Before we get to today’s blog post, I have two pieces of exciting news to share. First, I am humbled and honored to have been recognized by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce as a nominee for their new Small Business Awards. Celeste Giordano Coaching is a finalist for the Minority-Owned/ Women-Owned Award! I could not have achieved this honor without a stellar team and a community of clients, colleagues, and supporters, so I want to recognize all of you for your contribution to this achievement first and foremost.

My other news is that I was honored to speak yesterday at an eWomen Networking Cincinnati meeting. It was my privilege to serve this chapter, which is the fastest growing eWomen Chapter in America. I love being a member of this amazing Chapter with women who are professional, supporting, and empowering one another. I want to express my gratitude to Amy Ostigny, Executive Managing Director for eWomen Networking Cincinnati for inviting me to speak yesterday.

Can you believe we have entered the last 3 months of 2019? 

Despite the warm weather, soon the leaves will change colors and pumpkins will adorn doorsteps around our neighborhoods. 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 – not to mention blessedly cooler temperatures. But they will also undoubtedly be busy, especially for business leaders and entrepreneurs who have to manage a myriad of professional and personal responsibilities before the year ends.

A few days into October, we are now into the fourth and final quarter of the year. If you haven’t yet reached your goals but want to finish 2019 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. Have I reached the personal and professional goals I set for myself at the beginning of 2019? 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 consultant, I can tell you that those of us who achieve the greatest success are those who regularly pause to make sure we are on track to reaching goals. You master only what you measure. 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 2019 a prosperous year, but haven’t achieved your goals yet? I want to share 6 practical steps you can implement TODAY to make this the year you exceed your goals:

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 professionals get ahead. Who can you refer a client to today? Or how could you make life easier for a colleague in the next few minutes? 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 unique 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 are a trustworthy professional who values your clients.

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 clients that building relationships with referral partners and regularly asking for referrals is instrumental if you want to grow your revenue. 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 Consultant. So many business owners 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 coaching or 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 2019?

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 leaders produce more quality leads, generate referral business, enhance marketing efforts, and “Double Plus” their monthly sales quotas. Don’t let the last quarter of the year go to waste. Contact me today to finish the year strong.

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Do you need more clients and more revenue?

I am hosting an upcoming event: Building a Legacy Business Workshop with guest speaker, Deborah Fawaz. This interactive, practical, fun event is taking place at the 1818 Club in Duluth, GA, on Wednesday, October 9 from 10:00 am–2:00 pm. You’ll discover:

• How to build a profitable business that serves your highest core purpose
• The 3 C’s of a “Legacy Mindshift”
• How to move from selling to serving your clients
• The science behind why a first impression matters
• The ultimate system for generating more quality leads in the new economy
• A rehearsed, confident entrance into an interview, potential client meeting, or networking event
• An understanding of how your body language affects others
• A menu of fascinating conversation starters and suggested content
• A complete styling guide: what to wear to specific events, what does color say about you, and consultations about hair and makeup

Find out more about this event that could change the future of your career here.

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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.