To maximise your success in business, it’s important to know what is working well for you.
Many times we move into the next year with goals and plans without taking time to reflect on the past year. For future planning it helps to know what worked well in the past.
Attracting new clients
Looking back over the year, I’ve done lots more speaking engagements. As I tracked new business coming in, I saw many new clients came as a direct result of listening to me speak. Success in business and marketing involves repeating what has generated clients in the past.
This speaking strategy has worked well for me and I love sharing my knowledge with an audience. So I am already getting more dates in my diary for speaking engagements.
What Works?
To help with your marketing it is important to know what works and what doesn’t. In this article I’m going to take you through a simple, yet highly effective review process I use myself.
1. Looking back over the past year, what worked?
As you reflect on the things that worked in your business, it gives you a clear idea of what to take forward into the next year.
Even if there are not many things that worked really well for you, that is okay. The key here is to do more of what did work. It’s far better to focus your energy on just 1 or 2 marketing activities that get results than to do dozens of things ineffectively.
2. What didn’t work last year?
This helps you identify things you can stop doing! The more honest you can be with yourself, the better. As Einstein said, ‘Insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.’
It is important to free up your time by stopping doing things that haven’t worked for you. It can also feel good to review your ‘to do’ list and cross things off without having to do them first (personally I like that bit very much!)
3. What do you need to help you achieve what you want in the next year?
You probably know many of the things you need already, for example what support or professional help do you need? You may need anything from office support, a new website, a different mental approach through to a completely new business plan. Going it alone all the time can be tough, so you might want to have the support of a group of people or a coach or mentor who can help you on your way.
I once heard the phrase, “I’m a recovering lone-ranger” and that used to be me as I liked to think I could do it all by myself. Not any more, I’ve realised it’s much more fun when I have the support of others.
