Happy New Year!

Oh god the moment is here. The dreaded moment when everyone gets back to the office. What’s even worse are those New Year kisses. That awkward moment where you don’t know whether to shake someone’s hand or kiss them on the cheek. Let alone that creep from accounts, who has been an HR-liability to you all year. He has probably been waiting for this moment, ever since that very inappropriate comment on the last team night out.

 Our 5 tips for a great start to 2015 at the office

But it’s not all bad. New Year’s gives you the chance to clear your head, your inbox and your to-do list. So to ensure a good start to 2015, here’s our tips.

1. Your deleted-folder looks hungry, feed it some emails

If you’re anything like us, December’s inbox was a sea of red flags. Follow-up, to-do, chase, etc. Now that everyone’s been away and people have forgotten about business for the 2 weeks they’re off, it’s time to clear your inbox. I’ve reduced my inbox to exactly 0 emails yesterday. Everything is either completed, archived or deleted.

2. Get out there and meet people

Sending your colleagues, clients and suppliers New Year’s wishes is very nice indeed. But what’s even nicer is to get up from your chair and go see them. If there is any a time to see what people are up to, it’s now. Everyone has their plans and resolutions for the New Year, so this would be a perfect moment to capture the moments that will improve your relationship with them.

3. Clean desk, clean mind

Start the New Year with a clean desk. Archive all your papers that are really important and chuck the rest in the bin (probably 75% of what’s on your desk right now). Start the New Year with a clean slate. Firstly, you’ll be surprised at how many new ideas you will have and secondly, don’t worry – your desk will look like it used to, in no time!

4. Time for new business

With companies that have big central procurement departments, yearly tenders are quite common. Unfortunately, most of these tenders will have been completed by now, as they often take effect from the 1^st of January. Small companies however, without procurement departments, may be a good target for new business opportunities. In the New Year, they will often reflect on how business has been year-on-year. With their performance reviews, they are likely to have supplier reviews too. If they have not been doing these at the end of 2014, they will be conducting them in the next two months, so get your sales teams out there!

5. Time for a new you

Along with your year-on-year review, it’s also a great time to reflect on how you have presented yourself in 2014. Is your website still up to date? Have you decided where your marketing budget will be going to in 2015? What can you do to communicate even better with your suppliers and customers in 2015?

If you will be reviewing your marketing strategy for the New Year, then get in touch. Until the end of January we’ll be offering free ‘health-checks’ on existing websites and marketing material. You can then choose to implement these changes yourself, or ask for further guidance from Hire Media Network.

Hope you all have a great start to the New Year!