It’s that time of the year again.

Ok, so while it may only be October, I’m sure you’ve seen all the Christmas décor and specials, shining and sparkling in all its wonderous glory! It’s also that time of the year where people tend to slip into vacay mode, early, and are often left with the overwhelming feeling of, ‘let’s wait till next year’. *facepalm*

As with the appearance of Christmas decorations, the above-mentioned feeling seems to rear its lazy head earlier and earlier each year. A part of me understands this feeling, as I start to dream of my Elgin December holiday. It’s been one helluva year and people are TIRED.

But, I am going to ask you to dig deep, take your business/marketing/campaign from GOOD to GREAT! Push until the final whistle (had to drop in a rugby metaphor 🏉). I mean if Joel Stransky didn’t give it his all up until that final whistle in 1995, it would have been a very different year – also, look at all the positivity that transpired from that win!

I know that thinking of ideas or making last lists of things to do, is not erm… on your to do list, so we thought we would make it a little easier for you.

Here are some of the Metis Rockstar’s recommendations:

Choose 1 to tick off before the clock strikes 12 on December 31^st (or for most South Africans December the 15^th 😉)

• GET YOUR TRACKING SORTED

  Let’s talk Netflix. If Netflix didn’t have the right tracking in place, they would be recommending the wrong movies/series to you. That bad user experience might see you cancel your subscription. Just like Netflix, it is important that you are collecting the CORRECT data on your clients/prospects. This will help you give them the right personalised experience. Whether it’s an email newsletter or understanding who has purchased vs not purchased on your website, tracking is one of the No. 1 assets of your business. Start 2020 on the front foot.

• SPRING CLEAN THAT INBOX/DESKTOP/NOTEPAD

  We all have that closet in our house like Monica from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. While everything may look spic and span from the outside, you know deep down inside there’s all those emails, notes and files that give us heart palpitations whenever we dare to open the door. This week I personally set out to clear my emails. Everything has been scheduled, actioned & filed. I can confirm I had a good night’s sleep that day.

• READ THAT 1 BOOK YOU HAVE BEEN PUTTING OFF
  

  This is going to sound controversial, but I don’t believe in reading tons of books every year. What I do believe in, is when you read a book, make sure you walk away with something and apply it to your business/career/personal development. Actions really do speak louder than words in this case. Some of my favourite reads this year include:

  • Extreme Ownership
  • Start with Why
  • Never Split the Difference

The last ‘to do’ item is not a choice, it is a MUST if you would like to succeed in 2020. You need to get your business strategies ready for 2020 now!

We stroll back to work around the 7^th of January, some of our colleagues start a bit later. We hit the ground running sorting out emails, month end, new orders, and carryovers from last year. Before we blink it’s the end of January and we haven’t sat down with our team to plan where we’re going this year. We panic, find a date where everyone can meet up, attend the meeting, and go away with the idea to put together our next actionable steps. By the time we put our plan into gear it’s already March and Q1 is almost behind us.

We cannot expect to achieve great results when we are trying to fit these into 8 months. Businesses tend to complain about the struggle in 2017, 2018 & 2019 but when you scrutinise yourself, you notice you only pushed between March & October.

Here’s to starting 2020 on the front foot!