At the beginning of every new year, business people make resolutions and set goals that they want to achieve. But unfortunately, very few stick to their resolutions or goals.

At the beginning of every new year, business people make resolutions and set goals that they want to achieve. But unfortunately, very few stick to their resolutions or goals.

The key to success lies in the way we plan and run our businesses.

If you want to achieve your business goals this year, this article is for you. The following are the key points that you must always remember:

l Relationship with all stakeholders: The key to running a successful business is having a good relationship with all the stakeholders in your business. Stakeholders refer to customers, suppliers, joint-venture partners, affiliates etc.

By building a relationship with them all instead of just selling services or products to them, you are setting yourself up for success. You become a trusted adviser and partner.

You must show your appreciation regularly and create a plan for your communication towards your customers and prospects. Think about the ultimate goal you want to get out of each contact with them. This should include the things you want them to think and say about you when they hear your name. Your communication and interaction must leave a good lasting memory, not a bad one.

You must also use customer experience marketing. Customer experience marketing refers to selling in a way of educating, amusing and entertaining your prospects. By not focusing on the sale but instead entertaining and sharing useful information, you can easily convert a prospect to a buyer.

l Being unique: Avoid using a "me too" kind of approach in your marketing. If you are using the same marketing approach as your competitors, you are unlikely to attract the big number of customers you want. People are attracted by unfamiliar and spectacular things.

Therefore, you need to think deeply about your marketing strategy and unique selling proposition. You will need a clear and compelling strategy, and benefits to rise above your competitors.

l Test and track your strategy: If you don't test the effect of your marketing strategy, you will not know what works and what does not. What sets successful business people apart from the not-so-successful ones is that the successful ones don't guess. They know what works and what does not.

You must track and test what your best-selling products are, your best source of traffic, your best marketing methods and your highest-earning task. If you know these vital elements, you will know what to focus on and where the money is.

l Outsourcing: It is not good for your business to try to be a master of all trades. You will just end up being a master of none. Therefore, you need to outsource some of the work in order to have more time to focus on what you do best, such as selling if that is your strong point. If the business is dependent on you alone, it cannot grow further after a point. By outsourcing, you not only free up your time, you also lift the income ceiling and enjoy more success.

If a task does not require your full attention, it makes good business sense to outsource it.