I’ve always said, “I’m an optimist because it doesn’t cost any more to be optimistic.”

Of course, there are other reasons I chose to deliver this particular treatise to start the New Year. They are:

1. Most of the 9,000-plus readers of this newsletter are actual or potential entrepreneurs and, by definition, it follows they must be optimists.

2. To be pessimistic is to have a self-fulfilling prophecy for failure (much like a golfer who focuses on the hazard or the out-of-bounds stakes).

3. Optimism is a key foundation for energy, determination and effort, three indispensable ingredients in any success formulas of which we are aware.

4. All things being equal, most of us tend to achieve what we set out to achieve.

5. Failure is NOT and option . . . right?

That said, we’re amidst a particularly “challenging” economy, one beset with more than the usual number of unknown quantities concerning taxes, insurance, job security and all manner of “cliffs,” fiscal and otherwise. It is important to realize one fundamental fact, 2013 won’t be a period of business as usual.

Where marketing fits in

Recognizing the premise that advertising is about selling what we have, while marketing is about having what will sell, we must first look inwardly at our product and service offerings to determine if they are well suited for our target audience. As a matter of fact, early on, we should even be certain we are targeting precisely the audience that matters most. This should include not only direct prospects but those centers of influence to which they respond (like associates and peers, organizations, the media, etc.)

For most of us, it promises to be a year of “hill climbing”; it’s at least safe to say, a year during which sales may be expected to not come more easily. To combat this, it wont take the enlightened long to select as their weapon of choice energetic marketing initiatives. Certainly, tight budgets will call for overall expenditure controls and utmost discretion in putting together an arsenal comprised of effective marketing moves. Clue: Making at least one impression per month with everyone on your database is a must (you do have a database, don’t you?)

Boiling it down

It starts with a definitive marketing plan. Shredding – or at least amending- the one in place would seem a good place to start.

Marketing plan tips:

• With the help of others, think it through carefully
• Commit it to writing
• Commit it to action
• Give it a chance to work
• Establish benchmarks
• Analyze results
• Don’t be afraid to amend it necessary
• Keep your eye on the ball – and the prize

Happy and healthy New Year’s marketing to all!

. . . This is one option, though we’ve traditionally found it to be a good time for planning, at least in part, for the New Year.

But, even if you decide to make it a quite productive year-end “break,” we hope you will at least take some time out to count your blessings – both business and personal.

Do something as useless as getting caught in the rain playing golf, as I did Saturday, and laugh heartily with friends at the precious time you’ve enjoyed wasting together. Or, pause to watch a child at play, and think back to the time you saw the world through similarly idealistic eyes. Find time to devote energy to an activity decidedly NOT intended to go to the bottom line.

Even if doing so will merely contribute to your lifeline.

. . . yes, I know Santa checked his list only twice. But, he was a pro a list making.

List your top five marketing objectives for 2013, and check your progress with them on or about April 1 (no fooling), July 1 and October 1. Efficiency experts tell us that committing our goals to writing – and following up on them – make chances at least 50% better they’ll actually be accomplished.

Let’s see if they are right.

. . . preferably over lunch or a beverage (you invite and you buy), but definitely face to face. Choose a person you like, like an old friend or favorite colleague from the present or past.

Have no agenda. Let the conversation wander into, out of and through any subject. At best, it will be a stimulating experience, a strengthened relationship and you may even learn something new and significant. At the very least it should provide a pleasant interlude, and a refreshing break from the routine. With just the slightest effort on your part, it should hardly be disappointing.

Very seasoned greetings to you.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is traditionally a slow business week. It’s a great time to chill out, but it can also be more than marginally constructive. Use your “quiet time” to devise one important new marketing initiative for 2010. Then, be sure to put it into action next year. Come January 4, you’ll not only feel challenged by the year that lies ahead, you’ll feel better for having done something constructive during this break (you may even be able to take the results to the bank).