Getting ready for 2006
If you’ve followed this blog, you’ve probably noticed that I’m big on planning your marketing efforts. Without a plan, your marketing ... and your business in general ... just “happens” to you. That’s a bad idea. With the new year looming, now is the perfect time to put together your goals for 2006 and your strategies to make those goals a reality.
Your plan doesn’t need to be a lengthy tome that rivals War & Peace. It simply needs to be a written set of goals along with the steps needed to reach them.
So, where do you start? A bit of soul searching is likely in order. What do you want to do? What’s your passion? Are you happy with the direction your business has been taking? Or, is a change in order? The thing is, unless you’re doing something you enjoy and make a decent living doing it, there isn’t much point. As someone once said, “Find something you love doing and you’ll never work another day in your life.”
Goals are what you’re trying to accomplish. The kicker is that they should be realistic and have a timeline attached. If your goals are out there in the Stratosphere, odds are you’ll lose interest or spend way too much time trying to reach the unattainable. The same thing goes for a timeline. Without one, you’ll likely put things off and/or never know if you’re making any progress.
Once you have a goal - let’s say you want to increase billings by 25% - give yourself a reasonable amount of time to reach it. Maybe June 30, 2006 works. With goal in hand, or rather, on paper, break it down into the steps you need to take to reach it. This does a couple of things. First, it organizes your efforts. Things become clear. Each of these steps is something of a “mini-goal.” So, as you get things done, you’ll feel like you’re making progress and that typically encourages one to keep at it.
If you’re trying to increase your billings by 25%, what would you need to do? Maybe it means identifying and reaching a new niche market. Perhaps it means adding new services. Let’s use the former and break it down.
Goal:
Increase billings 25% by June 30, 2006
Action Plans:
What you’ve done here is set up your marketing efforts for several months. And, it’s manageable. You’ll have some time invested in developing your list, but after that, things start to become automatic. You know each week, for 12 weeks, you’ve got to mail your intro piece. Then, the following week all you need to do is make five phone calls each day. Piece of cake.
Plus, each time you drop your stuff into the mailbox, you’ll get those nifty warm fuzzy feelings because you’re doing something to help reach your goals. The phone calls might be a bit tough at first, but hang in there. I guarantee after the first week, they’ll be old hat.
Add into the mix some networking events, writing some how-tos and tip sheets, news releases and other marketing and public relations activities and next thing you know, that 25% increase is getting pretty attainable.
My place looks something like Ground Control to Major Tom. I’ve got two computers on my desk and another one on the floor (that’s not counting to others two in the bedroom). Anyway, behind my monitors is a wall. There’s also a window, which is nice. I tend to look up at the window a lot and also the wall. I print out my goals and action plans and stick ‘em up on that wall. I see them every day as a reminder. Find some handy place to post your goals and action plans. Maybe the refrigerator door, or the bathroom mirror. Find some place where they’ll haunt you.
The other thing I do is use my contact manager/calendar to alert me with what needs to be done. Once you start getting busy, it’s easy to put this stuff off. After a bit, you get out of the habit and Mr. Feast or Famine can quickly come a callin.’
And there you have it. Taking a little time now to make your plans and then work those plans in a consistent manner will help insure 2006 will be the year of you.
Happy New Year!
Your plan doesn’t need to be a lengthy tome that rivals War & Peace. It simply needs to be a written set of goals along with the steps needed to reach them.
So, where do you start? A bit of soul searching is likely in order. What do you want to do? What’s your passion? Are you happy with the direction your business has been taking? Or, is a change in order? The thing is, unless you’re doing something you enjoy and make a decent living doing it, there isn’t much point. As someone once said, “Find something you love doing and you’ll never work another day in your life.”
Goals are what you’re trying to accomplish. The kicker is that they should be realistic and have a timeline attached. If your goals are out there in the Stratosphere, odds are you’ll lose interest or spend way too much time trying to reach the unattainable. The same thing goes for a timeline. Without one, you’ll likely put things off and/or never know if you’re making any progress.
Once you have a goal - let’s say you want to increase billings by 25% - give yourself a reasonable amount of time to reach it. Maybe June 30, 2006 works. With goal in hand, or rather, on paper, break it down into the steps you need to take to reach it. This does a couple of things. First, it organizes your efforts. Things become clear. Each of these steps is something of a “mini-goal.” So, as you get things done, you’ll feel like you’re making progress and that typically encourages one to keep at it.
If you’re trying to increase your billings by 25%, what would you need to do? Maybe it means identifying and reaching a new niche market. Perhaps it means adding new services. Let’s use the former and break it down.
Goal:
Increase billings 25% by June 30, 2006
Action Plans:
- Identify a niche that’s underserved, yet offers enough prospects to be profitable
- Conduct web searches
- Check directories at library
- Develop a list of 300 qualified prospects
- Create initial mailing to generate name awareness
- Design piece by January 15, 2006
- Get printing and mailing costs
- Print piece
- Prepare labels
- Label, stamp & mail in lots of 25 each week beginning February 1, 2006
- Follow up phone calls
- 5 calls per day to 25 weekly recipients asking for an appointment
- Target one appointment per week
- Initial meetings
- Research prospect, market and potential needs
- Gather background info at meeting to further qualify prospect
- Ask if I can prepare a proposal
- Use tip-sheet as leave behind
- Create proposals
- Make presentations
- Ask for the sale
What you’ve done here is set up your marketing efforts for several months. And, it’s manageable. You’ll have some time invested in developing your list, but after that, things start to become automatic. You know each week, for 12 weeks, you’ve got to mail your intro piece. Then, the following week all you need to do is make five phone calls each day. Piece of cake.
Plus, each time you drop your stuff into the mailbox, you’ll get those nifty warm fuzzy feelings because you’re doing something to help reach your goals. The phone calls might be a bit tough at first, but hang in there. I guarantee after the first week, they’ll be old hat.
Add into the mix some networking events, writing some how-tos and tip sheets, news releases and other marketing and public relations activities and next thing you know, that 25% increase is getting pretty attainable.
My place looks something like Ground Control to Major Tom. I’ve got two computers on my desk and another one on the floor (that’s not counting to others two in the bedroom). Anyway, behind my monitors is a wall. There’s also a window, which is nice. I tend to look up at the window a lot and also the wall. I print out my goals and action plans and stick ‘em up on that wall. I see them every day as a reminder. Find some handy place to post your goals and action plans. Maybe the refrigerator door, or the bathroom mirror. Find some place where they’ll haunt you.
The other thing I do is use my contact manager/calendar to alert me with what needs to be done. Once you start getting busy, it’s easy to put this stuff off. After a bit, you get out of the habit and Mr. Feast or Famine can quickly come a callin.’
And there you have it. Taking a little time now to make your plans and then work those plans in a consistent manner will help insure 2006 will be the year of you.
Happy New Year!
posted by Neil at 8:11 AM
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