Six Questions Every Business Leader Should Be Asking Right Now
Six Questions Every Business Leader Should Be Asking Right Now
June marks an important point in the business calendar.
The first half of the year is almost behind us, and the second half offers an opportunity to reset, refocus and accelerate performance before the year ends.
For many leadership teams, January is when ambitious plans are made.
By June, the reality of trading conditions, customer behaviour and operational pressures has often changed those plans considerably.
The businesses that finish the year strongly aren't necessarily those that had the best start. They are the ones that stop, review what is working, address what isn't and create a focused plan for the months ahead.
If your business has a turnover between £3 million and £30 million, now is the ideal time to review your commercial performance and ask whether your current strategy will deliver the results you want by the end of 2026.
1. Are You on Track to Achieve Your 2026 Goals?
The first question is simple.
If nothing changes between now and December, will you achieve your targets?
Many businesses continue doing exactly what they have been doing, hoping the second half of the year will somehow produce different results.
Hope is not a strategy.
Take an honest look at:
Revenue against target
Gross profit
New customer acquisition
Customer retention
Sales pipeline
Cash flow
Team performance
Understanding where you stand today gives you the clarity needed to make informed decisions for the remainder of the year.
2. Is Your Sales Pipeline Strong Enough?
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is assuming a healthy pipeline because there is plenty of activity.
Activity and opportunity are not the same thing.
Ask yourself:
How many qualified opportunities are currently in the pipeline?
How many are likely to close before year-end?
Are enough new opportunities entering the pipeline each month?
Are opportunities progressing or simply sitting there?
If your pipeline is weak today, the impact will be felt in three or four months' time.
That's why successful businesses monitor pipeline health every week—not just at the end of each quarter.
3. Are You Converting Enough of the Opportunities You Already Have?
When growth slows, many businesses immediately increase their marketing budget.
Sometimes that's the right decision.
Often, it isn't.
Before investing in more lead generation, review your conversion rates.
Consider:
How quickly are enquiries contacted?
Is every opportunity followed up consistently?
Do your sales team follow a structured sales process?
Where are opportunities being lost?
Improving conversion by just a few percentage points can often generate more revenue than a significant increase in marketing spend.
The quickest route to growth is often improving what happens after an enquiry, not simply generating more of them.
4. Are You Making the Best Use of Existing Customers?
Winning new business is important.
Keeping existing customers is even more valuable.
Research consistently shows that retaining an existing customer costs far less than acquiring a new one.
As you plan for the second half of 2026, ask:
Are customers buying everything they could from us?
Could we introduce additional services?
Are there opportunities to upsell or cross-sell?
How often do we communicate with existing customers?
Do we actively ask for referrals?
Existing customers often represent the fastest opportunity for profitable growth.
5. Are Your Sales Systems Supporting Growth?
As businesses grow, informal ways of working begin to limit performance.
What worked at £500,000 turnover rarely works at £10 million.
Strong commercial businesses rely on systems rather than individual effort.
Review whether your business has:
A documented sales process
Clear sales KPIs
Regular pipeline reviews
Accurate forecasting
Defined follow-up procedures
Consistent reporting
Businesses with structured sales systems typically achieve more predictable revenue and are easier to scale.
They are also significantly more attractive to investors or potential buyers.
6. What Does Success Look Like on 31st December?
Too many businesses focus on what they need to do this week rather than where they want to be at the end of the year.
Imagine it is 31st December 2026.
What would make you look back and say the second half of the year had been a success?
Perhaps it would be:
Achieving your revenue target
Improving profitability
Building a healthier pipeline
Recruiting key people
Launching a new service
Preparing the business for future growth
Reducing reliance on the owner
Once that picture is clear, you can work backwards to identify the actions needed over the next six months.
Build a 90-Day Action Plan
Rather than trying to transform the business overnight, focus on the next 90 days.
Identify three priorities.
For each priority define:
The objective
The actions required
Who is responsible
The deadline
How success will be measured
Breaking the remainder of the year into manageable stages creates momentum and accountability.
Don't Wait Until December to Review Performance
One of the biggest mistakes business leaders make is waiting until year-end to analyse what happened.
By then, opportunities have been missed.
Instead, schedule monthly commercial reviews covering:
Sales performance
Pipeline health
Conversion rates
Profitability
Customer acquisition
Customer retention
Small adjustments made regularly often produce better results than major changes made too late.
The Second Half of 2026 Could Define Your Next Five Years
The decisions you make over the next six months will influence much more than this year's results.
They will shape your ability to:
Grow sustainably
Invest confidently
Recruit effectively
Improve profitability
Prepare for succession or exit
The businesses that consistently outperform their competitors don't simply work harder.
They plan better.
They measure better.
And they act sooner.
Looking Ahead
Whether your ambition is to grow to the next level, improve profitability or prepare your business for an eventual sale, now is the time to review your strategy.
The second half of 2026 represents an opportunity to finish the year strongly—but only if you have a clear plan.
Don't wait until January to make improvements that could start delivering results today.
The Play Book of Sales
Many businesses focus heavily on generating more leads while overlooking the systems that convert opportunities into predictable revenue.
In The Play Book of Sales, David Standing shares the frameworks, disciplines and practical strategies that help businesses build stronger sales systems, improve forecasting and create more predictable growth.
Whether your goal is growth, succession planning or eventual exit, the principles remain the same:
Build a sales system that works without constant intervention.
Explore the book HERE.
FAQ
Why is mid-year business planning important?
Mid-year planning allows business leaders to review progress, adjust strategy and focus resources on achieving year-end goals before it's too late to influence results.
What should a business review in the second half of the year?
Businesses should review sales performance, pipeline health, profitability, customer retention, operational efficiency and progress against annual objectives.
How can businesses improve performance in the second half of the year?
Focus on improving sales conversion, strengthening your pipeline, increasing customer value, reviewing pricing, reducing inefficiencies and implementing clear sales systems.
Should businesses change strategy if they are behind target?
Yes. If current performance indicates annual targets will be missed, it's important to review the data, identify the causes and adjust your commercial strategy rather than continuing with the same approach.
What is the best way to finish the year strongly?
Set clear priorities for the remaining months, create a 90-day action plan, monitor progress regularly and focus on activities that have the greatest impact on sales, profitability and long-term business value.
