Make Your Direct Sales Business Resolutions Stick
By Caterina Rando, MCC
I love the new year! I love resolutions, and I love the optimism and possibility thinking that goes along with them. I have seen many times that they can work and believe in making them. Just like in your personal life you probably have some ideas for what you want to be different this year in your direct sales business. As you make resolutions and do your business planning for this year, apply these principles to ensure that your business is more solid, more prosperous and running smoother this time next year.
Know The
Truth
Often times business owners make plans and set goals before they
have sat down and taken a good look at the truth of what really
happened in their business for the proceeding year. Do you know your
cost of goods sold or how many marketing dollars it takes to acquire
a new client? Can you say what percentage of your business is repeat
business? Are you aware of what percentage of your revenue was
generated by which products or services? These are just a few of the
many questions to answer to better formulate your goals and plans
for this year.
Be
Optimistic
If you are a positive person, an optimist, you might even be
avoiding planning right now because you do not want to set any goals
because of you is afraid you might not achieve them due to the
current economic reality. Plan and set goals anyway.
Your attitude matters a great deal in business. Everyday, make sure you and everyone you work with has a positive disposition. It will result in more productivity and a better business experience. Hold the intention to be positive in the running of your business. You will feel better and have more fun.
Cultivate a Team of Super Stars
To truly have a business breakthrough, most businesses would benefit
from focusing on this area. Are you happy with your upline, your
part time assistant, your strategic alliance partners, your business
coach? Can you say that they are doing a great job for you? If you
are not thrilled with everyone that helps you meet your business
objectives, then make a change. Finding good people who are experts
at what they do, who do their work with a positive attitude and who
genuinely care that you are successful, are the kinds of people you
want on your success team. Do not settle for less because you are
too busy to find someone better.
Thinking
and Planning
Taking time for thinking and planning is key to moving your business
forward. Thinking and planning should be a daily success practice:
something you do everyday to have a productive day today, while also
moving you toward your longer-term goals. Find your optimal time for
thinking and planning. Both the beginning and the end of the day
work great. Choose one and stick with it.
Review
Regularly
When I ask a client what there goal is for an area of their business
– sales, new clients, new products – and they have to find their
goal sheet or file before they can answer my question, I know they
are nowhere near their goal even before they respond. I have seen
this hundreds of times. You want to review your
mission/objectives/goals and plans at least daily – twice a day is
better. The more your goals are in your head as well as on paper,
the more momentum, focus and great ideas will flow to support you in
getting where you want to go.
Minimize
The Grabbing The Shiny Objects
One thing that happens when you are a successful business owner is
that everybody wants to partner with you, offer you a business
opportunity, share their latest venture with you and get you somehow
involved. Even though sometimes you might say “yes,” learn to say
“no.” Remain focused on what you have set out to do. These exciting
opportunities can be considered if they are in alignment with your
mission, vision and goals. You have to be diligent in determining if
an opportunity is something that will help your move forward or if
it is something that is clearly a distraction.
Follow
The Energy
Everything you do takes not only time, it also take physical energy,
and mental brainpower and focus. The more things on your plate, the
more mentally scattered you could feel. That’s why too many things
on your plate can be a deterrent to your business success. The other
thing about energy is that you want to pay attention to what in your
business draws you. What you go to first, what you do with
enthusiasm and what feels like a struggle or hard work.
Energy is a great assessment tool. Use it to determine the truth about where you should put your energy in your business and where you should take your energy and attention off to maximize your effectiveness.
Stay the
Course
One of the great things about having your own business is that you
can change something in your business in an instant. While this is
often a blessing it can sometimes be a curse. If you try something
once and it is not a huge success, do not scrap it. Instead upgrade
it from what you learned the first time and try it a couple more
times to get a true read if it is right for your business. What have
you done in the past that deserves another shot?
The Old
Adage Still Applies
There is a lot of talk about work less – make more, and ways to
build a profitable business in only a few hours a week. I love the
concepts and principles and they are worth exploring and applying to
your business as appropriate.
The old adage that there is no substitute for hard work still applies. Hard work still works. You do have to show up most of the time to accomplish what you want in your business. Hopefully, you love your direct sales business so much that there are times it feels more like a privilege then work. This is the place you want to get to. I mean, really how long can you lay on the beach with an umbrella beverage before it feels boring? I give it a week –maybe 10 days. Apply the principles outlined above and you will find that this time next year you are happier, wealthier and ready for your next resolution.
Caterina Rando, MA, MCC, shows women in direct selling how to book, sell, recruit and lead with ease. She is the creator of the Direct Selling Business Breakthrough Program. To read more articles, listen to business building podcasts and find out about how Caterina can make your business thrive visit http://www.directsalescoaching.com. Caterina can be reached at by email at cat@directsalescoaching.com or by phone at 415 668-4535.