What do you want to achieve this year? It can be a daunting question for many of us, whether it’s in our personal or professional life. As the new year starts, we resolve to build on areas that need growth and continue to make positive changes. Resolutions are helpful for self-improvement, as well as for business-related goals. These can include increasing revenue, staying current on industry trends, mapping out and planning, improving time management, and having a stronger understanding of your customers. Planning is one step, while acting on those plans is also key. That is why it is helpful to make goals that are achievable and can be tracked for progress. You will want to set goals that you can aspire to and will take your business to the next level in the new year. 

Key Takeaways:

• New year’s resolutions are helpful for both self-improvement and business-related goals.
• Successful resolutions involve planning and acting on those plans.
• Examine what you want to accomplish and devise strategies around those.
• Some ideas for goals can include making time to better understand your products, asking for training opportunities and seeking a coach or mentor to keep you on track.

29% of people say they feel the pressure to set a new year’s resolution, according to a survey of 1,005 U.S. adults. Of those people, 81% feel confident that they have the ability to reach their goals. That is a promising sign and should encourage you on your journey to continued success.

As you examine what you would like to accomplish for your business during the year, it helps to simultaneously devise strategies that will help you stay on-course and measurably achieve those results. Whether you are pushing to build your professional network, gain more clients, or something else entirely, we have suggestions for how to make - and achieve your business resolutions.

• Set small tactics to support broad goals. Don’t simply resolve to increase your number of LinkedIn connections; identify actions to make it happen, such as attending networking events, joining relevant LinkedIn groups, or posting useful content to your LinkedIn profile.
  
  Here are some other business goal ideas:
  
  - Better understanding the policies, you sell and service: Read policy language and put it to practice as you work coverage and claims issues.
  - Taking time to know your clients: You can change the direction of your meetings by allowing time for silence, providing breathing room for your client to get to know you and ask questions.
  - Seeking additional training: You can work with your manager to set aside time for training and sitting in with colleagues. This will build on the confidence and skills you need to do your job successfully.

• Create short intervals within the year. Be specific -- if your goal is to earn more money this year than you did last year, set smaller benchmarks to get there. Evaluate where you are after each quarter of the year, for example, and update your plans accordingly. Here is an online quarterly calendar you can refer to. Your progress can be tracked simply through a spreadsheet or typed document, or by using a business software solution that you may already have available as part of your brokerage business.
  
  
• Get a coach. Ask a colleague, friend or relative to be your goalkeeper. You can check in with them to discuss progress, ask for motivation and even vent to them. Ideally, find someone who is either on the same goal path as you, or who can reciprocate by seeking your help with their own resolutions. We can’t do everything alone.
  
  On a specifically business-related note, it could be worth engaging with an experienced E&O auditor. They will work with you to address your strategy for catching errors and omissions. This can save the stress and financial drain of future claims issues.

We know that keeping new year’s resolutions is easier said than done. We hope these tips help you on the path to success and consistently stay there. Successfully improving your brokerage takes time. Using these strategies, we believe you can take your brokerage to the next level this year.