excitement or to learn something new. In business it might be raising your business profile, approaching new markets, launching a new product or reviewing you overall strategy. Ideally you should set measurable (and realistic) goals. Set a budget - how much are you willing to spend to achieve these goals? Do a bit of research, getting help from the experts and using the internet, to find out what options are available. And then make some decisions and start to put your plan into action.

Don’t worry about having hundreds of ideas – one, very well executed marketing idea is far better than lots of ideas that never quite see the light of day. Just as you can’t (normally) afford to go to every far flung destination in the brochure you won’t be able to make every new marketing idea a reality – but if you focus on getting the one right you’ll have a great time and get the right result.

The sun’s already faded here in Ettington but never mind. I’m looking forward to the new season and helping my clients ring in the marketing changes for their businesses.

Further Reading:
Plan for marketing and business success

10 questions to help you develop a marketing plan

Written by Teresa Harris, Second Opinion Marketing. Teresa is an independent marketing consultant working with professional practices, small businesses and public sector bodies to develop effective marketing plans which achieve their business objectives.

As a marketing coach Teresa works with new marketing managers and small business owners to enhance their marketing performance.