Good intentions?

New Year = lots of good intentions.  In order to stick to what we promise we will achieve, why do we still sometimes (some of us) fail to set goals for ourselves?

One large statement such as “I plan to double the size of my business this year” sounds great, but how are you planning on getting there and achieving what you set out to do, without clear goals to work towards? At that point in time is it even a “SMART” goal??

We all set goals; whether we plan to or not.  Some are huge, others more realistic possibly, but the best way of getting to your desired outcome is to structure the path you take to get there.

So it’s great to set that huge goal, as long as you take steps to get there – one at a time.  Why not break it down into monthly goals which, added together, can create or add up to, potentially doubling your business revenue or sales this year.

Maybe your first month could involve a goal of meeting a certain number of new contacts/prospects.  How many??  Your second monthly goal could be to arrange meetings or to catch up with prospects from last year who you have lost contact with and so on…

Each monthly goal, when reached, will count towards your target.

Finally, if you break it down further into weekly goals, you may find your journey easier and you will hopefully be less likely to give up if you are constantly achieving these smaller goals.

Take a week to view diary.  Title each week with your ideal outcome for that week.  Maybe it is to call 10 contacts that you have not spoken to for a while (but have a reason for doing so – not just for a chat!).  Write down your procedure – how are you going to go about the task?  Note down all the contacts you want to call (a good CRM system will work wonders here as you will have all the details in one place at the touch of a button – you need to speak to me if you have not got a good CRM system in place).  If you require any supplies to reach your goal then they need to be noted down also, e.g.: have you enough printer paper, ink, envelopes if your task is to send out letters.  How long are you going to spend on this? S.M.A.R.T don’t forget!

Most importantly, take notes, so that at the end of each week and month, you can see how your goal was achieved.  Happy goal setting and remember that no goal is too large if you break it down into smaller chunks!