Resolutions, Goals and Changes, Oh My!

Each January, talk turns to resolutions, new beginnings and reinvention. It’s no coincidence that my partner in crime Bill (Farquharson) did his latest weekly sales tip on what weight loss and sales have in common.

Like many Americans, I am carrying around about 15 pounds that I would love to get rid of. And let’s face it; it is no secret how to lose weight—eat less, exercise more. Yet, for the past five years, I have not managed to get rid of this weight. There just wasn’t anything available that made it easy and convenient enough to make that happen. And I wasn’t motivated enough.

Then along came my Kindle Fire. And with my Kindle Fire came apps. I found an app that would track and calculate every calorie I consumed and burned, so I could set a goal and a timeframe, and my app does the rest. And a miracle is happening...I am actually paying attention to what I eat, and I am dropping weight.

OK, enough about me.

So here is my point. People make changes when they are ready to, and when the tools make it easy enough that the results are worth the effort.

Twenty years ago, there was no such thing as a CRM system available to me. My organizational plan consisted of alphabetical binders and 3x5 cards with all my clients’ information on them. And that worked for me, to some extent.

Then along came Goldmine, and then Salesforce. My method for organizing my work was transformed for the better, making my performance more efficient.

So perhaps it’s time to examine your current situation. What is the change you want to see in your world? And what new tools are available to you to make those changes happen?

Here are a few items you might want to be aware of:

SALES CHALLENGE—Bill hosts a monthly Web-enabled sales training tool for anyone looking to drive sales momentum. For just $97 per month, you can be held accountable for your daily sales activities, see relevant educational webinars and get customized coaching and peer interaction. If you have identified sales as your problem area (mine is my abs), this is for you.

CONSTANT CONTACT—A fantastic enewsletter tool that is reasonably priced and very easy to use. For as little as $15 per month, you can communicate with your clients and prospects via an electronic newsletter, survey or announcements. The site also provides data on who is opening your e-mails and has some robust management tools.

TECHNOLOGY NOW—There are so many new apps, podcasts and blogs available to you. If you have a smart phone, iPad, or Kindle Fire, you can go to your app store and see the myriad of products that are either free or under $5 to help you do what you do even better. Same goes for podcasts and blogs. I am of course a big fan of “The Sales Challenge” here on PI, and “Paul Castain’s Sales Playbook.”

My hope for you in 2012 is that if you want to make a change, you have the tools available to help you. If you want advice or someone to talk to about it, I am always here for you! If you have any particular products you would like to recommend, please share them in a Comment below. We’ll all thank you for it!