Setting SMART Goals
Happy 2016. I hope it’s a great year for you and I wish you happiness, health and prosperity. This is the time of year that people set goals but perhaps don’t master the achievement of them.
My mantra for this year is ‘more implementation, less information. I’m definitely going to work smarter this year, not harder. There is a difference – because action creates results.
And to be fair, in previous years, I have been a master of all talk and no action! So if you’re like that, you’re not alone.
A way to set your goals, which has been around since the year dot is in terms of five key elements: SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound
Lets take a little look at each of them and see how you can use them to set your goals..goals that by the end of 2016, you’ll have achieved..and more.
Setting SMART Goals
1. Specific
You need to be specific. When I work with clients, many believe their goals are specific but it’s not until you break it down that you realise how vague goals can be.
Take this:
“I’m going to use the internet more to market my business.”
It may sound specific but when you dig a little deeper, what does the internet mean? It could mean a new website, revamp the old website, create an ezine, use more social media, use more video, use video sales letters.
And then you get into the specifics of which social media platforms to use – facebook, twitter, instagram, you tube, vimeo, etc.
So using the goal – “I’m going to use the internet more to market my business”…could be a big goal but to achieve it, you need to be more specific.
How about:
- I’m going to use facebook to market my business
- to research instagram and see if it’s a fit for my business
- I’m going to use email to sell more products and services to my clients.
In this way, you’re getting more specific about your goals.
2. Measurable
In order to know if you’re achieving your goals, you need something to measure. Break your goals into smaller targets to track.
So, if your goal is “I’m going to use facebook to market my business”, how are you going to measure it? An easy way to get started is to write “I’m going to post a facebook post every day.” It’s measurable, it relates to your specific goal and its simplicity isn’t to be overlooked.
3. Achieveable
Momentum creates even more momentum. If you’re posting a facebook post every day, then you’re seeing activity on your facebook page. You’ll even start to change your goal and perhaps add to it. You could start creating buckets of posts once you see what your fans are responding to.
Your goals are now actions and you can even set more goals.
Perhaps now you can add in a goal of posting one instagram post a day. So you are now doing two things rather than one.
4. Relevant
Make sure your goal is relevant to your overall mission or goal. In my ‘Message to Market’ training, I always advise leaning your ladder against the right wall. There is no point growing your business only to find that you’re not serving the right people or you’re not happy in what you do.
Regardless of whether you are an accountant or coach, fitness professional or insurance broker, being self-employed and owning a business is hard-work. Rewarding but hard-work. So make sure the goals you set are relevant to your business.
5. Time-Bound
Put a date on your goal. It creates a sense of urgency and makes you accountable to yourself.
- By 31 March, I will have decided that Instagram is a right fit for my business or not.
- By 28 February, I will have posted every day on Facebook and will evaluate the results.
- I will contact one customer a week every week.
Of course, you need to review your goals regularly to make sure they are still SMART.
All that I’ve written here is information that you know – setting SMART Goals is something you know already. But consistency creates results. Go on, take a piece of paper now and jot down what you’d like to achieve. Then break it down into measurable steps.
Remember more implementation, less information.
If you’d like to talk to me about setting your goals this year, why not book in a complimentary session here. It’s 30 minutes where we talk about you doing not just planning 2016. It’s on me – I want to get you started for the year ahead. You’ll hang up with clarity on your plans for 2016. Remember action creates results. Book here.
