New Year’s is not just the time to evaluate your personal goals. Sit down and take the time to consider your business and career goals as well. This can take a lot of different forms. Your focus may be on better work-life balance, on higher income or on something completely different. No matter your goal, you need to take the time to (1) write it down and (2) break it down into actionable steps. Let’s take the example of converting leads.

Look Back at Last Year

Now in order to identify your resolutions for the next year, you need to look back on the successes and failures of the past year. Where are some areas you saw real improvement. What allowed for that growth? Where are some areas you fell short? Write everything down and organize your thoughts. Identify the areas that you believe can be improved in the next year and generate the most impact on your career.

Identify Some Characteristics

Looking at our example of converting more leads ask yourself these questions:

1. How was my lead follow-up last year?
2. Did I notice a pattern of what times during the day were most productive for follow-up calls?
3. Did I regularly plan days devoted exclusively to prospecting?
4. Did I actively pursue, follow-up with and reciprocate referrals?
5. What can I do better this year?

Once you have the answers to those questions, go ahead and begin identifying the actionable steps to better converting leads you have coming in the door.

Customize to Your Style

Know your strengths and your weaknesses. Understanding your personal approach to resolutions, tailor your action plans to ensure that you able to overcome your personal issues to find better success. Every sales person must have leads. Furthermore, every sales person needs to convert more of those leads into paying customers.

Happy New Year! May your leads be plentiful.