What to do now to set yourself up for success in 2016
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One of my favorite quotes from Brian Buffini is “Working by Referral is not what you do, but who you are”. For over 10 years I’ve coached remarkable people who work our system and push themselves to be better in the process.
Particularly, in the final months of the year, my team shows up as their most relational, professional and ultimately authentic selves. Amidst all the holiday distractions, lead generation intensifies to fill their pipeline and fuel their success in 2016. My clients Pop-By with pumpkins write Thanksgiving cards, host harvest and family portrait parties, and one of my favorite ideas – shuttle a group to the nearby Nutcracker Ballet. All this while serving current customers with excellence, and yet, there’s more… this is also when we review their year and plan for 2016.
Here’s a look at how we get it all done and lay the foundation for a successful business year…
Review.
We start reviewing the business first. Did you follow the business plan, budgets and marketing calendar we set last year? Referral Maker’s business page provides a snapshot of your statistics and we have the reports section to analyze further. Numbers tell a story and we want to make sure you can see patterns, wins, and places to improve.
Reflect.
After the review, comes the reflection process, and this expands from the business into all five circles – spiritual, family, business, financial and personal.
Reflection is when we look beyond the numbers and write down your accomplishments. I encourage my clients to review this year’s calendar to refresh their memories. This process is important to get perspective. What progress did I make? What did I learn? What did I do for the first time? What was meaningful to me? Some of the biggest moments may not have been planned – two clients of mine, one in New York and one in California, both sky-dived for the first time alongside their 18 year-old daughters. Three other clients decided to make their quantum leap and launch new companies.
Set Goals.
After seeing our accomplishments, we lean into that momentum and think about what we would like to achieve in 2016. What does “my best year ever” look like in all areas of my professional and personal life? What’s important to me? What experiences do I want to have? My team adds an additional step that was introduced to us at Buffini & Company’s MasterMind Summit by author Jon Gordon and his book, “One Word That Will Change Your Life.” We pick one word as our theme for the year. Something that resonates personally for each of us – my word for 2015 was “value.” My clients’ choices included: belief, determined, leadership, comeback, fun, growth, health, patience and freedom.
Plan.
“You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win and expect to win.” -Zig Ziglar
I encourage my clients to go offsite and spend a day working on planning to have full focus on this process. The basic business plan has an income goal, spending plans (budgets), and a working (marketing and personal) calendar. To get started on this download our Marketing Calendar & Daily Schedule. We start with your goals and create a working calendar by scheduling in vacations, events, and personal priorities. Then we set an income goal and plug in numbers, like business expenses, into Referral Maker to set up an activity plan. This sets a daily business standard which looks something like this…
- Make five call a day
- Hit 100 contacts
- 100 contacts results in two closed transactions/month
We use the daily business standard to fill in the marketing calendar with activities for the required contacts (i.e. for January do 50 Ice Scraper Pop-Bys). You get to pick the activities that leverage your strengths. You might prefer making your contacts through parties or you might prefer business networking with coffees and joining groups. It’s up to you…and you can revisit your plan quarterly and adjust as needed.
Organize.
When you finish your plan you will likely do some organizing and desk clearing –all good stuff to help you prepare for your coming year. It’s also important to take a break. Give yourself some time away from the demands of the business (a digital detox can be refreshing). Whatever restores you, gift yourself with these experiences – get next to your family and friends, get outside, take a road trip or book a spa day. It’s important to reward yourself for the commitment you give to your business and the energy you invest in being the best version of yourself.
Here’s to YOUR best year ever!
Laura