Now that the flurry of January is behind you and business is beginning to show some signs of leveling off, it's your choice to sit back and maintain the status quo or continue forward with the work ethic you have developed and attack your business and marketing plans throughout the year ahead.  As you know, your business plan and a separate marketing plan are key tools to success in good times and bad.  It is safe to say that the most successful businesses have a plan and have developed a system to achieve their objective.

 

So what is your system to success?  Hard work, aggressive determination, persistence and patience are all entrepreneurial traits necessary to compete and win in business these days but, seriously...what is your system?  Do you have one? Or do you run your business by the proverbial seat of your pants?  If you need to ensure you hit, and maybe even exceed those sales goals, then here are some keys to turning you and your business on, keeping your foot on the gas and driving your business forward.

 

1.     Write down your business goals each day. For years, I have been writing down my annual goals and review them often.  Last year I learned a new technique that changed my life!  What I learned was the power of writing and rewriting your goals Every Single Day.  Brian Tracy taught me this technique and I love it!  Get a goal notepad or even recipe cards (something to carry with you as much as you can).  Each day write down 10-15 of your most important goals.  Without referring to the previous day, re-write your 10-15 goals every day, day in, day out.  As you do this, amazing things will start to happen!  The daily physical writing habit triggers your subconscious mind that goes to work to bring that goal into reality.  The only rule that Brian Tracy mentions is to apply the 3P Formula:  Your goals must be written and described in the positive, present and personal tenses.  An example is: " I earn 10 new customers every month."

 

2.       Adopt a marketing mindset.  A simple business model I use looks like this:  Marketing = Sales = Profits.  Marketing is an investment in your future business.  No matter how successful you are, how experienced, and how many clients you currently have, you always have to be marketing. Slow sales are marketing problems.  Losing market share is a marketing problem.  If you really want to take advantage of the upturn in the economy this year, then adopt a marketing mindset.  Using a tip from above, write out your marketing plan, and or goals, and then execute... all the time!!!  You don't necessarily have to increase your marketing budget 50%, to get a 50% increase in sales, either.  Here are some ways to accomplish this:

 

 

3.       R3. Recharge-Relax-Reward yourself, your family, your team, your business!   We all work so hard for everyone else, and rarely take enough time for ourselves!  January was a very busy month, and with your momentum into the months ahead, you need to plan into your schedule some down time to recharge - relax - and reward your hard work.  Your best ideas come when you least expect them!   Your most creative thoughts, ideas, and visions don't appear when you are running 100 miles a minute from meeting to meeting, soccer field to music studio with your children...  Creativity comes when you are having fun and relaxing in the moment.  Take the time to have some fun - it's good for business and it's good for you!  (Just make sure you have that piece of paper ready when that creative thought or vision pops up!).