The second quarter has begun. Now is the time to give yourself a “goal checkup” to make sure your on track for the coming year – specifically your business development goals. You not only need to know how you’re doing – but why things are happening or not.
A great way to do this is to use the SMART construct: Specific, Measurable,Realistic and Timebound.
To receive outstanding results on purpose you need clarity about what you want and why you want it. Key questions to ask yourself include (among others):
- Do I really understand how I make money from the clients I have?
- How much revenue do I receive from each client?
- What does it cost me to service each client?
- How long does it take clients to pay me?
- Why did the client select me in the first place?
- What alternatives does the client have and why do they stay with me?
- Have I profiled the ideal client based on the clients I have or want?
- Do I have a specific and measurable plan to build new relationships and business?
- Have I broken that plan into actionable steps I can take each month, week and day?
- Do I have a way to measure my progress?
To make your goals real you have to write them down. The act of going through this process and writing your goals dramatically increases the chances that you’ll actually achieve them.