If you’ve been around long enough, you’ll notice that every January, most people (maybe even you) start off on a high note with new goals, resolutions, commitments, etc. By the end of the first quarter, most people are back to their “normal” way of being/living/operating and those commitments are long forgotten. One area that gets this yearly pattern is health, fitness and wellness. Usually, gymnasiums are packed full in January, then attendance across most gyms begin to decline starting in February.
Improving sales performance often comes up as yearly resolutions. There are various studies and statistics around making and following through on new years’ resolutions to improve sales performance. One that got my attention stated that near year’s resolutions to improve sales performance have an overall success rate of 20%. Incredible!
What exactly accounts for this low success rate? Why do so many people fail to follow through with their resolutions? While the exact reason(s) will differ from person to person, there are fundamental issues that account for the ephemeral nature of most resolutions, goals and commitments. The intention of this article is to shed light on some of these issues in order to move the needle on the success rate of new commitments and resolutions.
While it’s easy to make new resolutions and commitments, following through is not. This is because a change in behavior is necessary. In order to have lasting behavioral change, there are essential pieces that must be in place:
Be Clear on Your “Why”: Knowing why you are making the resolution will keep you motivated when things get tough (and sadly, things will get tough). Dig in deep to be clear on the “why”. A surface reason will not suffice. It must be big and deep enough for you to commit to making a lasting change. There must be something at stake with a commitment behind it!
Change Your Mindset: Implementing a new goal or behavior without changing the fundamental thinking pattern is akin to growing a plant without roots – it is impossible! In order to make the new behavior stick, the background thinking must change and be aligned with the desired behavior. Changing your actions alone will not suffice. A change in the way you think will serve as a foundation for the new behavior to last.
Set Specific Goals: Vague goals attract shillyshally behavior and ways of thinking. Specific and measurable goals on the other hand tend to draw out specific actions, behaviors and ways of thinking. It is essential to set specific, measurable goals so you know exactly what you’re aiming for and by when you would have achieved the goal.
Create and Implement a Plan: It has been said that “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Those words hold true especially when implementing a new behavior. Break down your big goal into manageable daily, weekly and monthly plans that move you forward. Also, review your plan often to figure out what is working, what is not working and adjust when necessary.
Have an Accountability Structure: Having an accountability structure is integral on the journey and is the most important piece of the puzzle. Not having accountability is a slippery slope.
A trusted coach or accountability partner will be there to remind you of why you made the commitment in the first place and hold you accountable to the new behavior and pattern of thinking that is in line with the goal. The operative word here is “trusted” – not a buddy who will let you off the hook or someone who will give cookie-cutter suggestions, but an experienced coach with a track record and one that will keep track of your progress.
Having these pieces in place will keep you on track to achieve your new goals and have a lasting behavior change. So, quit the resolutions and commit to making lasting change!
Need help creating and implementing a new behavior to make this year and decade a transformative one? Let’s talk: info@thecommissioninternational.com
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