Happy New Year!

This is the time to start planning for business or personal growth in 2025.? As you do, here are a few tips to help you with the process—thoughts I’ve developed over the years:

1. Put your ideas?in writing.? A written plan is more likely to lead you to the results you want than some random thoughts about what you want to happen.? Writing it down?makes it real.

I’ve often said that?New Year’s resolutions don’t work.? Just stating a goal (or even writing down?the goal), without a written?plan?to reach it, isn’t enough when it’s March and your heart isn’t in it anymore.

2. Get?crystal clear?about what you want.??Whether it’s a dollar amount of assets under management, number of financial plans, insurance or annuity applications, referrals, new clients, or the number of people you want to help—or a personal earnings amount—you need to know what it is and have a?burning desire?to make it happen, or it simply won’t happen.? What is your ultimate goal for the coming year?

3. Break your ultimate goal down into process goals.? What do you have to do every month, every week, every day, and every hour to reach your ultimate goal?

4. Get just as clear about?what you do and how you tell people about it.?My colleague, marketing guru Robert Middleton, asks,?“If not even your family understands fully what you do, how do you expect your prospective clients to understand?”

5. Plan your marketing to address a target market.? Trying to reach anyone and everyone is the least effective way to grow your business.

6. Focus your networking efforts in two places: your?target market, and others who serve your target market.??If your market is young families, stop spending time on activities that don’t either approach them directly or through other professionals and businesses that serve them.

7. Serve and astonish your best clients. Introductions to new prospects depend on how 'engaged' your best clients and COIs are.?Serve, surprise, and delight?your?best clients.

8. Get help. Billionaire business leaders like Bill Gates and top advisors like Van Mueller worked with business coaches.? Especially at this time of year, I offer deep, personal coaching to advisors who have had some success but find themselves stuck on a plateau. Because my practice is nearly full, I ask advisors who are serious about investing in themselves to break through to apply to work with me. Check out my programs here, and if you want my help, fill out an application.

Celebrate the New Year. ?Rest and rejoice, but remember, ‘tis the season to?keep?REACHING…