As of last Thursday (April 30th), the year is already 33% gone! Hard to believe. But it’s also a chance to reflect on and assess what’s happened so far… and maybe to make some tweaks to your plans for the rest of the year.
Revenue
How’s your year going so far? Have you achieved 33% of your sales goals?
What’s working… and what’s not? Are the sales tactics you’re using for new business (e.g., networking at events, social selling, cold emails, etc.) generating the results you need? If not, what other tactics should you be consider considering?
And what about repeat business… how’s your ‘churn rate?’ Did the client you expected to work with in early 2026 actually do work with you? If not, why not? What are you doing to keep and deepen your relationships with your existing clients so they keep returning? Especially your ‘key accounts.’
Marketing
Are you getting the support you need from Marketing? Are your marketing efforts actively building awareness for your brand in the marketplace? Cementing your reputation in the minds of buyers? And generating sales leads for follow up? If not, what’s missing that needs to be added?
Measurement
Have you been tracking your revenue? Probably. But in all the following ways?
- Year-to-date revenue
- Year-to-date vs. last year-to-date
- Year-to-date vs. sales goal year-to-date
- Revenue from new vs. existing clients
- By key account
- By industry served
- By service line
And how’s your pipeline? Not just the bottom of it (bids vs. wins)… but from the top down? Are your prospects moving through the pipeline at a reasonable pace? Are there enough total sales opportunities – at all levels – to work on? If not, what are you doing to build your pipeline?
The Competition
What are your competitors up to? Have they launched any new services or brought on any new key personnel? Are they marketing themselves any differently than they used to? When was the last time you visited their websites?
Big Picture
What’s happening in the Market Research industry (trends, technology, methodologies, M&A, etc.) that could have an impact – positive or negative – on your business? And why? What’s happening in the industries or markets you serve (trends, technology, methodologies, M&A, etc.) that could have an impact – positive or negative – on your business? And why? What are you doing to stay on top of those trends?
Conclusion
Think through and discuss all of the ideas above, then gather together all of the information it generates. What can you learn from it to help? Do you understand what’s really happened in the first four months of this year? More importantly, what can you take away from the analysis that might have you adjust (or not) your sales strategy and tactics as you head into the final eight months of the year? [hint: and don’t just talk about it… write it down!]
Remember, “If you keep doin’ what you’re doin’, you’ll keep gettin’ what you’re gettin’.”
Good luck and good selling.