Reduce Stress With A Plan As The Year Winds Down

Does it feel like crunch time as you near the end of the year?

If the year hasn’t been a breeze, now’s the time to put into action simple steps to ensure that 2014 is the year you reach your goals and have more fun without all the added stress.

If planning hasn’t been your strong suit, then let this 8 step plan guide you so it will become easier for you.

When you finish, you’ll really be able to enjoy the holidays because you won’t be distracted with all the tasks and goals you want to figure out in the New Year.

Step 1: Put important dates in your calendar

In your calendar, or on a flip chart, list all the family dates that area already set for you such as:

• reunions
• vacations
• weddings
• birthdays

If you are visual, you may prefer to do this on chart paper with every month listed horizontally, using colored markers for different categories.

Fill in all the dates or list on your chart the events that are already set by the company like:

• leadership meetings
• conferences
• award trips

Add in all the company dates of importance that impact your business such as:

• incentives
• new product samples order dates
• the start of new selling season

Then you’ll note all the “Dates of Impact” that also impact your scheduling:

• school start date
• holidays
• state high school tournaments
• local community events

Even weather challenging months can impact your team sales activity. You may want to take that into consideration when planning a training seminar in your town.

Step 2: Add your activity dates

Set all your unit dates for the 12 months of the year.  These are all the set activities you automatically do:

• Unit Sales Meetings
• New Consultant Training
• Teleconference meetings
• New season product launches, etc.
• Now set the “Power Play” dates. These are the extras you set to impact your Unit’s growth:
• Dream Day
• Focus groups
• Team Leader meetings;
• Offspring Leader planning days
• Phone Power trainings

Add Your Annual events:

• Unit Celebration events
• Holiday events

 Step 3: Plan your promotions

Set your Unit incentives:

• Set action-based incentives right before your company incentives
• Set action-based incentives right after a training so your consultants can put into use what they have learned

Consider how many incentives you are offering and remember to take full advantage of your company incentives

 Step 4: Set your annual theme

What is your focus for the year?

How can you describe it in an upbeat manner?

When you announce this, it sets your laser vision for the next 365 days, so don’t be frivolous. Decide your theme for the year.

 Step 5: Determine planning days

Set your strategy dates each quarter to review progress and make adjustments in training content or incentives.

 Step 6: Start planning your meetings

Determine your Sales Meeting topics. Plan the topics on what will be  happening in the coming months, to help support their success.  Are there people on your team you want to highlight, hold up, and train?  What future leaders can you empower?

Step 7: Start planning your newsletters

Determine your Newsletter topics that support your monthly trainings and incentives.  Are there articles in the DSWA archives you want to use?

 Step 8: Set your goals

Determine your personal sales and sponsorship goals.  Every period doesn’t need to be equal.  Set your annual goal and then set monthly goals big enough to reach the total.

The content you chose for your sales meetings, incentives, trainings, and newsletter topics will be based on the goals you have and how you plan to achieve them. In addition, it is wise to review your past year unit sales volume and recruiting reports.

Where you had valleys, you can plan in the new year to train to those needs so you can produce a more consistent level of growth rather than a roller coaster.

For example, if you had a low month of sales in June last year, this next year in May you would want to having training about increasing sales (customer service, building the order, more bookings, etc.). Then, follow the training with a sales incentive that will ensure your team takes action with their new information, and put it to work in June. Alternatively, teach your team how to increase bookings in June at your May meetings, and create an action-based incentive to help consultants take action to obtain more bookings in June to generate higher sales volume.

When you plan in advance, you eliminate stress and set yourself up for greater success. Now, what day this week are you going to set aside to create this planning?