This time last year I was reflecting and wrote a post on how Giving Can Be Getting – Even in Sales. As it is that time of year again, I thought I would revisit the topic, take stock of the year behind us and look forward to 2015, on a few fronts. Most businesses and business leaders are doing that very same thing, but I have a new challenge for you (and myself as often I also forget to follow my own advice) this year. Just like you make a plan and budget for your business, make a plan and budget for how you want to get involved in your community.
While many of us set goals for our career, income, business, physical fitness (I’m working to get back to my wedding weight by February) and other plans we do not set out or carve up what we want to do to give back. And so as I look back this year, I realize I have fallen short as I did not have a plan. We preach this in our sales training to have a plan and work it. You want to do better next month, work this month to grow your sales funnel and you will. So why not extend that to giving.
As I reread the post from last year, I realized that all the good our team did was the result of a plan. We had a goal (feed 12 families) and set upon dividing up the group, what we had to purchase for the baskets or what each team member could bring in and then we put everyone on teams to create some competition. Sounds like a sales competition right? In the end we fed more than we wanted, had a great team event and left for the holiday season knowing we had done something good for our community.
So as you set aside time to plan this year, make sure you have it on your schedule to set some personal and philanthropic goals. No matter how little or how much you do for those around you it will make a difference. I am forever grateful for the relationships and partnerships we have forged through Acquirent over the years. A cornerstone of our success, even when we were starting out and growing through tough times, was to make time for our teammates to participate in and give to others around us. While you never know what that may mean in the moment, as we approach a time for giving thanks and looking back, I know down the line you will be glad you did it.[/fusion_text][/fullwidth]