Happy 2019! By now, you should finally have those holiday decorations tucked away for next year, and your New Year’s party favors all swept up and stowed…right?
After all, we’re already halfway through the first month of a new year, and that calls for a celebration!
Or better—a “sell-a-bration.”
Because, as you may have gathered from my recent posts, sales never takes a holiday!
So here are a few points to ponder as you embrace what I hope will be a very productive and profitable NEW year for you….
NEW ideas. Chances are you were able to take at least a few extra days off during the holiday craziness, and even though you may have returned to work feeling more exhausted than when you left, it’s still the perfect time to take a step back, draw a deep breath, and look at the big picture.
Are there new and better ways to run your business, or do your job? Without a doubt! And are they all going to now magically pop into your brain? Well, sorry, but I can’t promise that.
But what I DO know is that they definitely won’t if you don’t give yourself a chance to stop, open up your brain, and invite them in. So take some time this month to stop and think—you may be surprised what you come up with.
NEW prospects. It’s also a good time to take a critical look at that target list of yours, and bring it up to speed. If there are folks who stayed in the “prospect” category throughout all of 2018 without ever stepping up to become a “customer,” it may be time to shake things up and go hunting.
A fresh approach to managing your targets list needs to be considered every so often, and the first month of a new year is a perfect time. It’s a new page in your book of business, and it may also be time for a new cast of characters. Should old acquaintances be forgot? Well, maybe some of them!
NEW strategy. Take a look at how you handled your sales processes last year. If you’re like most folks, your successes will spring to mind immediately. But dig a little deeper and reminisce a little about what didn’t work.
Now’s the time to weed out those non-starter strategies from your game plan, and go into 2019 with a streamlined, focused approach. The same old same old is just fine, as long as it’s working. If it’s not, it’s time to shift gears.
NEW energy. Come into the new year with a renewed sense of energy and purpose. And a good way to start is to get organized. Take on some of those “dumb” little things that you never seem to get around to. Update your voice mail greeting, or your email signature. Get a new head shot. (You never liked that one anyway!)
Check your company website, and make sure it’s up to date. (Spoiler alert: it probably isn’t.) And check your own professional pages, like your LinkedIn. Other folks are looking at it—you should, too.
Little things mean a lot, and best of all, they’re usually the easiest to do.
And don’t forget one BIG thing….
GROW BIG OR GO HOME!