I am not a hunter. I'm not against it but I do not participate in it. I'm not sure it is a sport but it is an activity that many enjoy. The purpose of this blog entry is not to discuss the merits or demerits of hunting but to consider the analogy to the big selling season that is upon us.
Now that we have passed Halloween, the retail world would like us to believe it is Christmas time. Why? Because that is one of, if not, the largest selling seasons of the year. Who's fault is it that the majority of toys, clothes, and other gifts are purchased between October 1st and December 24th? Retailers are to blame, but so are we. Christmas was not always a big gift giving time. It was a time to give gifts but not to the extent that we do today. Still, reality is what it is. (for some data see the Online Shopping Report, it is not extensive but those sites are easy to find.)
Now the question becomes one of planning. Every business has a peak season. It is usually very difficult to benefit from that season if you wait too long to start planning for it. In the toy world, this year's hot toys were made and sold to retailers in the spring. The fall fashions were displayed in the spring. Even the members of the football teams that will play in the bowl games were, for the most part, chosen last spring. Some were chosen years ago and are just now showing the fruits of training and development.
When you hire for the big season, you have to do it well in advance of the time when those people will be needed. To do this well it takes planning. You need to see what sales were like previously and what kind of increase you can support. This is not like the harvest time, when day labor could be found if crop yields were greater than expected.
Now, it is up to you to make the crop yield what it can be. Measure the return on investment from last year and use that to predict the needed supplies for this year. Of course, for retail, it is now almost too late to do what needs to be done. Training, advertising, and customer service all take time.
Business owners often think that everyone understands the company goals, intents, and purpose. The truth is, most people just want to do their job, get paid, and go about the rest of their day. For too many, quality of life is not equated with the quality of performance one puts into a job.
As you enter the "prime season" of your market, note what others are or have done. Why reinvent the wheel. If you missed it this year then put into play the steps to see that you do better next year.
How do you plan for future needs on today's revenues?
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