Whether you’re a resolution guru or a new year’s nay-sayer, the fresh start January gives us is great for preneed insurance agents to learn from last year’s mistakes.
Reflect and Reset
Effective goals are always based on accurate reflection. It’s pivotal to know where you are, where you’ve been, and where you want to go in order to set an achievable, measurable goal for this coming year. What did you complain about the most in regards to your job this year? What would your friends, colleagues, or spouse say is your biggest challenge when you are working in sales? What work goals did you make last year that you do not feel were met by December 31st? Can you think of one situation or instance that you felt went poorly and that you don’t want to repeat? Write down these answers and any other reflective thoughts you may have about your work this year, whether positive or negative.
Improve the Mood
Though the season can feel overwhelming, this month is really about renewal. Take advantage of the tabula rasa that is laid in front of you on this fresh first of the year! The mistakes and disappointments of 2017 are long past! You have the capabilities required to turn your sales achievements completely around by committing to smart goals this year. There is nothing more crucial to starting your year out right than beginning with a positive outlook.
Some of your reflective answers to the questions listed above were probably negative in nature. This is a good thing as you reflect, but when striving to improve your mood, try reframing these negative memories into positive perspectives about your job, your abilities, and your personal motivation for selling preneed insurance. Why do you do what you do? What is the real, heart-of-the-matter-reason? Can you think of one situation or instance that sticks out as helpful, formative, or positive relating to your job? What was so good about that moment? How can you create more moments like that?
Action Plans for Accurate Possibilities
Now that you’ve written down or thought about the essential ingredients for positive change in your work, it’s time to create an action plan for accurate possibilities in your future. Yes, this means making goals (or resolutions). However, unlike your personal New Year’s resolutions, these are based on past mistakes. They are deeply integrated with your current habits and practices and they focus on where you are coming from as well as where you want to be.
Successful action plans are as versatile as people themselves. Some people make a vision board, some choke at the thought. Others create a spreadsheet to track their daily, weekly, and monthly progress to some measurable goal. Many people need an action partner to keep them accountable, others keep a journal record of reflections each day. No matter how you make goals for yourself, find something that works for you that you can keep focused on preneed insurance and your work. Learn from your past mistakes and move forward in 2018 with higher sales, better conversations, and more lucrative time management.
