Setting Goals for Your Success
“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else,” the quotable Yogi Berra once said. So, where is your business headed? Twelve months from now, will it be where you want it to be? How will you know you’ve arrived unless you define the destination and create the plan to get you there?
Goal setting doesn’t have to be complicated. Nobody’s saying you have to spend two days holed up in a secret location to determine your ideal strategies for moving forward. But you can start by setting aside a little bit of time to think. Ignore your phone, email, messages and other interruptions for long enough to reflect on where you’ve been, where you are and where you’d like to be. As you do so, you can create your view of the big picture, then get down to details.
One easy-to-apply system for goal setting follows the SMART acronym:
Specific – Your goal is clearly defined.
Measurable – You can measure your progress or success.
Attainable – It’s not wishful thinking or pie in the sky, but something that can be achieved.
Relevant – It fits your business, your product and service offerings and your market.
Time-Based – There’s a time period in which the goal can be achieved and measured.
As you determine your business goals, you’ll be laying the groundwork for your decision-making – including your planning and budgeting for marketing.
For example, if your goal is to grow revenues by 25%, you’re going to have to create action steps – including a marketing plan – to get the sales in installations and service to grow these revenues. By setting your goals before you create your plan, you’re defining your destination. When you know where you want to go, then you can create a map to get there.
Not sure where to start? Check out the resources in the Coaching section of your account, submit a Marketing Assessment Plan (MAP) for us to create your custom marketing plan, or reach out to your Marketing Coach directly with a specific question at [email protected].