- Commit to self-improvement by reading a book a month. Former U.S. President Harry Truman once said, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” Of all the paths to self-improvement, none is as easy and inexpensive than reading a good business book. You’ll easily get through most books in a month if you set aside 30 minutes a day, five days a week. A few moments of quiet reading in the morning before the day gets busy is ideal. Or, sometimes I dig into my “book of the month” over lunch. Need to keep yourself on your reading plan? Join a book club! I use Leaderbooks.com to gain access to an ongoing series of books curated by leadership expert Michael Hyatt. I also get to participate in a community of other leaders reading the same books.
- Resolve to run three businesses. This resolution may sound daunting, but it’s not. The truth is, you’re already running three businesses, although you might not be giving them the attention they deserve. Your three businesses are your ‘Get’ business, your ‘Serve’ business, and your ‘Keep’ business. They represent the different ways of approaching your customers and prospects. The message of each one of these ‘businesses’ is different.
When you run your ‘Get’ business, your goal is to turn prospects into customers. This message communicates the value you offer and encourages someone to use your service for the very first time. Your ‘Serve’ business is all about making sure your existing customers are being cared for. This is where you provide them with printing. Your goal is to make sure your customer always has a good experience. The message of your ‘Serve’ business needs to validate the decision someone made to do business with you. Within your ‘Keep” business, your goal is to turn existing customers into repeat customers. How can you keep them coming back for more? The focus of this business is to create loyal customers for life. You can bring more clarity and focus to your 2020 marketing campaigns if you intentionally support each of your three businesses.
- Be consistent with your marketing. A lot of well-intentioned resolutions never survive the first 30 days. That’s a shame, but it’s human nature. While a lot of printers resolve to run a consistent, monthly marketing program, it’s often a resolution that falls prey to the tyranny of the urgent. Don’t be a statistic. Get out your 2020 calendar right now and plan the dates for each month’s marketing program. Start small if you need to, but always be consistent.
- Grow your network. Ever feel like you’re doing the same things day-in and day-out? Break out of that rut by resolving to grow your network and connect with one new person each week. Perhaps that means joining a local business group to make face-to-face connections, or spending time building connections on a network like LinkedIn. Another idea is to ask your existing connections this simple, yet powerful, question: “Who do you know that I should know?”
- Live one word. Read the book One Word That Will Change Your Life (a.co/acoUwPk). What’s that word? Well, that’s for you to find out! The premise of the book is that the simplicity of focusing on just one word for the entire year brings focus to your thoughts and actions and leads to success and clarity. It’s a quick read, and a book I give away often.
Here’s a way you can accomplish three of the suggested resolutions above at once. First, connect with me on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/davehultin (grow your network). Second, ask me for a copy of the book which I’ll send to the first 10 who request it. Third, make it the first book you read in 2020, while also committing to read a book a month. If you commit to even a few of these resolutions you may find that selling more printing will eventually happen on its own!
