Can you believe that we are in November already?

I’m still wondering where in the world ARIL went… seriously! (had to leave that type-o… guess I know why I don’t know where Aril went – sheesh. 😉 )

I know I have said it before, but it’s true. 😉 The older I get, the faster time seems to fly by – we have less than 2 months of 2011 left! I say that if you haven’t thought about your 2012 business strategy, now couldn’t be a better time!

I’m planning to dig into this deeper in the weeks to come… but, I wanted to offer you some general thoughts to consider as you make your 2012 plan.

1. FOLLOW UP from what you are doing right now.

If the holidays are a hot selling season for you (if you are selling toys, you will be very busy over the next 4-8 weeks!)… NOW is the time to develop a plan for how you plan to follow up with all of your customers come the New Year.

*SIDE NOTE* I know many of you are selling toys this holiday – so I’m going to stick with this as an example; however, even if you are selling something in another market, the principles below can apply.

If you are selling toys for Christmas… it is likely that when the New Year comes, the same people aren’t going to be so interested in buying toys again.

So – how can you follow up and keep in touch with this customer base? You know your audience best; however, the question to ask is:

“What else are these people interested in?”
“If they were interested in TOYS, then they will also be interested in… what?”

You can base how you fill in that blank by thinking about WHO your customers are…
parents… grandparents… aunts… uncles…
It is likely that every person who bought a toy has a child in their life – so, how can you relate to them in that area?

Another commonality is that every person who bought a toy this holiday – bought a toy this holiday 😉 What I mean is… since they bought a toy for Christmas… they might also be interested in buying toys for other holidays… Valentines Day, Easter, Summer time fun, Birthdays, etc. You can find ways to appeal with your customers after the sale by following up with info that let’s them know that you have them covered where buying toys for the children in their lives are concerned.

The key is to continue to be in contact with your customer through follow up because this builds RELATIONSHIP… and it builds TRUST… and those are two things that will bring a customer back to you time and time again.

Another thing to consider for your 2012 plan is…

2. GROWING outside of eBay

There are so many ways to grow your business so that it isn’t dependent on eBay… and if you do have all of your eggs in the eBay basket  I HIGHLY recommend that you create a plan in 2012 (or sooner!) to grow beyond it.

Ebay is still an amazing TOOL to generate revenue for online business – but, it would be wise to include other TOOLS as well so that you have multiple revenue streams bringing in profits.

Here are some things to consider adding to your 2012 plan for GROWING beyond eBay…

– Sell on Amazon and eBay. Amazon surpassed eBay in traffic this last summer and has proven itself to be a very viable option for selling online. Their FBA program (Fulfilled By Amazon) has had amazing reviews from many sellers and it might be a good fit for you and your business. Learn more HERE.

– Learn how to use internet marketing strategies to GROW. Many are confused by all of the PPC, PLR, MRR, Adsense, eBook publishing, blogging… oh, I could go on and on… There are so many marketing strategies you can choose to learn an implement into your business to help it grow… If you find any of it confusing – take a look at my Start Here Program where I lay many strategies out in a step-by-step training course that is extremely simple to understand. You can learn more here: http://www.StartHereProgram.com

– Follow others who have grown beyond eBay. Jim Cockrum is leading the pack in this area and if you haven’t checked out what he has going on, you are missing out! http://www.My-Silent-Team.com — be sure to sign up for his free newsletter if you haven’t already. It is full of creative ideas and strategies to move beyond eBay.

3. SET GOALS for 2012

I know… I know… this is nothing new. But, really – how many of you do this?

I’m not super goal oriented – however, when I spend a chunk of time laying out the things I want to accomplish for the quarter or year ahead, my business growth reflects it! Figure out HOW you want to grow your online business next year – then set up some milestones on a calendar to help you get there.

4… Okay, there is more to cover here – but, I think that is enough to chew on for now… But, I’m curious…

What do YOU think is most important when planning out the New Year ahead?