Your Sales Quick-Start Guide to Starting the New Year

Everyone’s making big promises, resolutions, and vowing to make changes right now just as the ball drops on this New Year.

I’ve never had much use for making grand proclamations of my intent or magically thinking I’ll turn into someone who loves running, eating steamed broccoli, or clearing my pantry of every carb and sugar. My more pragmatic self usually takes a more practical approach to a New Year thinking, “What can I do to jump-start my goals?”

I start with actions. Especially when it comes to ramping up after the Holidays.

Most people find it hard to get traction—back to work, back to productivity, after all the parties, downtime, and the finality of closing out the year.

The key to fighting off sluggish starts is taking action.

How I Jump-Start My Productivity the First Work Week of the New Year

1. Outline the top 2 priorities for the Quarter. Is it a line of business to increase? Achieving a margin increase? Renewing current business? Pick 2 and don’t agonize over planning or details at this point. These will guide your activities, actions, and/or micro campaigns over the quarter.
2. Pick 5 clients/prospects that fit each of your priority categories. Prep your plan.
   1. Why are you reaching out? What value do you have to offer? What’s in it for them?
   2. Create your phone outreach prompts. Create emails that will add value to your buyers’ decision-making process.
   3. Execute: call and email. Plan your touch points and go!
3. Pick 3 current clients and ask for referrals. Completely underutilized, referral introductions can be easy ways to develop new business. There are two key things to keep in mind when asking for referrals—and preferably, introductions:
   1. Give your customers the words to refer you and help them understand who makes a great client (here’s more detail on that).
   2. Make sure you follow up with each client to majorly thank them for their time and connections and let them know how you spent their relationship currency.
4. Call 2 clients that were in consideration or not ready to make a decision. Before you left for the holidays, were there clients that were near making a decision? Call them or set a meeting to make sure you know what they need to move forward. Maybe it’s something you can influence. Perhaps not but if you don’t know what they’re waiting on, you don’t know what your next steps should be.
5. Rinse. Repeat on week 2, week 3, etc.

Again, the key is action. Not making big, grand, complicated plans (you know how you do!).

You can use these specific ideas or pick your own simple quick-start actions to make your way back into this New Year with momentum and productivity.

Don't Over Complicate Your Year Kickoff

Just start.

No one really cares that you got a new fit bit or hoverboard or puppy for Christmas or that your cousin turned the table over during a game of Monopoly—so save all that catching up chit-chat for the next happy hour. Let everyone else ease their way back into work like they’ve been in a turkey coma and haven’t left their sweatpants for two weeks.

You’ve got business to do and results to go get!