“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” – Soren Kierkegaard
The last quarter of 2012 is almost history and as we welcome 2013 in just 33 days from today, we hope for a future that is successful, rewarding and where dreams will be realized. Having seen the start of more than a few “new business years” during my career, I’ve learned that you can do one of two things in preparation for a new business year. You can yet again try to create a brand new marketing strategy for the coming year or you can pause, look back and do some serious reflecting, resolving to change, or improve some aspect about how you will initiate your future marketing campaigns. For some people, looking back over the past year may be something better left in the rearview mirror; on the other hand, burying your head in the sand can be seen as the primary ingredient in a recipe for another disappointing year…and you know how much the CEO/President/Owner/Founder loves that kind of thinking and pending poor results. So before one celebrates the dawn of a new year…take time to ask yourself what are you going to do to change? What does success in 2013 look like to you and your executive management team?
Speaking for myself and our firm, the end of each year is met with a healthy dose of optimism for the coming year. We see 2013 through a lens of hopefulness, that things will indeed get better. Is that just us or will you and your organization also view the coming year with a level of anticipation that you haven’t had for a few years? Hey, it’s been tough for most everyone out there but let’s remember that at least a few organizations — perhaps your own competitors — have fared better than most despite hard times. They’ve not wasted a good recession by sitting still. So what have they done to plot a course for a more optimistic and profitable path for success in 2013?
Depending on marketplace factors coupled with how well you were able to strategically position your company, the past year was either seen as a success or another year of disappointment. Success if you were able to grow your share of the proverbial pie (maybe at the expense of your competitors) or be sufficiently positioned to stay in business to fight the fight for another year. Or disappointment if things didn’t turn out so well because…(you can fill in the blank). The question that begs to be asked here is, how much last year’s success or disappointment was because of something you had no control over, such as good luck or bad luck, and how much was because of something you did or didn’t do given how the marketplace was shifting? I’ve found through personal experience this is the time to ‘come clean’ and be honest with yourself.
Hey, I’m all for a bit of luck but you probably don’t want to continue betting future success on lucky things happening in the coming year.
With this in mind, here are a few questions to ask yourself as thought starters as you begin the process of looking in the rearview mirror to last year and through your windshield to the next:
As marketers, one thing we know for sure is that change will not stop in 2013. The economy will continue to shift on us —hopefully with less drama. But by reflecting back on 2012, taking control of your marketing activities rather than being tossed around by the waves in the marketplace, along with thinking optimistically about what 2013 can hold, 2013 might actually be a year worth celebrating. It will be for us and hopefully will be for you as well.