It’s that time of year again to look ahead in your business and put your 2012 business and marketing plan together.  The first weeks of the New Year are ideal for planning the amount of income and success you’d like to create, and mapping out a detailed blueprint to follow during the months ahead.

Begin with deciding how much REVENUE you want to create this year.  Take a look at what projects and endeavors were the most profitable for your business last year, and see what you can duplicate in the coming months.  Look for materials, resources and work that you can leverage to save yourself time and effort.  Don’t reinvent the wheel if you don’t need to.

There are four main criteria that MUST be included in any plan for success.  Use this as a step-by-step checklist as you create your New Year marketing plan.

1. Master Your Mindset:  The secret to success always starts with having the right frame of mind. It’s impossible to manifest success if you don’t absolutely believe to your core that it’s going to happen.  Create a vision board, write a letter to yourself dated December 31, 2012 and describe all the fantastic accomplishments you achieved this year.  Ask yourself every day if you’re following the path of a million dollar business owner, or at least a six figure business owner.

When your mindset is focused, determined and has the unshakable belief that success is yours for the taking, you will be guided to make all the right decisions for your business.  For example, investing in yourself and your company becomes second nature, and less fearful when you feel in your mind, heart and spirit that investments will bring you BIG returns.  Mindset makes you a fearless leader.

2. Marketing Strategy: Once you have mastered your mindset, you are ready to create a fail-proof marketing strategy for your business.  This is your business plan and blueprint that will guide you toward your revenue goals.  Be sure to include the following key elements:

• Ideal clients/customers
• Your USP and proprietary process
• Graduated marketing funnel
• Marketing strategies and plan
• Products and services
• Pricing
• Branding
• Technology and automation

All of these need to be considered and planned out in order to be best positioned to attract more clients and revenue than the previous year.  Consider having a business coach or mentor work with you in creating your marketing strategy.  An expert who has experience in creating yearly revenue of at least six figures is a smart investment to help you see where you may be leaving money on the table and where you can find hidden sources of revenue.

3. Services, Products and Programs:

Every business needs services and products that offer tremendous value for it’s clients and customers. Cast a critical eye to your past sales information to determine which offers have been the most profitable, and where you may need to tweak or update.  Send client surveys to get a pulse on what your tribe is interested in, how they like to receive information and what ideas and comments can be gleaned from completed surveys.

Be sure to have a wide range of offers at multiple price points and a strategy that encourages customers to invest in your company on a regular basis.  Consider adding a loyalty or affiliate program to encourage referrals and repeat sales.

4. Technology: Technology is a part of marketing that can’t be ignored and brings all of these steps together so that your marketing is effortless and automatic.   For instance, a well planned website will attract your ideal clients, entice them into signing up to receive information, offers them an irresistible opportunity to invest in a value rich product, creates revenue consistently, and builds a relationship with subscribers in a way that converts them into clients.Technology is an investment that many business owners put off until they can “afford it”, yet technology is what entrepreneurs can’t afford to neglect.  It allows you to reach a wider audience that can be lead straight to your door, and builds your business and bank account while you’re doing other things.

Successful companies stay ahead of their competition by first mastering their mindset so they can be fearless leaders.  Make this the year to align yourself with mentors who can help you work smarter and harder with less stress, so you can have your most profitable year ever.