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Small Business Articles from Make-it-Fly®
 How
to Use SMART Goals to Get Ahead
By Victoria Munro
Printable version
We have watched many small business owners steadily
grow their businesses to new levels as they have regularly
set SMART 30-day goals. The
results have been remarkable, and we found that
consistency is key.
If you’ve set goals in the past, we encourage you to
consider making goal setting a regular part of your
schedule again.
The acronym below gives the criteria for a SMART goal.
By using this goal-setting process and the downloadable
Make-it-Fly® Goal Worksheet, you
can create meaningful goals that
you are much more likely to achieve.
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Specific |
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Measurable |
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Attainable |
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Relevant |
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Time
Deadline |
Specific: State precisely
what you want to achieve. For example, “Make 25 sales
calls from my prospect list every week,” is a specific
goal. Vague generalities like, “Make more sales calls,”
won’t prove very helpful.
Specific answers the
questions: What? Who? Where?
Measurable: Make sure
that you have clearly defined criteria to measure whether
or not you achieve the goal. In the above example, you
will know if you achieved the number of calls or not.
Measurable answers the
questions: How much? How many?
Attainable: You are
the best judge of this. You know your own limitations,
tendencies and abilities. Set the bar high enough to
stretch you a little beyond your comfort zone, but to
a level still within your capacity. Be
realistic!
Relevant: Keep your
big picture in mind. Ensure that your goals are in line
with your short-term goals and are compatible with your
values.
Time deadline: Set
a clear target date or time frame as to when you intend
to achieve each goal (i.e., 25 calls each week).
Setting SMART goals significantly increases your chances
of achieving success in your life and your business,
yet studies show that only 3 percent of people actually
have written goals. Writing
and following through on these goals will enable
you to move your business ahead in the direction you
want to go. In addition, SMART goals will:
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Motivate
you to action |
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Keep
you on the right track and moving in the direction
you want to take your business |
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Enable
you to easily identify and avoid distractions |
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Encourage
you as you’re able to measure progress |
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Create
incentives within you to think, feel or act in certain
ways |
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Help
you to write motivating daily to-do lists |
We recommend that before working on goals, you take
a serious look at where you want your business to be
five years from now. In light of that, what will you
need to have accomplished in two years’ time?
Then, in order to keep you moving in the right direction,
what will you need to have in place 12 months from today?
Long-range goals should be
reviewed frequently. Circumstances will change,
and as you move forward, gain new information and insights
and grow personally, you may wish to modify or change
your goals.
Six Steps to Achieve 30-Day SMART
Goals Using the Make-it-Fly®
Goal Achievement Plan:
We chose 30-day goals
because this gives enough time to make significant progress,
yet is short enough to keep you motivated.
| Step
1 |
Express
a clear intention by beginning each goal with the
words
I will… |
| Step
2 |
List
all the potential benefits you’ll enjoy
as a result of achieving your goal. If you’re not
excited about the potential payback, consider a
different goal. |
| Step
3 |
Record
all possible obstacles to reaching the
goal. For example, if your goal is to make 25 sales
presentations, but you will be out of town for two
weeks and you haven’t yet refined and tested your
presentation, these obstacles could sabotage your
success. |
| Step
4 |
After
each of your possible obstacles, note a
possible solution. In the above example,
perhaps adjust the goal to 15 presentations and
block out time to refine your presentation. |
| Step
5 |
Break
your goal into smaller, specific action steps,
set a target date for each, and include each one
in your electronic or paper time management system. |
| Step
6 |
Find
someone to regularly hold you accountable and keep
you on track to do what you have committed to do! |
If you don’t achieve your goal, take time to evaluate
why. Consider what you could have done differently.
Don’t forget to reward yourself
for your successes!
(708 words)
© 2005-2007 Victoria Munro.
Click here
for printable version.
About the Author: Victoria Munro is
co-founder (along with husband Dave Block) of Make-it-Fly®
LLC, a company dedicated to creating success for
small-business owners through creatively designed programs
and tools. Victoria has started and run nine different
businesses. To receive FREE business success articles
with tips to help you with your business, sign up for
their award-winning ezine, “In-Flight Refueling,”
at: www.Make-it-Fly.com,
and receive a free copy of the eBook, Get
More Done in Less Time: 101 Quick and Easy Time Tactics
& Tips.
You’re welcome to “reprint”
this article in your ezine, print publication
or on your website, as long as it remains complete and
unaltered (including the “about the author”
info at the end). Please send a copy of your reprint
to info@make-it-fly.com.
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