Looking Ahead, There IS a Brighter Future! / PromoJournal - Cliff's Notes

I have been accused of being overly optimistic – guilty as charged; what is the alternative? Pessimism? Sorry, I cannot do that, it’s not in my DNA!  I saw this quote which really resonated with me and sort of set the tone for my article; it comes from Ralph Marston, former 1929 NFL Boston Bulldogs football player,

“You’ve done it before, and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.”

As I reflect on 2020, I am intrigued by the human spirit and how we rally around to lift, aid, support, and encourage each other. It is truly heartwarming and encouraging!  That said, Now is the time to rethink what you did in 2020.  How successful were you?  Did you accomplish everything you set out to achieve?  Where did you go wrong? What did you do right? Did you have a plan; did you implement, follow, and modify your plan?

This coming year – I mean RIGHT NOW – develop a plan, DO SOMETHING! This will get you off on the right foot! No matter how thin the plan seems, take time for yourself and the health of your business, to develop a plan of action, and please, consider these additional points, add as many as you’d like:

I will No Exceptions - take excellent care of my spiritual, mental, and physical health, I will develop a multiple tiered marketing strategy and work it without fail, I will do something quarterly to get new business - EVEN when I am busy, I will analyze my business regularly and review my numbers, I will stay or become fiscally responsible, I will fire the bad clients on my list, often, those who do not value me or my team, I will touch every good client, in some fashion, every month I will be diligent about connecting and thanking my friends, I will be diligent about connecting and thanking my vendors, I will be diligent about connecting and thanking my clients – OFTEN! I will look at every opportunity to be a contribution to everyone in my organization, my clients, peers, and my family and friends, I will ask more questions, I will be more patient and tolerant, I will allow myself to make mistakes and learn from them, I will remain open to all possibilities, I will ALWAYS remember the first one – take care of YOU first! For the sake of everyone who depends on you!

Review your plan monthly – be honest with yourself, are you sticking to it? Are you reviewing how you can be more proactive and productive?

In an interview at an ASI show, I was asked ‘what can people do to grow their business?’  My reply was simple…

 Your community, your peers, our amazing suppliers, multi-line and factory reps, customer service teams…and, each other!

 Start now for this year and next year, I have a plan and written goals – how about you! You must push to hear the bells ring!

As always, continued success my friends, and the VERY best to each of you in 2021 – we can do this…together – I am here for you!

For over 30 years, Cliff Quicksell, MAS+, MASI, with his company, Cliff Quicksell Associates, has been speaking, coaching, training and consulting internationally to associations and national and small business groups on more effective ways to market themselves, their products and services, as well as motivating their personnel. Recognized by PPAI for his creativity, he has won the prestigious PPAI Pyramid award over 30 times and the Printing Industry's PSDA’s Peak Award for creativity 5 times in three years; has coached countless others with the same result. Cliff received PPAI's Ambassador Speaker of the Year Award six consecutive years; and was the inaugural recipient of PPAI's Distinguished Service Award. Named one of top six industry speakers and trainers, he was recognized by PPAI in the book, "PPAI at 100", as having a significant influence in education in our industry. He was recognized by Counselor Magazine as one of the Top 50 Most Influential People in the Promotional Products Industry. Cliff’s BLOG 30 Seconds to Greatness won the Award for Most Passed Around Content. Cliff’s most recent book, 30 Seconds to Greatness, is available on his website www.quicksellspeaks.com  Connect with him on LinkedIn or via email at cquicksell@ipromoteu.com. Cliff will be launching his 30 Seconds to Greatness PODCAST in the next couple of months geared specifically for small business owners and entrepreneurship. Connect with Cliff to get connected to his free podcast.