Okay, you’re 15 (or so) days into the new year, and your resolutions are already fading in the rearview mirror. What’s more, your marketing activities are in full swing and you’re not at leisure to reflect on ways to keep goals on track. But that doesn’t mean that 2018 isn’t going be full of personal and professional accomplishments. It is. And realizing that doesn’t require massive amounts of change.
Just a few tweaks.
Here are a few slight adjustments or additions to your work outlook and life habits that can result in more meaningful outcomes.
1. Be customer-relentless.
These are the individuals that truly count and their opinions matter most. When you listen, they tell you what they need, guide you on how best to meet these needs and enable you to sell them more. As B2B marketers, we regularly hear sales weigh in on issues and initiatives. While that’s important, it doesn’t take the place of true customer feedback. Make this the year you hear what they have to say early and often.
2. Stay positive.
As marketers, we need to fight our natural instinct to be cynical and map out worst case scenarios. According to research, staying optimistic results in sharper mental functioning and better health and wellness. Praise your team liberally. Remind them what they are good at. Recognize an achievement, even the little ones. Celebrate risk-taking and look for the learning in situations that don’t go as planned. Be sure to encourage talking about failure.
3. Be a difference-maker.
This can take many forms. Look for ways to impact a project. That might be as easy as eliminating a few team meetings giving everyone more time to both think and get their work done. Host more mini brainstorm sessions that quickly bring new ideas to light. Implement a new idea from your customer listening that you think could increase sales of your core product or service, or generate more upsell/cross-sell opportunities.
4. Learn something new.
Pick a topic. Marketing technology comes to mind. While this certainly doesn’t have to be time consuming, it should probably be ongoing. Look for lunch-hour webinars you can participate in, collect a series of articles on the subject or consult a SME in your office.
5. Make the most of your time away from the office.
Every day. It is almost impossible to overthink or stress out about work when you are engaged in fun or family activity. Take a class. Make it to your child’s basketball game. Go to the health club. Even if you only plan to stay for 10 minutes, you’ll end up being there longer and feeling better for it. In the meantime, assign any work problems to your subconscious. While you sleep, it will work on the issue and a solution will pop into your mind in the shower the next morning. Did I mention get more sleep? Because you really should.
I always shy away from the phrase “New year. New you.” It’s overwhelming and implies making promises to yourself that are hard to keep. So, instead, look for ways to make your year more meaningful. Aside from the thoughts we shared here, what does a more meaningful year look like to you?