new year's resolution Archives

Don’t Wait!

January 31, 2012 — Leave a comment

It’s the last day of January, and I was just assessing what I have done so far this year in my business. I definitely have to make a few adjustments to stay on track with what I want to accomplish in 2012.

Things are going well … but they can always be better.

The main thing I need to do is spend more time marketing. As I have mentioned before, around 70% of your time should be spent on marketing your business. If you are working 60 hours per week, that means 42 of those hours are spent on marketing.

The other thing I need to do is work more hours. It will take more hours than what most people deem as “normal”. Probably 70 – 80 plus hours per week. And those hours have to be productive and focused on the tasks that will continue to grow my business.

But that’s okay, because I have a plan, I know what needs to be done, and it’s just for a short period of time.

How is your year going? Have you given it any thought? I know we are just 31 days into it, but do you really want to wait six months before assessing your current situation in your business? No time like the present.

What do you need to do? Whatever it is, you need to do it NOW! Don’t wait until six months or more have passed to reevaluate where you are in your business.

Now may be the time for you to start a weekly assessment of your business (and yourself) to make sure you stay on track to accomplish your goals in 2012.

How much money do you want to make this year? How many clients or projects do you need to make that happen?

Is it realistic to think you can make the money you want to make with your current business model? There is nothing wrong with tweaking your business model to make it better.

You may need to open up other streams of income. (And there is nothing wrong with getting a job to make ends meet while you build your business.)

Don’t wait. Do whatever you have to do to generate income NOW and make things happen in 2012.

In marketing nashville, new year's resolution

Here are eight things for you to focus your efforts on going into 2012 if you want to increase revenue, get more business, and build a better business.

1. MARKET EVERYDAY! (And I don’t mean update your Facebook page) Make phone calls, network, make in-person cold calls, send a direct mail piece to a very targeted list, and/or do anything else you can think of to market your business. Get out and see the people.

2. Manage your time like your finances. Know where you are spending your time and what your ROI (return on investment) is for the time you are spending on specific tasks.

3. Create a website that is easy to navigate and optimized for Google and all the other search engines.

4. Implement SEO (search engine optimization) strategies for your website, social media, and video so you will be found when someone searches online for your product or service.

5. Develop social media strategies that work for you. For example, you can friend, follow, or connect with 5 people per day on each of your social media. You can blog every day or once a week. You can post a new video every month. The main ingredient in making your online tools work for you is consistency.

6. Exercise. This can be something as simple as stretching every morning as soon as you get out of bed. It has been proven that this simple regimen will greatly reduce your chances of heart attack and stroke. Or you can take a 20 minute walk every day. Find what works for you. And remember to drink plenty of water to cleanse your body and stay hydrated.

7. Meditate / pray everyday. Meditation can be something as simple as taking 2 minutes, wherever you are, to focus on your breathing. Just be still for two minutes, or even one minute, and focus on a spot on the wall while clearing your mind of any negative thoughts.

8. Read one book a month on a topic related to your business. Continue to work on your personal development by attending webinars, seminars, and other events.

I hope the tips I have just given you will generate a few ideas for strategies you can implement to grow you business in 2012.

Happy New Year. I wish you continued success in the coming year.

80 Hour Week

December 7, 2011 — Leave a comment

Here we go again! Another year is about to be over and some of you may be wondering why you didn’t accomplish what you set out to do this year. Are you finishing the year with the income you expected? Do you have all the clients you can handle?

If you answered no to either of these questions, then the next question to ask is why.

Are you putting in the hours you need to be working to get the income you want? 80-hour weeks are standard for most business owners who are making a 6-figure or 7-figure income.

In a recent interview, Sean Hannity was asked about his typical workweek. He told the interviewer that he consistently works 14-hour days. This is proof that an 80-hour work week will not kill you. It just takes having a plan, taking action, and getting in the flow so you can implement that plan.

Are you marketing your business or services? I don’t mean are you attending networking events every week and “having coffee” with “potential” clients.

Marketing takes a lot of time and work. Most salespeople who are at the top of their field consistently make 100 phone calls every week. That may mean spending a couple of hours on Saturday afternoon getting together your prospect list so you can make the phone calls next week. Sorry, you may miss the game.

Are you spending too much time on social media and not enough time actually making sales calls? You should be spending no more than 30 minutes a day on your social media strategy.

Are you procrastinating on getting things done? Address whatever issues you have with procrastination and time-management and do what you need to do to get things done.

There are only 25 days left in this year. Over the next few weeks take a few hours and create a plan of action for your business. Create a clear vision for where you want to be. It’s up to you. If you want to make $20k – $40k per year, then you will have a much different plan than someone who wants to make $100,000 plus every year. It’s your decision.

In business, making money, new year's resolution, procrastination, vision