Fiscal cliff averted. Should you increase sales plans?

Q: Phew! The fiscal cliff has been averted. Does this mean I should increase my sales plans for the first quarter?

A: I wouldn’t jump too quickly. Although taxes for most people have been permanently lowered, we also went $4 trillion further in debt over the next 10 years. Also, don’t forget the debt ceiling issue will be coming up again in a couple of months.

At Blacks, we believe that first quarter sales will be up slightly, and second quarter should be up a bit more, with the strongest growth of the year coming in the third quarter. For the fourth quarter we see sales slowing to smaller single digits. Play it safe for now, unless your business is outpacing the trends.