I am always amazed when I meet really nice, knowledgeable business owners who are serious about what they do, but when it comes to their marketing, they leave it in the hands of people who don’t care or understand what’s required. In one particular case, it was their moody receptionist. The business owner came to my recent masterclass and realised he was missing opportunities by not re-marketing to his past customers. He was spending a lot trying to find new customers but that was becoming expensive. Also, most of these people only engaged when an offer was on, and never came back again. He reached out to us because his clinic was only at 30% capacity and he was worried about the economy; rightly so. Let’s face it, things are challenging and it’s a saturated market out there.

I asked where his database of past clients was, but he didn’t need to tell me, I already knew the answer – there wasn’t one. I then asked how they communicated with past customers, how they were building loyalty, if they were creating a personal touch, and what leads were coming via the website. The truth is, he didn’t know and pointed to the moody looking receptionist who apparently handled all the marketing on What’sApp. In reality that meant spamming people with messages about one generic offer after another.

It struck me that here was a business owner genuinely concerned about the future of his business, yet he was happy to leave his marketing in the hands of his uninterested receptionist.

Business owners, you really need to think long and hard if you want your business to succeed. You can’t just abdicate and expect an unmotivated member of staff to grow your business for you. And why would you, when there are experts out there!

1. January buyers will vanish quicker than snacks at a party. Blink, and they’re gone!

2. Get ready for a LinkedIn takeover of – “Last year I made six figures, this is how…” posts flooding your feed, accompanied by more selfies than a teen’s Instagram.

3. In a world of personal branding, expect a chorus of “wow, interesting post” comments. Bonus points for throwing-in a virtual golf clap – because why not?

4. Paradox alert: More cold emails, fewer meetings. It’s like trying to catch a fish with a baseball glove.

5. Brace yourselves for LinkedIn influencers and their love affair with engagement pods. It’s like blowing up ego balloons into animal shapes – quirky but not really necessary.

6. Another company will splash cash on a fancy podcast setup and find their profits echoing the sound of crickets.

7. People will keep giving that extra point, proving they “always go the extra mile”. Just hope we don’t run out of miles soon.

8.Folks will continue to express their desire to stand out from their competitors. Spoiler alert: They won’t. It’s the sea of sameness.

9. The age-old proclamation, “Email marketing is dead”, will endure. Cue a collective eye-roll from marketing gurus worldwide.

10. Prepare for another year of unrequited loyalty. Customers don’t get thanked and business wonder why their loyalty is so elusive.

Some things just never change. However, if you are interested in change for the better, give me a call. I predict we can make things better for you this year.