Right about now, you might be feeling overwhelmed or panicking that you suddenly don’t have a plan for the year ahead. Whatever just knocked you off your GROOVE, after reading this today, you WILL get your groove back on. You WILL have your plan to succeed in the year ahead. All you have to do, to get started, is to answer these three questions:
What worked well for you this past year?
What brought you the most happiness and security?
What actions did you take that brought in more income for you and your family?
Stop reading this right now and go figure out which ONE action brought you the most money (or peace of mind, security, happiness, magical feelings) this past year.
Got all that written down? Did you learn some interesting things? Good! Let’s continue…
How can you make that ONE action happen more often? This could be a very simple answer. Such as following up with your past and current clients once a week or once a month just to see how they’re doing. Don’t ask for business. Instead, ask how THEIR lives are and how their businesses are doing. This is an excellent habit or procedure to follow, especially if you’re a small business owner.
Your answer might be that content marketing, in the form of an emailed newsletter or a blog was the ONE action that brought in the most business. If so, then how can you grow your list of fans who are hungry for your emails? Or how can you consistently write your fabulous content that keeps those readers coming back to your blog?
ACTION: Give your fans the content they signed up for and give them even more. Over-deliver. Mail Chimp, Constant Contact (for newsletters) or Google Analytics should shed some light on what your most popular content was. Check your data to see what emails got the most opens and clicks. Check your blog to see which articles received the most social shares, then make a list of new content to address those topics and schedule them into your planner so you’ll be sure to write about these topics. Now you have a content marketing plan. Yes, it can be this simple.
Perhaps it was something else, like referrals. If so, then you know you need to meet with more Power Partners to educate them about what problems you solve for what types of people, so your Power Partners recognize your ideal clients when they cross paths. Be sure to listen to your Power Partner so YOU know who to refer to her or him.
ACTION: Make a list of your Power Partners and write each of them a thank you note right now and mail these today. And if any of them brought you a client, you should give your Power Partner a gift that equals at least 3% of the income that partner brought to you.
Let’s say that networking in person has brought the most revenue for you this past year.
ACTION: List the events you attended in which you met those clients this past year. Go online and search for local networking groups whose members fit your ideal client profile. Also, find two or three conferences you can attend, either in your area or elsewhere. Use Meet-Up.com. With Google you can search and find the solution to almost any problem you have. Get out your planning calendar and schedule in at least one weekly event to attend.
Are you thoroughly excited now?
By now, you should feel excitement instead of panic because you have a plan to succeed in the coming year. If you followed my instructions, then you are feeling happier than when you first started reading this because, now, you’ve GOT YOUR GROOVE ON.
What methods do YOU use to plan? What questions do you ask yourself to get at the root of problems? Some people like to journal. Some like to make lists. I’d like to know what YOUR success habits are and so would my readers, so, please, share in the comments below so we can help each other grow.
