Summer is over and fall is fast upon us. We’ve got quite a bit to do with only 4 months remaining in 2019. In weeks, we’ve got just 16 until 2020. What is your fall game plan? Here are some opportunities to maximize this relatively short window of time:
- Attend an Event: Pick a conference or two and secure your spot now if you have not done so already, planning some meetings around the venue where feasible. Here is one low cost can’t miss—the Third Party Marketing Associations annual conference will take place in New York City November 13-14. For managers seeking a marketing partner, or for marketing firms seeking managers to represent, don’t miss the Manager Exchange LIVE event on the 13th. Space is limited so check it out today at www.3pm.org. Several other conferences occur in the fall. Perhaps October/November/December are the best months to attend one or two of them in an effort to maximize your fall.
- Write Meaningful Commentary: Managers often want to rely on their quarterly updates and numbers to move the needle. In 2019, with daily opportunities for competitors to provide market intelligence just a finger touch away, this is insufficient at best. To truly move the needle managers must be providing regular and meaningful commentary AWAY from the hustle and bustle of quarter end reporting. What happened early in Q3 or mid Q3 that you can write about now, off cycle, when there is a bit less competition in research analysts’ inboxes? Stumped for ideas? What country, sector, industry or trend could you write about that is relevant to your strategy?
- Commit to a Travel Calendar and Get Out There with Dates: Time passes quickly. Before we know it, we will all be planning our holidays and looking ahead to 2020. Identify 3 locations that the team will benefit from visiting before year end, perhaps around a conference or event and certainly around key prospect locations and schedule a few meetings in each area now before calendars fill up. The best months for meetings are September (particularly the second half of the month) and November (the first half), avoiding quarter end reporting and client communications that often fills October, and holiday conflicts that plague December. Early October and December respectively can also be good times as well.
- Schedule Team Training: Your team is out there on behalf of the firm telling its story, answering questions and providing value-added responses to prospects and clients alike. Right? Firms work hard to make connections, to get initial conversations and to build track records that are worthy of allocations. How well is the team carrying the ball once it is in play? We have never met a firm that would not benefit from additional team training, whether one-on-one or as a group, to ensure that the team is maximizing these opportunities. Consider scheduling some training now for the relative ‘downtime’ that can otherwise plague late November and December.
