Possible Goals For Business And For Creating Content

Whenever I’m asked to set my goals
as an employee in a company,
I first ask
to see the past goals for other employees
in my group.

Why?

Because it shows me what others think
is important
and it inspires my own goal setting.

So I thought I’d share goals
that
others are suggesting
you might set for 2013.

For Content Providers
(bloggers, social media folks)
David Goehst has a list of five possible goals

including
“Increase Compatibility Of Content
Content writers and the owners
must count the issue of compatibility
more seriously than before in 2013.
The concept of COPE
(Create Once and Publish Everywhere)
should be adopted by the content writers
in order to ensure
the maximum accessibility of the content.”

For Business Builders
Lydia Dishman has crafted a list of six possible goals
including
making meetings more productive.
“Mike Williams,
CEO of the David Allen Company,
advises that the leader of the organization
hang a large sign in each conference room
that states:
“If the purpose and desired outcome
of this meeting
are not clearly stated
within the first five minutes,
please walk out
–you have my permission.””

Have you set your goals yet?

Sharing Goals

You’ve drafted up your goals.
Now should you share them?

Derek Sivers believes that you shouldn’t.
He states that
your brain equates
the act of telling someone your goal
with
actually achieving the goal.
That initial sense of satisfaction
prevents you from taking action.

I believe it depends upon
whom you share your goals with,
whether or not they’ll keep you accountable,
whether or not you need their help
with achieving your goal,
and your personality.

I don’t like looking like a jack ass
so when I share a goal,
I try my damnedest to achieve it.
Sharing goals increases my chances of success.

If sharing goals helps you achieve success,
do it.
If it doesn’t help you achieve success.
don’t share your goals.

The M In S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Our goals should be S.M.A.R.T.
(specific, measurable, attainable,
realistic, and timely).

Last year,
we talked about
the S in S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Today,
let’s talk about the M – Measurable.

Top Achievement shares

“When you measure your progress,
you stay on track,
reach your target dates,
and experience the exhilaration of achievement
that spurs you on
to continued effort required to reach your goal.

To determine if your goal is measurable,
ask questions such as……

How much? How many?

How will I know when it is accomplished?”

Your goals should be measurable
but your measurements shouldn’t
necessarily be your goals.

Just because I can count
the number of comments on this blog,
doesn’t mean getting more blog comments
should be my goal.

The trap of making measurements goals
is why I prefer to look at this attribute last.

Setting Goals

Yes, we talk about setting goals
every year at this time
and yes, we will continue to talk about it
every freakin’ year in the future.

You know why setting goals is important.
You know the goals you set
will change the life you lead,
the changes you make in the world,
your success,
hell, your definition of success.

You know goal setting is a year round,
even a daily, event,
not something you save
for the end of the year.

You know all of this
but I also know you might need a reminder.

So I’m reminding you.
I’ll happily sound like a broken record
if it helps you lead the best life
you can lead.

Set your damn goals.

Aligning Sales And Marketing

In some companies,
sales and marketing operate separately.
They compete over resources.
They don’t communicate the same
company or product branding.

Which is unfortunate
because
a study by Aberdeen Group
reveals that 88 percent of the best companies
have implemented strategies
that align sales and marketing.

In a large beverage company
I worked in,
the salespeople would be responsible for customers
but they would also be responsible for products.

The marketing folks would lead
these cross-functional product teams
with EVERY department represented
(including human resources, finance, IT, etc).
The department representative
would report back to their department.

This aligned the entire company
and it also trained employees
to more easily move between departments
and to possibly lead the entire company.

When an entire company is aligned,
that’s a VERY powerful force.

Bonus Pack Or Discount

You have the option of
running
a Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO) promotion
or a 50% discount.

Both are
the same value to the consumer
and cost to the business
but which strategy will drive the most sales?

It depends upon the product.

A study in the Journal of Marketing,
When More Is Less:
The Impact of Base Value Neglect
on Consumer Preferences
for Bonus Packs over Price Discounts
,
finds
“that the preference
for bonus packs
over price discounts
holds for inexpensive products
and familiar brands
but diminishes
or can even be reversed
for expensive products
or unfamiliar brands.”

In other words,
while the Buy One, Get One Free offer
works better with cans of Coca-Cola,
the 50% discount
works better with cans of cola produced
by a startup beverage company.

If your product is new
and unproven,
the steep discount should produce more sales.

Published
Categorized as Sales

Dreams, Miracles and Magic

For many people,
today
is a day filled with
dreams, miracles and magic.

Children went to sleep last night,
and dreamed of flying reindeer.
Today, the media is offsetting
some of their usual gloom and doom
with uplifting tales of Christmas miracles.
Presents ‘magically’ appeared
under a brightly lit tree.

Everything seems possible.

USE this hope and optimism.
Take a few minutes for yourself
and dream.
Ask yourself
“If I could do anything,
what would I do?”
Allow your dreams to be big, small,
realistic or fantastical.
Open yourself to all of the possibilities
for yourself, your family, your business.

Write these dreams down.
Tomorrow, when reality returns,
you can figure out a way
to make those dreams happen.

But today is for dreaming.

At The Last Minute

Drop by any mall today,
and you’ll see procrastinators.

According to Joseph R. Ferrari, Ph.D.,
author of
Still Procrastinating?
The No-Regrets Guide to Getting It Done,

20% of the world procrastinates.

What are some tips to stop procrastinating?
“…keep a to-do list,
and update it often.
Set your priorities,
and tackle the most urgent matters first.
After the most pressing tasks,
do the worst jobs next.
Putting them off
will just make your whole workload
seem more impossible.
Also, set realistic goals and deadlines.”

So follow Santa’s example.
Make a list
and check it twice.
Then deliver the damn toys.

Shiny Objects

Once we train ourselves
to look for business ideas,
we see them everywhere.

Entrepreneurs evaluate these ideas,
choose the best one
and work on that ONE idea.

The problem is…
we continue to see ideas everywhere.
To be successful,
we have to resist the urge
to jump quickly
from one idea to another.

Writers have the same problem
(except we call them plot bunnies).

When I get a new idea,
I tell a loved one.
He has been instructed to grill me
on that new idea.
He asks me how this idea
– brings me closer to my goals
– fits into my current branding
– is better than my previous idea
etc.
I’m forced to evaluate this idea rationally,
not emotionally,
and I’m reminded of my goals.

I usually park the idea,
putting it in a dedicated notebook,
and then I focus on my original project.

Learn how to deal with your new ideas
and allow your current ideas
the opportunity to be successful.

The Defender

Recently,
the President of a volunteer board I’m part of
publicly placed the blame
for a board mistake
on a board member.

As we say in business,
she threw the board member under the bus
and the loyalty of the board
was thrown under the bus also.

The next time,
the President asked for assistance,
no one volunteered.

In private, leaders can rip the group a new one
but in public, leaders should be the group’s defender.
That’s how loyalty is gained
and with loyalty, the impossible becomes possible.

As Terry Starbucker shares

“When the leader is in public,
and the arrows fly about the team’s performance,
the leader takes the hit
– or, if the critique is unjustified,
the leader passionately defends the team’s honor.
The blame is never on the team
– it’s on the leader.

Conversely, when things go well,
the praise is always on them
(Think Jim Collins and his concept of
the Level 5 leader in his book
“Good to Great”).”

Leaders defend their team in public.