2008 is finally over and 2009 is here. The New Year has always felt like new opportunity for me. I always enter January with high hopes for the things that I want to accomplish in the year ahead and this year is no different. Many of you journeyed with me last year on my quest to lose 60 pounds before Christmas. In case you didn’t know, I hit that goal in late October!

That certainly taught me the value of setting ambitious, yet realistic goals, and communicating the goal with others. I pretty much told everyone that I came into contact with that I was going to lose that weight by Christmas. That simple act, more than anything else, kept me on the straight and narrow. The thought of having to go around and tell you that I didn’t achieve the goal kept me focused on the result that I wanted. In other words, I made myself accountable.

How about you? What are you willing to be accountable for this year? Why not write down an income goal that seems a little out of reach and then communicate that to family and friends…people who may be able to help you achieve the goal.

Next I would suggest that you determine how many sales sides you will need to accomplish to get to that income goal. And finally, determine how many prospects you will need to get that number of sales. My Jump Start Your Business Class will give you some help in figuring these things out, as will your manager. The key to success here is to WRITE down the Income goal, the number of sides needed and the number of prospects you will need to ask to do business with you. If you don’t write it down and communicate it to another person then all you have is a wish…

Don’t forget to stay in close contact with your past client base and your sphere of influence. Drop them a hand written note asking them how their holidays were and telling them about yours. Don’t forget to enclose a business card…who knows, they may have a referral for you! Even better, drop by or call them (in compliance with the DNC Laws of course). Talk to them about their FORD and they will ask you about yours in return. They don’t have a FORD? Of course they do. FORD is an acronym for Family, Occupation, Recreation and Dreams.

Some of you are probably saying to yourselves that this is old news and you already know it. True enough, but do you actually do it? Faithfully? Or do you get sidetracked like most of us by life? You’ve heard about the road to “….” As being paved with good intentions haven’t you? Here is another area where being accountable will pay off with big dividends.

And finally, take it one step further, when you call them, or write to them or drop by, ask them if they would like to subscribe to your email newsletter, or read your blog, or follow you on Twitter, or even keep up with you on Facebook.

If these concepts are foreign to you, take a class! I’ll be offering hands on classes starting February that will take you through everything you need to know to use these new and exciting tools in your business.

2009 can be a great year! It’s entirely up to you.