The heat of the summer has mercifully tempered to give us beautiful September days. Kids are back in school. The peaches that were plentiful the last couple of months have been replaced by apples in the supermarket.

Every year around this time, I take the opportunity to sit down and do some good old soul-searching. Some say fall is the other New Year – a fresh start where we can recommit ourselves to productive and successful fourth quarters.

It is important to me to be the type of person who attracts success both personally and professionally. I find that self-reflection often goes hand-in-hand with success. If you don’t take a good look at what you’re doing, there’s no way you’re going to improve.

Have you taken time for introspection recently?

If not, I recommend you give it a try in the next week. If you are trying it for the first time, here are a few things you may want to work on to grow both personally and professionally.

1. Set Goals

Whether you want to reach a sales quota or improve your marketing efforts, you can’t reach goals without setting them. Now is a good time to review the goals you set at the beginning of the year because you have one quarter left to dig deep and make the adjustments necessary to achieve them.

If you did not set goals in January, it’s not too late to set goals for the next few months. They should be “S.M.A.R.T.” – specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.

2. Review Your Prospecting Strategy

Does your strategy for attaining new clients run like a well-oiled machine? Or is it more of a fly-by-night duct-taped operation? Prospects are the life-blood of your business, so this is an area that can always use some improvement. Here are a few of my top tips for generating quality prospects using content.

One of the best ways to find prospective clients – as well as get your name out there in your industry – is to attend networking events regularly. If you haven’t gone to in-person networking events during the pandemic, that’s okay. Now’s a great time to pick the habit back up, but there are also lots of virtual networking events happening, so find a few that will help you expand your network.

Another strategy is to check in with friends, colleagues, and former clients regularly. See how they are doing. Ask what their challenges are. If you can help someone by connecting them with a friend or colleague, make the effort. Become a connector. You never know what may be born from your kindness.

3. Make a Plan to Follow Up

You may make a strong impression and come across as a world class professional, but an impression amounts to nothing without follow through. If a prospect asks you for information or to follow up at the end of the month, be true to your word. By following up in a timely, friendly manner, you come across as an “on the ball” professional with whom people would like to do business.

Put time on your schedule each week to follow up with prospects as well as current clients. Be considerate and touch base with them in the format your prospect wants to be communicated with.

4. Implement a Referral System

When you work successfully with a client, make the extra effort to capitalize on that relationship. Creating a referral system is a way to make it a habitual part of your schedule and strategy.

If you haven’t asked for referrals lately, fall is a great time to check in with past and current clients and ask if they have anyone in mind who may benefit from your services. Remember to express gratitude when clients do send referrals your way.

You may wish to incentivize referrals by reducing your fees for clients that send business your way or by sending a gift card or bottle of wine. Even a simple hand-written “thank you” letter can go a long way and speaks volumes about your character.

So, what self reflection will YOU challenge yourself to do over the next couple of weeks so that you can close out 2021 with success?

At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I’ve helped many entrepreneurs work through obstacles that hold them back from building lasting legacy businesses. One of the most common mistakes I see is not implementing strategies to produce consistent results.

Together, we can create a plan utilizing tried and true sales and business strategies that will see you through difficult times. Contact me today if that sounds like exactly what you need.

Did you catch the first episode of our radio show’s new fall season? Listen to Build Your Legacy Business on WCEG Live Talk Radio hosted by myself and Sara Poe on Tuesday September 28 from 5:00–6:00 PM for Making a Difference: How to Start Your Own Nonprofit. You can livestream via Facebook, Zoom, or YouTube.

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.