Five Tips for Tooting Your Horn in the New Year

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I recently received an email from a colleague asking me a very interesting question. She says “I see that it is common for nonprofit companies to send a year end newsletter summarizing all the good they've accomplished throughout the year.” And then she asks “As a ‘for profit’ company, I am wondering if it would be a good idea for us to communicate with our client and marketing base using this protocol?” My immediate response was “What a great idea, especially if you work primarily with women!” Women are relational and we love to share our stories. Success stories are especially important because they let other women know what is possible. Women in business often fall short when it comes to tooting their horns of accomplishment because they believe they would be seen as egotistical or self-centered. I am here to dispel this myth and support you to uncover the value of sharing your business and personal successes with clients, colleagues, and strategic partners.

Capturing the year’s wins will allow you to recall where you started and where you have come to in the past 365 days. As I said last week when talking about the Biz Diva Good Things Challenge, we are very lax about remembering and giving ourselves credit for all the small wins we experience on a day to day basis.

There is no better way to embrace your business growth than taking the time to create an annual retrospective that focuses on the positive changes and lessons learned that led to progress, prosperity, and feeling good about oneself. And then you want to share it!

Here are some thoughts on how you might accomplish this:

- Write a newsletter or blog and summarize your year’s journey to share with clients, colleagues, and interested parties - Send out a New Year’s card that highlights your 2014 wins and share what’s on the horizon for 2015 - Have a staff meeting and after you toot the company’s horn, invite your team to talk about their wins for 2014 and goals for 2015 - After highlighting your wins, ask key clients how they were better served using your products or services (formal or informal survey) - A party with a podium! Share your business/company wins as part of a new year kickoff event including staff, strategic partners, and clients