Happy 2012!  I want to start off by thanking all of my clients who made 2011 a fantastic year.  It was such a pleasure to be able to work with you all on your financial goals and help you achieve the things you find important.

photo credit: kevin dooley

Each day, week, month, and year, I track different statistics to find out if I’m doing what I need in order to keep my business growing.  Here are some of the annual statistics I track and why they matter:

New Clients: My goal was 48 (4 new per month).  I ended up with 58!  I brought in more new clients to Northwestern Mutual than any other advisor in Indiana in 2011 (there are about 220 of us in Indiana).  This got me a lot of praise throughout the company and also a few perks, but what it really means is that I’m building a strong, lasting practice.  Helping people in Fort Wayne, IN and the surrounding area; achieve their financial goals for themselves and their families is my primary goal and the more I can help the better for both of us.

New Meetings: I met with 421 different people last year the vast majority of them at various coffee shops in Fort Wayne.  As you probably know, I’m a big fan of having meetings over coffee to meet new people in our community.  It allows us to network, learn about things happening in our community, develop relationships, and gain new clients.  If we haven’t had coffee yet, we should.  I’d like to see how we can be of benefit to each other.

Miles traveled: I traveled 6,532 miles for my business in 2011.  As any self-employed person should do, I keep a mileage log and track where I go, who I met with, and why, so that I can take a deduction on my taxes.  In 2011, the mileage deduction is $.51/mile which means, I get to deduct $3,331 off of my taxes!

I keep a lot of other statistics, but to me, those are some of the important ones.  Keeping statistics on your business helps you stay on track and make sure you are achieving your goals.  As we progress through the month of January, consider which numbers are important to you and find out what you need to do on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis to achieve things that are important to you.  I wish you all the best 2012.  Make it happen!

Have we met?  If not, let’s grab coffee and share some tips!