The Savvy Entrepreneur

Which Road Do I Take? Setting a Goal Will Show You the Way

One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. “Which road do I take?” she asked. “Where do you want to go?” was his response. “I don’t know,” Alice answered. “Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.” — Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland

When your focus is on getting more clients, it’s not enough to say, “I want more clients,” or “I want to grow my business this year.” Those destinations aren’t clear enough, and you’re liable to end up wandering around your business aimlessly, until you get thoroughly lost and give up from exhaustion.

Having a sales and marketing goal gives you a destination for your journey, which makes it all that much easier to choose a road.

Notice I’ve used the word goal in the singular sense? That’s because I want you to stick to ONE goal – and an action plan to achieve it – for the next month. We entrepreneurs are often bombarded with messages, information, opportunities and potential projects, and we (myself included) often suffer from the Bright Shiny Object Syndrome.

These Bright Shiny Objects distract us, tear us away from our goals, dilute our efforts and pull us in many directions at once. Having ONE goal keeps you from being overwhelmed and frustrated, and will give you:

1. Focus: You know what you have to do each day so that stays in the forefront of your mind. Knowing you only have 28 days to achieve your goal will narrow your focus on marketing and help you ignore distractions.
2. Evidence: By regularly measuring your level of effort and comparing it to the results you create, you’ll get a constant reality check on your progress. You’ll know right away if you’re not working hard enough or if you’re spending marketing time on busy-work. You’ll also be able to gauge when you’ve done enough and can take a guilt-free day off.
3. Direction: For the next 28 days, you don’t need to ask yourself what you should be doing to get more clients – you already know, because you created an action plan to reach your goal. When you’re unsure of what you should do next, simply ask yourself “Which action or decision is most likely to lead me in the direction of my goal?“
4. Motivation: By posting your action plan in plain view, you’ll be motivated to challenge yourself: “How early can I complete my marketing tasks today?” Set up small rewards for finishing a project, for beating the previous day’s record or for reaching a certain percentage of your goal. Invent your own game – the more fun it is, the easier the next 28 days will be.

So are you ready for a tough question? What ONE goal would you like to achieve within the next 28 days? Make it a S.M.A.R.T. one – that means it’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timed. Come up with one of your own, or choose ONE of the following:

In 28 days, I would like to have:

• _____ new clients
• _____ dollars in new earnings
• _____ listings
• _____ training courses scheduled
• _____ appointments booked
• _____ products sold

Based on the number you wrote, you can easily update and track your progress. And please don’t worry about getting it right. There’s no rule against changing your goal mid-month if it becomes unrealistic or was not enough of a stretch.

Now, choose a reward – not just for results, but for your efforts. If you worked towards your goal, you deserve a reward, even if you come up short.

My reward will be: ___________________________________

Great work! You have a goal and you even have a reward lined up for when you reach it. All that’s left is your action plan. Simply break down your goal into the small steps you’ll need to take in order to reach it.

So before you head down the road to build your business and attract new clients, make sure you’re clear about where you’re going. Set a goal for the next 28 days and take a break from distraction, overwhelm and frustration.

Copyright. Cristina Favreau. All rights reserved.

ABOUT CRISTINA
Cristina Favreau specializes in teaching independent service professionals who struggle with marketing, so they get more visibility, build their credibility and increase their self-confidence. Get her complimentary “12 Mistakes To Avoid in Your 30-Second Intro” ecourse at http://www.cristinafavreau.com/index.htm

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