Nov 17, 2011
Don't let regrets ruin 2012
We’re on the wind down to the end of the year, and so I’m going to write more about taking stock of your past year – successes and failures – to create a great marketing and pr plan for 2012.
A very smart marketing consultant once told me that it’s impossible to decide where you’re going, until you know where you’ve been. But as small business owners and entrepreneurs it can be painful to look back…because we’re so damn hard on ourselves. Yet if I don’t look back, how do I incorporate all the lessons I’ve learned, including the hard ones, into my plans for the coming year?
I was in a meeting with an accomplished businessman the other day who was beating himself up for not predicting the meltdown in 2008 and protecting his businesses better. I suspect this gentleman is quite wealthy yet he was just like the rest of us, regretting the signs he missed and losing self-esteem in the process. Another friend was berating herself for throwing her heart and soul into a project for her company, only to be told on a moment’s notice that her start-up company was folding and she was out of work.
It reminds me of something my husband always says…”If ifs and buts were fruits and nuts we’d all have a merry christmas.” Instead of beating ourselves up, let’s take stock of all the things we learned in 2011. For me, it was a year of rebuilding after a couple years of just hanging on by my fingernails. Now there’s a bit of cash and a bit of energy for marketing to new prospects (and to the existing customers.)
I’m determined to use the lessons I’ve learned in the past year to create a vision and a kick-ass marketing plan for 2012. And I refuse to beat myself up for all the dumb moves I’ve made. At least I can congratulate myself for learning those lessons well.
On Monday, I’ll give you some questions to help you take stock of your sales and marketing work in 2011.
Pumpkin said:
We learn things like that every year yet it seems the choices we make following the absurd contemplation on the subject goes over and over again at some point. I`m not pinning this to the wall just saying that it depends more on our capability to impose limits in our social behaviour, the personal one…well being personal. Nice post:)
November 17th, 2011 at 8:26 am
bonnie said:
Thanks! I’m following you on Twitter now too. What a great example of a niche blog, everybody go look at http://pumpkin-recipes.org/
November 17th, 2011 at 8:33 am
David Chonies said:
This article is really useful not just for marketers, but like for like entrepreneurs also. A new year brings new campaigns, new strategies and most importantly a fresh start. I for one cannot wait until 2012!
November 17th, 2011 at 5:50 pm
bonnie said:
I can’t wait either. I think everybody is ready for some optimism and a fresh start!!
November 17th, 2011 at 6:14 pm
Assurance auto said:
I’m really looking forward to receive your marketing plan.
Thx
November 18th, 2011 at 3:26 am
Rufus Dogg said:
Like a slingshot around the moon….
November 18th, 2011 at 8:09 am
Michael Stetina said:
”If ifs and buts were fruits and nuts we’d all have a merry christmas.” That is really funny!
November 19th, 2011 at 7:32 am
bonnie said:
It can also be a little annoying at times!
November 19th, 2011 at 7:43 am
breast augmentation NYC said:
This is true that we must learn something from our past mistakes to gain success in the future. Before the end of this year , we must take a deep look at our failure and successes and the reasons for it.And avoid repeating mistakes. Not only in the field of marketing but also in every field of life.
November 20th, 2011 at 3:47 am
California Free mls said:
Regretting is not a solution. 2012 is almost here and whether we make new resolutions or not, whether we achieve new goals or not, we cannot stop living our lives.
November 20th, 2011 at 9:13 am
nehi said:
The title of this post is so much touching and its content also. As i personally believe that, to regret for anything in any situation is not a solution of any thing. Thanks a lot for providing such a meaningful post with simple and short way.
November 21st, 2011 at 12:59 am
Glyn said:
You can learn from everything in life, whether it is good or bad. We can never be perfect, but we are always evolving to be better.
November 21st, 2011 at 11:40 am
Chris Application said:
Can you believe it, two thousand years ago Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius said;
Here is the rule to remember in the future, When anything tempts you to be bitter: not, “This is a misfortune” but “To bear this worthily is good fortune.”
What happend happend, we can only learn from it, being bitter doesnt help a bit…
November 21st, 2011 at 1:47 pm
bonnie said:
LOVE that quote.
November 21st, 2011 at 1:59 pm
Quick-Locksmith said:
I agree with you on this topic, I believe that we cannot beat ourself’s up about things which have happened in the past, because thats exactly where they will stay, in the past, I always find that worrying myself less about the past, more about the now, less about what I am going through, more about the how, has kept me positive, and moving in the right direction. I also believe that this amounts to more than just business, but as well as friendships and relationships alike.
November 23rd, 2011 at 5:20 pm
graphic calculator said:
As a marketer really I got help from this post. I expect such more posts like this.
November 24th, 2011 at 5:59 am
videos cristianos said:
The article is right, it is key to know where we are before moving into important decision for this coming 2012
November 24th, 2011 at 10:09 pm
yipit clone said:
well informative post…
its really useful post who are in marketing line..
we can learn many things in both successes and failures…it leads to gud life..
November 25th, 2011 at 6:07 am
Kredit said:
Yes, the marketing business requires a relatively large amount of work. But I think this should be clear to everyone. One should in any case have fun project to work on his mind. Successes and failures are in the Internet business to fall in each.
November 25th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Thomasnet said:
If there is one thing that I’ve life is that in life there are no certainties. This is what makes life ultimately so interesting. Regrets and resentments only stagnates the creative process, and in an industry where research and adjustments are a requirement as short memory is a necessity.
November 28th, 2011 at 11:42 am
Thomasnet said:
If there is one thing I’ve learned from life is in life there are no certainties. This is what makes existence ultimately so interesting. Regrets and resentments only stagnates the creative process, and in an industry where research and adjustments are a requirement a short memory is a necessity. Learn and adjust – To your success in 2012 – edited
November 28th, 2011 at 11:53 am
Did your marketing work in 2011? | Wax Blog said:
[...] measure the old ones effectively to make sure they’re still working. As I mentioned a couple weeks back, you have to look back objectively at the past year before you can accurately plan for the next. To [...]
December 5th, 2011 at 8:46 am