The turn of the year is a great time for setting new goals, and reflecting on what went well last year, and where there's room for improvement. My mentor helped me define a process of setting goals in every area of my life to keep me mindful of what I am working towards, but I think its important to make some general "resolutions" for the new year as well.
I like to think of them as things I'm aware of as I enter the new year, to focus on improving. They aren't as specific as goals, and they aren't designed to be, they're more like motifs/ideas I want to be mindful of. Keeping themes top of mind helps me identify some overall areas to focus on throughout the selling year, so here are some resolutions I am working on in 2017!
- Ask another question
Digging deeper, uncovering true challenges, understanding actual specific goals. By asking another question instead of responding, I want to identify more areas I can help prospects. I want to dig deeper in discovery in 2017.
- Lean less on automated activity
Trust me, I absolutely love being able to create messages I know will resonate with my personas, and being able to send them in an automated fashion, which saves me massive amounts of time. But I truly believe there is something about a personally written email, laden with context, that catches someone's eye. I want to be more personal in my outreach in 2017.
- Give my honest opinion
Whether it be voicing disagreement with a prospect around their process to try and get them to consider change, or simply speaking up in a company meeting, I want to give my honest opinion more in 2017. (respectfully and tactfully of course)
- Learn new things
It could be something as simple as a new way to approach objection handling, or a new sales process framework unrelated to my industry. Go-to-market models also intrigue me and could absolutely help in conversations with prospects. I want to continue learning new things in 2017.
Want to avoid failed resolutions? Write them down and post them somewhere you'll see. Being mindful of what you're trying to improve on will help keep you on track.
What are your selling resolutions in 2017?
