Plan to Have a Record Year in 2019!
Brian Tracy famously said, “Every minute you spend in planning saves 10 minutes in execution; this gives you a 1000 percent return on energy!” I tend to agree. A buddy of mine had a similar saying he called the 6-P Rule, “Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance!”
With 2019 knocking on the door, this raises the question of how do you and your team plan for the New Year?
Personally, I still favor an old-fashioned paper calendar and a pen. My wife and I recently sat at the kitchen table, she with her trusty family calendar and me with my Franklin Covey paper planner going month by month January through December documenting my business meetings, the kids school breaks, activities, vacation, birthdays, etc. Upon completion it felt so good to have a plan and know what to expect.
Here at the office, we have a much more elaborate planning system. With the help from a great book called Traction by Gino Wickman, our leadership team and I have created a big picture vision by setting a 10-year goal based on realistic sales history and previous year-over-year growth. 10 years is a long time and too far out to really be able to impact today. So, using the 10-year math as a projection, we roll it back and paint the picture for where we should be in 3 years. That’s still a long way out so we then roll it back again to a 1year goal. From here, we dial it back one more time to create quarterly goals. Now we live in a 90-day world whereby all of our goals are transparent with one another and reviewed together in a weekly meeting. We’ve also factored in our existing company core values, created a core purpose, and have a very specific marketing strategy.
And at the foundation, our marketing strategy is tied to… you guessed it, a calendar. In fact, we believe so much in the power of a calendar to help you plan your marketing we created a 2019 powersports specific one and sent it to you in the mail (If it didn’t make its way to your desk feel free to request one via email or phone and we’ll drop one in the mail for you).
A marketing planning calendar is beneficial for multiple reasons. For starters, to be an effective marketer you must always be living in the future. It takes time to create content, decide how you plan to deliver that content, and execute an effective marketing campaign at the right time to deliver maximum results.
Each month our calendar provides you with proven choices for creative that is relevant, compelling, and best of all doesn’t just focus on PRICE.
With proper planning you can even merchandise your accessory area and other parts of the dealership to compliment your marketing. In January you can do a “Resolve to Ride” or a “Gear Up for the New Year” campaign.
In February you can do “Cabin Fever Reliver” or “Valentines Day” as your focus. In March it’s “Time to Ride,” “St. Patrick’s Day,” and “Bike Week”. April can be “Perfect time to Ride” or “Smoking Spring and Burning Rubber.” May has “Memorial Day” and “Cinco de Mayo” - both proven winners. “Celebrating Dad for Father’s Day” in June is always solid. Patriotic campaigns are high performers with “Independence Day” in July. Heck sometimes we “Celebrate our Independence all Month Long” in July or even have “Christmas in July.” In August we can try to “Beat the Heat” and in September celebrate “Labor Day” or have a “New Model Open House.” October gets spooks with “Halloween” and then we’re off to the races for “Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas and New Year’s” all are must-celebrates in the retail world.
It’s no secret that Amazon has changed the landscape of retail forever. Heck, I just heard my kids talking about other kids peeking into their parents Amazon order history to see what’s under the tree this year. That’s just crazy, they don’t even have to open the gifts and re-wrap them like we did. Anyway, it’s your job as Dealer Principal, as the marketer of your dealership, to provide your customers and prospects with a compelling reason for why to get out from behind the computer and come down to your dealership. Remember, you’re not selling washing machines or gravesites, you’re selling FUN!
If you give your customers a reason, they will happily visit a toy store filled with fun where they can see it, feel it, touch it, smell it, and even try it on! You do have an advantage over the online retailers, but you must exploit it.
If you don’t give them a reason, they might as well order it off the computer. Seems more convenient. You’ve worked too hard and invested too much to blow it by not executing a well-planned marketing calendar that could make 2019 your best year ever! And, we’d love to partner with you to make it happen.
For more information on our “done for you” Sharp Shooter campaigns contact us at 877-242-4472 or visit us at www.PSMMarketing.com/Sample-Campaigns.
