Create Advocacy Practice “Fitness” Goals for the New Year

I don’t know about you, but each time I turn on the TV, or access my news feed on my devices, I see another article about losing weight, getting stronger, exercising, etc… all fitness tips for my body. It’s the new year, of course – and this is the stuff they feed us every new year – because we like to make resolutions to do all those things in hopes of being healthier.

The BAD news is – I’ve spent a lifetime (a very LONG lifetime!) making resolutions about personal / body fitness and have successfully broken them all within a few days or weeks.

The GOOD news is – resolutions about body fitness and health are a great metaphor for improving our advocacy practices… So even if I break the ones for better body fitness, I can put them to good use anyway to improve my business and my service to my clients – like you!

Today’s post is a way for you to do the same.

Make Resolutions for Your Advocacy Practice

Here are tips and tactics YOU can use to do just that! When done right they will put you on a path to bigger successes in this new year.

1. Create or revisit your practice goals:

Money goals: did you make as much money last year as you hoped? Does your target income need to increase? or be more realistic?
Client goals: did you serve as many clients as you’d planned? More? Fewer? Does your target number of clients need to be updated to match reality – or your money goals?
Billing / Cash flow goals: Did you have the money you need to pay your practice bills when you needed it? Do you need to adjust your billing practices to accommodate cash flow? Do you have to adjust your rates to accommodate? (See Reviewing Your Prices, below.)
Marketing goals: Marketing – planning for more effective and efficient marketing – will be the exercise that will help you achieve all those goals above. See more tips about marketing below.

You may have further goals you want to address at this time, too, but those are some basics to get started with.

2. Update your marketing planning:

If any of last year’s goals for income or number of clients went lacking, and knowing that marketing opportunities shift over time, it’s time to take a fresh look at your marketing and update your plans for the new year.
Be sure to review your website. Does it really reflect your practice as it stands today? Can you add any testimonials or examples to help potential clients understand the services you provide? Can it be even more audience-focused and less YOU focused? (And while you’re at it, check to see that the copyright date is correct at the bottom of the page!)
Set an outreach goal to make sure you’re reaching new people. Examples of this would be a commitment to social media outreach, or two new blog posts a month, or making quick phone calls, or sending a regular (monthly? quarterly?) newsletter.

If you need help understanding the basics of marketing, or how to expand your marketing to be more effective, check out The Health Advocate’s Basic Marketing Handbook and The Health Advocate’s Advanced Marketing Handbook. (If you read this in January, they may even be on sale! Sign up for newsletters to learn how.)

3. Review – and raise – your prices.

I’ve preached this for a long time! You probably aren’t charging enough! Learn more here: Time for a Pricing Review (Are you charging enough?)

4. Seek education to expand your abilities.

All professionals worth their salt do everything they can to learn all they can. This helps them stay current, offer new services, improve their efficiency, and maximize their reputations as experts in their fields.

If you aren’t already certified, then this is the best time to earn your certification. If you’re certified, make sure you work to earn some of the CEs you’ll need to keep it.
Sign up for newsletters or blog notifications that will help you improve your practice and its success. (Like this one!)
Take new courses, attend talks and conferences, read all you can about advocacy, and within your niche, and reach out for help when you can use help. (No sense in just beating your head against a wall!)

Happy New Year!

That’s plenty to get you started. Chances are good as you go through these steps, that new ideas will take you in some new directions to help you acquire and serve more new clients. All good!

I wish you the very best of the new year… with all the success and happiness you dream of!