Is your Inbox groaning with seasonal sales pitches?

Black Friday. Cyber Monday.

Sale – sale – sale.

This time of year brings one last push for most businesses.

While you’re wading through the offers or making a few of your own, think about the past year.

Take time for your annual business review.

Business Review Made Simple

I hear you. Now, you’re the one groaning. The busy holiday season does not leave much time for planning. That’s okay. In the spirit of gift-giving, I’ll share one of the simplest end-of-year business reviews you’ll ever find.

If you’re like me, you can find a million excuses during the busy holidays to procrastinate (okay maybe not just the holiday season). This review takes away those excuses.

Keep it simple. Do a more detailed analysis when you have the breathing room.

All you have to do is answer the following
three questions.

#1 – What went well?

You want a little motivation to complete this task. So, start with some positive thoughts.

• Think about the past year
• What went well?
• Jot down what pops into your head

You don’t need to worry about the order or priority just yet.

Need some ideas to shake out holiday cobwebs? Here are a few to get you started.

• How were sales?
• Any new markets?
• Any successful launches?
• What exceeded your expectations?
• How successful was your business communication?

Reviewing what went well in the past year is a present to yourself. Share on X

#2 – What needs improvement?

If you took a hit in sales or incurred some other loss, areas for improvement are painfully obvious. The good news is it’s behind you. You’ve gained valuable information from those misses. (I promise not to say there are no losses – only opportunities).

Looking for improvements can be a positive experience. Improvement is found in your successes, too. Here are a few questions to jumpstart your review.

• What could be better?
• How was your income? Expenses?
• How successful was your marketing?
• How did each service and/or product do?
• What do your customers have to say? (You did ask them, right?)

Reviewing what needs improvement is a present to your customers. Share on X

#3 – What’s next?

Take a look at your lists of what went well and what needs improvement. Keeping with the simple theme, list simple action steps for follow-up.

For example, if sales were better in one market than another, your action may be obtaining an analysis of results and scheduling a meeting with managers.

• The idea is not to come up with a solution at this point
• The goal is identifying successes and areas for improvement
• Then determining the tools and resources for analysis

Remember, this is your simple end-of-the-year business review.

Keep next steps simple and manageable.

The most manageable plans have simple wrappings. Share on X

Simple Exercise

The 3-question business review brings focus during a busy holiday season.

Even if you did not set targets or goals for the year, the review puts you back on track.

On the other hand, if you did establish goals (and good for you), the simple business review provides a starting point for areas of review.

Compare your list to your goals. Use the lists to develop goals for next year.

• What went well?
• What needs improvement?
• What’s next?

Still want help? Download this one-page form for the 3-Question End-of-the-Year Business Review.

For the visual readers, the following SlideShare presentation is one of my most popular ones (in terms of views and downloads). I first published it on November 3, 2014.

What business review tips do you have?

Note: This post was originally posted on November 5, 2012 and updated on November 29, 2016.  I’ve updated it again with some new ideas.

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Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours – contact me for help with your business writing needs.

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