I love this time of year. There is a sense of winding down, of celebrating the year’s achievements and the energy of all the possibilities for the coming year.
It’s a time when I start to plan, vision and strategise but it’s also a time when I like to tidy up. Just like decluttering the house, decluttering your business can leave a sense of space and lightness that may be just what you need going into the new year.
Here’s three ways that you can declutter your business.
Get rid of services that don’t serve you
We can often fall into the trap of seeing a gap in the market and creating a new service or package to fill it. Before we know it, we’ve expanded our range so far that we no longer can do one thing well and don’t have a standout signature service that we’re known for.
Take a look at your profit margins for each of the services you provide and cull those that making the least profit or those that don’t light you up. You want to enjoy what you do and be rewarded accordingly.
Cut down on services to keep your focus
Similarly, if you have too many offerings, it takes you away from focusing on promoting the few key services that you really love and that are in line with your values.
Instead of trying to market 10 services, imagine how much easier it would be to only focus on 4. Not only is it easier for you, but your ideal client will also more easily understand what it is you do and become less confused with all the available options.
Say goodbye to those who aren’t your ideal client or who aren’t ready for you right now
This is a tough one. I know you’ve spent years trying to build your email list or Facebook Group, but it’s time to say goodbye to some of them with love.
Subscribers who don’t open your emails actually damage your send reputation. The higher your open rate, the less likely you’ll be marked as spam by incoming filters. I recommend sending a final email to everyone who hasn’t opened an email in the past 3-6 months and getting them to indicate that they’d like to stay on your list by clicking a link. All those that don’t click the link within 7 days can be archived.
It’s can be daunting to do this, especially when you’ve worked so hard to attract them, but it’s the best for everyone!
If you facilitate a Facebook Group and your objective is engagement, you can also cull your members to reinvigorate the group by deleting inactive members.
Once you’ve done these three decluttering exercises, your business will feel lighter and you’ll have more brain space to work on your business rather than in it. If you’re ready to do this with your content, then let’s work on your strategy together and start the new year with an action plan that will help to connect, nurture and convert your ideal client.