Posted by: Laura Hills, VP Marketing, Dydacomp
New Year’s resolutions aren’t only for individuals. Many business owners make resolutions intended to help their company achieve success and start off the year with a plan for growth. Statistics show that just one week into January, 25% of personal resolutions have already been forgotten and by the end of the year, 88% of resolutions will have been broken.  Let’s look at how this year can be different.
According to Tom Connellan, the author of “The 1 Percent Solution: How to Make Your Next 30 Days the Best Ever” there are several reasons that stand out above the others as to why resolutions go by the wayside. They are as applicable to businesses as they are to individuals. They are:
- Relying only on motivation. – Connellan believes that motivation comes from small successes. Most of us think that we need one major motivator that will sustain us throughout the year which is not realistic. Success is a great motivator that will keep the motivation level high which leads to continued success.
- Having only big goals.  – People tend to think in large terms that can be unrealistic. Smaller goals are just as important and often easier to achieve. Instead of saying this is the year for 500 new customers, try breaking this down into a weekly or monthly targets and develop short term strategies that you can implement to achieve your goal.
- Change is uncomfortable – Any kind of change, even good change, is a break from the norm which takes people out of their comfort zone. This makes it harder to continue a behavior and stay with a resolution.
Doug Sundheim, co-author of “The 25 Best Time Management Tools & Techniques: How to Get More Done without Driving Yourself Crazy” feels that time management can go a long way toward keeping you on track with your business resolutions for the new year. Sundheim recommends following the steps below to keep you on track:
- Rank your goals. -  You probably have a laundry list of things that you’d like to achieve in 2014. Pick the top three goals for your company and focus on them. You can always modify or add to your list once you’ve accomplished a goal.
- Be aware of information overload. – With so much data available, you have to be selective in what you pay attention to. You can spend all day trying to keep up with information on your industry which won’t leave time for much else. Focus on a few trusted sources and industry experts to stay updated.
- Just say no. - Saying no gives you more time to say yes to what is important to your business.
Now that you’ve got a handle on how to keep your resolutions, we have a few recommendations of our own that will help keep your eCommerce business on track for success in 2014.
- Revisit your marketing plan. – Review what worked in 2013 and look ahead to trends for 2014 that you’d like to incorporate into your plan.  Reevaluate your target market and the strategies you used to reach them. Determine which marketing tactics worked, which didn’t and how you can augment your plan to achieve better results. And if you don’t have a marketing plan, now’s the time to create one. Remember, small steps will go a long way.
- Examine your website. – If you sell online, the importance of support for online shopping cannot be stressed enough. Make sure your website best reflects your company, products and what sets you apart. Be sure everything works as it should and that the site connects with customers across multiple sales channels and mobile devices.
- Market your company every day. – Find a way to do at least one thing to promote your business. It can be as simple as updating a directory listing or posting to Facebook. It can be as involved as creating a series of short videos, email blasts or developing a new advertising campaign.
- Check your prices. – Know what your competitors are charging for similar products and understand what customers are willing to pay. You may need to adjust your margins or find alternative suppliers, but offering the right products at the right price goes a long way to attracting new and repeat shoppers to your site.
You likely have resolutions of your own that will support your vision for 2014. We offer the above advice to help you keep your resolutions and achieve greater success in 2014.
Happy Selling!
