This month I am working with several clients and their sales and support personnel on How To Get A Fast Start For 2015. As we all know, just like in sports…a fast start can often help win the game early. Following are 13 (lucky) concise tips that may help you and your team members get a fast start for this year:

1. Make Reality Your Friend – Overcome Denial: It is important to know where you are at in order to get to where you want to go…face reality…believe it! If you are behind budget, have a big client cancel etc…don’t say “I can’t believe this.” Believe it…be honest about your situation and start there. Make reality your friend…don’t deny it. A captain of a ship was once asked what information he needed to reach a specific destination. His answer was “firstly I need to know the name of the destination for example, London, England…but just as important I need to know where I am at on the ocean before I start. That way I can plot my way to London.” Face Reality…start where you are really at.
2. Break Your Targets Or Goals Into Smaller Chunks: Decide on your targeted numbers or activities and then break it down into weeks and then into daily targets. Check your results twice daily “What Gets Measured Gets Managed And What Gets Managed Gets Done.” When you mark off a “To Do” what happens is you get a feeling of achievement, that achievement creates energy and the energy in turn creates spirit. Great way to boost your spirit.
3. Plan Or Review Your Day The Night Before: Plan your daily activities the night before and let your subconscious work on it while you sleep. That will start your day with momentum. Momentum is one of the keys to success.
4. Utilize “To Do” Lists Daily: A Daily “To Do” list is a short term sales or work on business plan. Mark them off as you accomplish the “To Do’s.” Consider a “not to do list as well.” This list may be what is hampering you to complete the “To Do’s.”
5. Increase Client  Visits By 20% Over The Next 3 Months: Logic says by increasing your visits or phone calls you will automatically increase your business and other vital results
6. Early Morning Appointments: Having 7:00am breakfast or coffee appointments one or two days a week ensures a fast start (Momentum) and done weekly could produce miracles. You very seldom cancel a meeting. It is a great way to help with self-discipline.
7. Book Two Weeks In Advance : For next week 70% of your appointments booked out by Thursday afternoon of this week and 30% booked for the following week (pro – active time). You will have a good weekend and have momentum early in the week.
8. Last Call Or One Last Task Of The Day: Just when you are about to “call it quits” for the day make one last phone call or personal visit or last task. It can turn a slow day into a great day.
9. If You Are Hot Don’t Stop: When you are on a “roll” don’t stop! Capitalize on the momentum. Momentum seems to bring lucky breaks.
10. “Ask for the business even at the risk of getting it.” Always be asking for the business…give us a try? What else can we do for you? What do you see you may need help with in the future?
11. Target With Frequency: Increase the frequency and quality of contact with our best clients and our competitors’ best clients. 80% of the business will come from 20% of your clients.
12. Keep Score: If athletes played sports and they did not keep score there would be very few players and virtually no fans. Everyone likes to know how well they are doing. Visual graphs, milestones, daily and weekly feedback on what has been accomplished, help to fuel the fire of motivation. On long term targets the real result may not be seen until it is complete, but the motivation can lessen because of a lack of feeling of accomplishment. Set milestones and see them as “points of achievement.” This is a way of keeping score. It is also important to stop and celebrate how much you have achieved. Ask the question…“What can you, the team members, team leaders, and management use as a “measurement” or “score keeping” process to sustain actions and motivation on reaching targets.”
13. Utilise Credible Endorsements: What others say about you, your product, service or company is much more credible than what you or I say about ourselves and our products etc. This year utilize credible endorsements as often as possible.

An example of that is a posting we just posted on LinkedIn and Facebook. It’s for a FREE Webinar I am conducting on Tuesday, January 20th, 2015 from South Africa. The posting is posted below.

“The most inspiring, amazing & comprehensive Sales, Business Development & Marketing Programs on the planet. Wow!” – Dr John Demartini, Bestselling Author of “How to Make One Hell of A Profit and Still Get to Heaven”, “The Riches Within”, “The Breakthrough Experience” and contributing author to “The Secret”

This is what this world renowned author/speaker/teacher says about Bill Gibson’s Sales & Marketing Material.

Join me, Bill Gibson, & register “now” for my FREE Ultimate Marketing Webinar on Tuesday the 20th of January at 7:00am S.A. time. Webinar Seats Limited. This Webinar is part of the entrepreneur.co.za Ultimate Webinar Series. http://www.entrepreneur.co.za/the-ultimate-webinar-series/

Please feel free to register for this FREE Webinar if it is of interest to you. It would be great to connect. All the best with your Fast Start For 2015.

In February I will also be conducting 2 Day Intensive Workshops on Making “Real” Marketing and Selling “Really Pay.” The workshops will be held in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg. For more information go to the following link: http://www.entrepreneur.co.za/how-to-make-real-marketing-really-pay-2-day-event/ or contact our office directly. Our office contact details are below.

“If you have found this blog article to be valuable for you, I would be grateful if you “shared” it with your Social Media Networks. Also feel free to circulate it by e-mail or other means internally within your organization or externally to your clients, suppliers and personal and business network. Thank-you!”    – Bill Gibson

Bill Gibson is a Canadian who is living in South Africa. He is an international speaker and author and a developer of sales, service, marketing, collecting, employee morale building, personal development and entrepreneurial training programs and systems. His blog is www.bill-gibson.com and his website is www.kbitraining.com. He can be reached at bill@kbitraining.com or phone +27-11-784-1720 in South Africa. You can follow Bill Gibson on Twitter: @billgibson1, connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gibsonbill or Knowledge Brokers International SA Pty Ltd Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/knowledgebrokers?ref=hl