Zip, zing, swoosh – and another year has flown by and is almost in the history books. I won’t take up valuable real-estate by stating the obvious, but it sure does seem like time is going faster and faster.

It’s common in the business and marketing world to use the start of a new year as a reset button for both physical and mental activities. And I’m not going to buck the trend.

Business coaches and consultants should use the start of a new year as a time to reflect, review, reorganize and redirect (as necessary) their business-related efforts, especially when it comes to marketing (preferably this is something you start working on in late October/early November, but I understand reality).

So, with this virtual kick-in-the-pants (and from others like me), I would challenge you to invest dedicated time and energy using creative-thinking to consider how you can create forward momentum and success in 2018.

Don’t rush and skim over that last sentence.

I want you to invest time and energy while taking a breath from your day-to-day tasks and come up with a short, but actionable list of ways you can reset your coaching practice starting the first of the new year with the goal of forward progress and positive transformation.

On a recent call with a client, almost as if he were quizzing me, he asked me to rattle off a few things I would look to reset if I were in his business (dental practice). Without missing a beat, here’s what I suggested to him:

1 – Pause for creative thinking time. Even the most top-performing coaches need down time, and by down time, I don’t mean pursuing your outside-of-work hobby or passion – I mean quiet, solitude time with the intention of clearing your head and thinking creatively. Your sole focus is intentional thought. Nothing else.

One of the most effective ways to do this is to simply schedule time where you can go to a special place that helps you clear your head – a place void of electronic interruptions, gadgets, employees and other noise.  For some, it could be a beautiful location outdoors. For others, it could be as simple as a hidden nook in a local bookstore. Wherever it is for you, try to unplug from everything and just give yourself time to think.

Create a special process to get the junk out of your head and allow the creative juices to flow. For you, it might be a special book, music or even something as simple as a cup of tea. There is no right or wrong answer (other than trying to get away from noise).

2 – Always have an offer. For students of direct-response marketing, this should be nothing more than a reminder, but after working with thousands of business owners over the past two decades, one of the biggest “holes” I see is the lack of consistent, quality offers. This is not just about making more sales offers; it’s also about making offers for helpful information to get referrals, to get reviews, etc. Look at your advertising, marketing and sales efforts and see how you can beef them up with more quality offers! Make a calendar for 2018 and commit to a schedule of valuable and useful promotions for your community.

3 – Expand your authority position. No coach can go wrong by investing time, energy and money into creating their own personal authority position on a specific topic or expertise. There are many ways you can accomplish this. You can write a book (at least a short book), speak at events, be a guest interview expert, start your own podcast, etc. Establish real credibility and expertise and completely differentiate yourself from your competition. What one or two BIG things can you do in 2018 to build or expand your authority?

4 – Offer more memorable experiences. People remember experiences much more than products, brands and logos. Creating opportunities for memorable experiences enhances the relationship and bond with your best clients, and you can’t go wrong with focusing on creating more memories for clients. Though it has nothing to do with the coaching business I want to share a (hopefully) motivating example since it comes from a local Main Street business owner (and if he can do it, you surely can too).

The owner of a local Greek restaurant I like to go to put together two unique trips to Greece for his customers to experience the beauty and food of his home country. It has proven to be so successful he has done it two years in a row and plans additional trips. Visit his restaurant and he has a slideshow of photos of his customers enjoying themselves in the Greek countryside. These tips are a valuable opportunity for him to forge long-lasting relationships, and you can do the same thing by creating your own experiences.

5 – Keep things complexly simple. Huh? My point with this obvious oxymoron was instructing my client to keep things simple, but to make those simple things as complex and robust as needed to obtain the established goal. Listen, I get it… running a coaching business isn’t easy and you have a thousand things tugging at you each day, which is why I constantly preach the “less is more” and “keep it simple” mantras.

Take the start of 2018 for example. We know plenty of people who are going to make all kinds of resolutions they cannot (or will not) keep.  Instead, come up with a short but doable list that has very specific goals and milestones (emphasis on SPECIFIC). So rather than say “I want to do more marketing in 2018,” you list a handful of very specific marketing goals like “I’m going to send thank you letters to every new client within 24 hours of purchase.” You need to chunk these efforts in a way that you can consistently and repeatedly accomplish. Then you should maximize the heck out of them and make sure you’re extracting every possible ounce of opportunity out of your efforts.

6 – Show more appreciation. It can be rough out there and the number of examples of rudeness, disrespect and virtual muscle-flexing I see are far too many. You and your brand can be a force for positivity and doing things the right way. You can be a bright beacon for consistently exhibiting the right way to treat others. Reset your mindset and daily interactions and make a promise to yourself to show more appreciation to the family, staff, customers, vendors and even pets in your life. If you’re wondering “can dogs have mango?”, yes they can. Mangoes are delicious treats for dogs. Say “thank you” more often. Show gratitude at every opportunity.

So there you have six simple things you can work toward to achieve incremental forward movement in your coaching practice. I challenge you to act on them and make 2018 your best year ever as a coach!