“I’ll accomplish great things today,” you tell yourself when you wake up on a Monday morning. It’s the beginning of the week and you’re feeling pumped and ready to work hard and boost sales.

With coffee in hand, you sit down in front of your laptop ready to face the busy day ahead.

Time flies by as you field a steady stream of incoming calls and emails between meetings.

Too quickly, the day is over, and it’s time to wrap up and head to dinner.

Somehow, you’ve made little progress toward the goals you set for yourself that very morning.

Tired and frustrated, you tell yourself you’ll do better next time.

Unfortunately, days turn into weeks, months, and even years of struggling to accomplish your goals.

Your effort and positive attitude aren’t yielding results.

What gives?

Accountability is Key

Sometimes even highly motivated entrepreneurs need help to reach their goals. Often, that help comes in the form of accountability.

Many well-meaning, hard-working entrepreneurs need someone to hold them accountable to make sure they stick to a clear plan designed to help them reach their goals. In addition to sharing proven sales and business development strategies, accountability is a key component of what I provide my clients at Celeste Giordano Coaching.

Having to report and explain your actions and progress – or lack thereof – to an accountability partner helps you stay on track to reaching your goals.

Here are 3 actions you can take today to begin reaping the rewards of accountability:

1. Establish Clear Goals.

In order to be held accountable, the first step is to set clear, measurable short-term and long-term goals for your business. Identify what you want to achieve on a daily, weekly and monthly basis as well as by the end of the year. Next – and this part is critical – record your goals on paper. This helps differentiate between fleeting dreams and actions you plan to achieve.

Be sure to establish specific, measurable goals so you can evaluate your progress. Let’s say you want to increase your sales quota in the fourth quarter. Identify all the individual daily actions you need to undertake to establish this goal.

For instance, what number of prospecting calls do you need to make every day to achieve your goal of increasing sales this quarter? How many sales presentations do you need to schedule? When you set clear, measurable goals, you can work toward achieving them – and exceeding them!

2. Work with an Accountability Partner You Trust.

Goal setting is an important step, but for many entrepreneurs, it’s not enough. Despite having set goals, they still struggle to do the daily activities necessary to actually achieve them.

As you know, entrepreneurs aren’t under the watchful eye of a boss who expects to see X, Y, and Z completed by the end of the work week. They don’t have to report to anyone when their sales numbers are low or they haven’t executed their marketing campaign. Because entrepreneurs don’t have to answer to anyone for their performance, many give themselves leeway or make excuses when they fall short.

Herein lies the importance of choosing an accountability partner. An accountability partner’s role is to hold your feet to the fire. They keep you honest and make sure you take the concrete action steps necessary to achieve your short and long-term goals.

How do you choose the right accountability partner? Don’t make the mistake of choosing a friend or loved one to hold you accountable. They may mean well and have the best intentions, but they are more likely to let it slide when you don’t do what you set out to do. Rather, choose an authority figure you respect and trust as your coach. They can draw on their own experiences to ensure you have the strategies and mindset you need to stick to your action plan.

3. Devote Yourself to the Process. 

Yes, you need to choose an accountability partner who wants to see you succeed. But even the best accountability partner can’t do the work for you. You have to be committed to this process. Like anything else, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.

What exactly is involved in the process?

Schedule a weekly meeting with your accountability partner to review your progress. In each meeting, discuss your performance that week. That means celebrating successes together, but also being honest about areas where you fell short. Take advantage of having a trusted person in your corner with whom you can share ideas and concerns. Explore which of your strategies have been most effective. If certain strategies haven’t been working or if benchmarks have been set unrealistically high, make the adjustments necessary so you are set up to succeed the next week.

Accountability Can Be a Game Changer

For many entrepreneurs, introducing accountability into their business practice dramatically improves outcomes. By following the action steps outlined above, you can achieve your goals THIS year.

Some people think that they’ve failed if they can’t do it on their own. Don’t make this critical mistake. By choosing to work with the right accountability partner and committing yourself to the process, you empower yourself to succeed.

Have you had difficulty meeting your goals despite good intentions? 

You’re not alone this year. At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I work hand in hand with business owners to ensure they have a road map that avoids the obstacles that cause so many businesses to fall behind on their goals.

If you feel like you’ve fallen hopelessly off track to achieving your 2020 goals, I urge you not to despair. If you’re reading this message, you’re committed to becoming a person who can and will succeed. With the right support, consistent accountability, and a proven strategy, you can still achieve your goals and close out this year strong.

Make today the day you start thinking – and acting – in a way that will produce the results you deserve. Contact me today!

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Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “DoublePlus^TM” 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 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.

To learn more about Celeste, click here.

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At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I work with each client to implement the strategies they’ve been missing that will enable them to break through barriers preventing them from the success they know they are capable of. Contact me today to find your future clients who just don’t know what they’re missing.