Do you remember when we used to use our phones to just make phone calls? We would pick up the receiver, dial a phone number, and talk to someone. That’s it! But today, we use our phones to take pictures and videos, entertain our children (and ourselves), stay fit, listen to music, get driving directions, pay for things, read books and hundreds of other things that, ironically, you don’t need a telephone for.
We do that because we now have the ability to create one-stop-shops in our lives that make things easier. You still can use your phone as just a phone, but why would you? Imagine having a bag that you carried around every day that included: your phone, a GPS, a video game system, a small television and DVD player with hundreds of movies and shows on disks, a radio, the book you’re currently reading, a camera and a video recorder. Not even Mary Poppins could carry all of that in her bag!
Just as your phone is now a technological swiss-army knife that makes your bag (and your life!) a lot lighter, your planner should accomplish the same miraculous feat.
In 2021, you can have ‘just’ a planner that helps you keep your appointments in check, or you can have a planner that is essentially your very own personal assistant.
When it comes to your 2021 planner, are you using an old flip-phone or are you using a top notch smartphone?
A basic planner is a great place to keep track of your appointments, commitments, and to-dos; in other words, your need-to-dos, want-to-dos, and should dos. But just like the evolution of the cell phone, planners have come a long way since we used them as simply calendars.
Your planner should be able to act like a personal assistant that can give you instant updates about your goals, your progress, and how your business is growing week to week and month to month. Imagine if you opened your planner and not only saw your day, week, and month at a glance, but also saw your plan of action, your lead list, and your vision board?
Imagine if your planner provided not only focus and accountability, but consistent encouragement and monthly training on topics that accelerated your growth. Some people open their planners to see what’s on the schedule for the day, while others open their planners to get instant updates on their KPIs (key performance indicators).
Which are you using for 2021, a flip-phone or a smartphone?
After a lifetime of using dozens of different planners, none of which gave me the breadth or depth of a personal assistant, I decided to create one. (You know what they say; sometimes, if you want something right, you need to do it yourself!) I created the swiss army knife of planners that is specifically for salespeople who have made a commitment to be intentional and deliberate about their business.
Here are the things I made sure to have in my planner that, if you want to be intentional and grow your business in 2021, I would highly encourage you to have, too:
- Your plan of action
- Analytics
- KPI tracker
- Vision board
- Business strategies
- Calendar
- Weekly view (for easy time batching)
- Monthly view (to be proactive about what’s coming down the pipeline)
- Healthy habit tracker (for your own self-care)
- The Four Pillars of Success™ (your four income producing activities)
- Your lead list
- Work/life balance goals
- Encouraging quotes and mantras to keep you in a positive frame of mind
- Links for training videos that help you to grow different aspects of your business
Successful people know where they are in their lives and their businesses, where they want to go, and what they need to do to get there. Having a playbook at their fingertips is what helps them reach those goals. Their planner is more than a calendar; it’s a complete business system.
Do you have your planner for 2021? If you do, is it time for an upgrade? If you don’t have your planner yet, isn’t it time you went from a calendar to a personal assistant? If you’re ready to take your planning (and business) to the next level, you can find my 2021 Step Into Success planner HERE.
Make 2021 your best year yet!