I find that holidays and long weekends are wonderful times to assess plans and strategy, and today is ideal: we are five months into the calendar year, which means that there’s plenty of time to implement new techniques, and see the results. Consider:

Are you thinking big, or do your customers think and talk more positively about you than you do about yourself?

Do you see yourself as a manufacturer / service provider or a life / business improver?

Is your marketing language simple, lifestyle-oriented, and focused on emotion?

Do technical details and specifications make up 20 percent or less of your total marketing message?

Are you leveraging the stories and experiences of your thrilled customers in your marketing? Are people singing your praises on your Web site, your social media platforms and in your press communications?

Are you communicating with a good list of customers and prospective customers constantly? My clients who have grown the fastest have leveraged this approach beautifully.

Think about these areas of your work today for a few minutes. And tomorrow, when you’re back in the office, pick one — just one item above — and move it forward as far and as quickly as you can. Then pick another.

I’d like to extend a personal note of deep gratitude to the men and women who serve, and their families. It is their work that lets us do ours. Thank you is not nearly enoug