I don’t have to remind you that the end of 2010 is just weeks away. Are you feeling the pressure to finish this year strong…AND set 2011 up with a strong start?
Me too. Yet lots of ‘stuff’ is getting in the way of my proactive plans and productive time to execute.
It seems as if prospects from the past are resurfacing. They are finalizing 2011 budgets, pulling together their ‘plans’ and hoping to that they will have ‘more time and budget’ in 2011. They seem tired, beaten down and yet optimistic a lot of ‘stuff’ will stop in 2011 for them.
And they want (or maybe desperately need) help…which puts us in the mode of:
- revisiting old proposals that might be dated as far as pricing with clients who want the same pricing
- ‘negotiating’ availability to deliver unrealistic time lines for turnaround on information
- setting realistic expectations on scopes of projects
- reacting to emotions of pent up frustration and over-work from 2009-2010 and
- working through our own emotions of ‘procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part’ feelings
In 13 years of Sales Pro Insider, I have never seen the level of activity that is going on right now. It seems as if no one took time off over Thanksgiving in the U.S. and I’m wondering if we will be able to catch our breath the last week of December – a typical time to finalize year-end paperwork and get set up for the new year.
We have everyone on the team working hard to do as much as we can to help. And yet I’m not sure today how to get it all done.
I’m not complaining…business is great and we already have a 15% year-over-year increase booked for next year!
What I am wondering is if you are experiencing the same heightened sense of urgency and potentially unrealistic expectations in YOUR business. If so, what are you doing to capture the opportunities and not stress yourself out in the process?
Let’s hear about your ‘stuff’!
