Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan." The journey of owning a business adds an exclamation mark to that message, because wishes don't turn into dollars.
Besides having a reference and framework to your dreams, a plan offers a way to map out your timeline.
While I’ve always been a planner, much of sales requires being accessible which pokes holes quickly in even a task master’s schedule. Strategic planning can be overwhelming to business partners without a dedicated marketing team. Our newsletters and blog posts are designed not just for inspiration but also to provide updates relevant to your decisions.
What insights do we have for 2020?
We continue to navigate the impact of tariffs - we will continue to see price increases during the year because of regulations, uncertainty and replenishing stock.
Right now the Cornonavirus is making supply chains from overseas uncertain, as factories reopen from Chinese New Year, there may be less workforce able to produce orders, adding lead time to projects.
Another significant change you need to note are changes to set up fees. In previous years, many suppliers waived the setup fee on reorders if the order was within 12-18 months of a previous order. An increasing number of suppliers are charging a “re-set up” fee and reducing the amount of time they are holding on to plates or screens internally. Why? Image for a moment you are a drone cruising the huge footprint of one of the mega supplier locations. Often customer service, the production floor, the warehouse and shipping & receiving are in numerous buildings on a sprawling campus.
Know your boundaries for use of protected acronyms, logos and names. Social media makes it easy for us to share, but that’s the downfall too - very quickly an image can be shared, or larger companies even pay to troll sights looking for information.
The new year is a great time to review your branding & marketing efforts, as well as to have our team create a brand guide. A little work now, saves headaches when you are trying to survive your daily calendar.
Our current clients will appreciate our new VIP Access toolkit this year to set their brand on a path for success.