The Blatant Truth Weblog

Hit the Ground Running: 3 Things to Do Starting January 3rd

The countdown to the end of the year is winding up and soon we will be welcoming 2011. While flipping over to a new page in the calendar isn’t anything more than, well, flipping over to a new page in the calendar, we all know that somehow, it seems like a new beginning.

So with the idea that we’ve been given a clean slate and new start, here are three things that you should do to hit the ground running and ramp up business as fast as possible:

–Commit to connecting with no fewer than 10 prospects each day. Use phone, email, snail mail, text or any combination but make it a habit to do prospect outreach every day. And, if the day gets away from you because of other commitments, be certain to make up the contacts on the next day. By end of week you should have “touched” 50 prospects. (This doesn’t include existing clients.)

–Build a strategic networking plan. Look at your current networking activities and develop a plan that will better maximize the return that you get from time spent in networking initiatives. This might include scheduling more one-on-one meetings, being more proactive in asking for introductions, searching out new groups that are more aligned with your business and networking styles, etc. And yes, although this will be perceived as a blatant self-promotion, I encourage you to check out Adrian’s Network (www.adriansnetwork.com)

Explore the site, try it for free and see if this innovative and exciting community of networkers is something that you’d like to join.

–Make January the time to look closely at your marketing efforts. Is it time to update that website? How about social media? Are you really using it to your best advantage and could you be doing more? The last few years have been tough for many businesses and with the weak economy and resulting decrease in revenues, many business owners put their sales, advertising and marketing initiatives on hold. But you can do that for only so long. Cast a critical eye on what you have and look at some cost-effective enhancements that can be implemented quickly.

Lastly, make sure that your sales engine is tuned up and ready to go. If you think a tune-up is needed, do it now before you waste too much time and lose potential business.

No more excuses, no more inertia, no more fear. Make a plan, work your plan and believe that 2011 will be a good year.