On September 22, we said goodbye to summer and hello to fall.

As the leaves change color and pumpkins begin to adorn doorsteps around our neighborhoods, it’s clear that fall is here in full force. Before we know it, we’ll be preparing to usher in Thanksgiving. And Christmas will follow soon after!!!

The coming months will hopefully be filled with festivity, faith, family and friends. But they will also undoubtedly be busy, especially for entrepreneurs who have to manage a myriad of business and personal responsibilities.

A week into October, we are well into the fourth and final quarter of the year. For entrepreneurs who haven’t yet reached their goals but want to finish the 2017 year strong, the time to act is NOW, well before the holidays make our schedules that much more demanding.

Cognizant of this window of opportunity in October, I make time at this time of year to sit down and reflect on where I’m holding. Have I reached the personal and professional goals I set for myself at the beginning of 2017? With just a few months left in the year, am I taking the necessary action steps to finishing the year strong?

In my decades of experience as a business owner and mentor, I can tell you that the entrepreneurs who achieve the greatest success are those who regularly pause to make sure they are on track to reaching their goals. It’s as important to take note of achievements as it is to identify areas where improvement is necessary.

Are you still committed to making 2017 a prosperous year, but haven’t achieved your goals yet? I want to share 6 practical steps you can implement TODAY to create a Legacy Business starting THIS year:

Prioritize Networking. Don’t make the mistake of treating networking like a passive activity you do occasionally when you’re invited to an event. Networking contains the word “work” for a reason. It is one of the most effective tools for cultivating business growth. Networking enables you to establish new connections, build relationships, produce quality leads and create a greater presence in your industry. That’s why I advise my Celeste Giordano Coaching clients to attend a minimum of one networking or industry event each week. If you make it a priority to network on a regular basis, you will produce a steady supply of new business.

Be a Giver. Yes, it’s important to implement strategies for generating leads and connections in your own business. But it’s also important to make an effort to help other business owners and professionals get ahead. By investing time and effort into helping individuals you meet at social and business networking events connect with the right clients, colleagues and service providers, you demonstrate that you are a person of quality. In doing so, you make yourself memorable and strengthen relationships with your network.

Don’t Forget to Follow Up! The first step at networking events, in sales presentations and on prospecting calls is to make a strong first impression. You do so by demonstrating that you have integrity, that you genuinely care, and that you offer value. But a great first impression alone won’t generate new business. You need to follow through with your prospects if you want to turn them into paying clients. When a prospect expresses an interest in hearing more or asks you to follow up in a week or two, don’t miss the boat! By scheduling follow up calls into your calendar immediately, making note of how your prospect wants to be communicated with (i.e. via email versus by phone), and following up in a timely, respectful manner, you show your prospect that you a trustworthy professional.

Ask for Referrals! If you aren’t consistently asking for referral business, then you aren’t capitalizing on your business growth potential. It’s that simple. I teach my Celeste Giordano Coaching clients that building relationships with referral partners and regularly asking for referrals is instrumental if you want to “Double Plus” your income in 2017. Start asking satisfied past and current clients if they know anyone who could benefit from your product or services. Building relationships with the right referral partners is like igniting a powerful engine that will drive new business.

Acknowledge Referral Partners. When someone refers you a prospect, that prospect is more likely to trust you because you already earned the confidence of someone they know and trust. It’s easier to turn this type of prospect into a paying client. Whenever a client, family member, friend, or other referral partner sends you a referral, be sure to express your appreciation. Sending a gift as a token of appreciation or putting a hand-written “thank you” note in the mail will ensure that your referral partner knows how grateful you are for their effort. You can also consider creating an incentive to encourage clients to send you business by reducing their fees or giving them another gift or reward.

Work with a Business Coach. So many entrepreneurs who pause for self-reflection this time of year say to themselves, “I know I’m not where I want to be, but the year is almost over. I might as well wait for the new year to invest in business consulting.” This strategy is flawed. If you wait for the New Year to start thinking about setting goals, creating a strategic action plan and learning new tools and systems for success, you’re already at a disadvantage. Your competitors will hit the ground running in the new year. The time to act is NOW.

As a master business development and sales coach, I work with clients well before the end of the year to establish S.M.A.R.T. goals that set them up for success TODAY so they are already on the right track in the new year. S.M.A.R.T. goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.

I can’t emphasize the importance of goal setting enough. The reason is simple: you can’t achieve goals that you haven’t established for yourself. Taking it one step further, you can’t realize goals without a practical PLAN in place to keep your efforts focused, consistent and effective.

What goals do you want to achieve BEFORE the end of 2017?

If you’re prepared to challenge yourself and change the status quo in your business to achieve explosive results, I’d love to hear from you. I’m passionate about helping business entrepreneurs produce more quality leads, generate referral business, enhance marketing efforts and “Double Plus” their monthly sales quota.

Don’t let the last quarter of the year go to waste. Contact me today to create the SALES OPPORTUNITIES you need to finish the year STRONG.

Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “double-plus” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with almost 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.

To learn more about Celeste, click here.

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