How often have you set goals and seen them through until the end? Most people struggle to set goals and even when they do, their biggest issue is staying focused. So why is it so difficult to set goals and achieve them? In this blog post, I will provide some top tips for setting business goals. We won’t discuss the definition of business goals, but you can find out more about the support I provide by visiting my goal setting page using the link below. Tips for setting business goalsAlthough business goals are a little bit different to setting personal goals, the two of them should be closely linked and actually have a lot in common. A personal goal might be focused on getting fit or achieving something on a personal level compared to hitting a sales target as a business goal, but the approach you take for both types of goals is critical to success. I will explain how personal and business goals are more aligned later. Here are some tips for setting business goals: Use a structured goal-setting processWriting down goals into a document that is structured will increase the chances of being clear on what you want to achieve, and by when. On the other hand, scribbling down your plans on a piece of paper that can easily be lost is a great way to forget what you want to achieve and to lose focus! For the best results, use a goal setting template that breaks down goals into activities and that you can refer back to regularly. Find the WHYYou are more likely to be motivated - and stay motivated - on your goals if you have a strong reason and desire to achieve them. If you are a busy business owner, working long hours and aren’t sure if you are doing the right thing then find your “why”. It may be that you want to retire at a set age with a high level of financial freedom or you have a bucket list including places you want to travel to around the world over the next 10 years. Having a strong personal reason to work on your business goals will motivate you to work on them. Be specific with your business goals and objectives:You have possibly heard of SMART goals and they possibly get overused, but that’s for good reason. Using the SMART abbreviation is a great technique if you aren’t sure how to set business goals that get results. Business goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-related will get better results. Imagine setting a goal to grow your business without adding a specific figure or without saying when it will be done by. How do you know if or when you have achieved it? Similarly, setting a goal that’s NOT achievable can be demotivating and will increase the chances of failing. For more information on SMART goals, I recommend reading this article on SMART goals by Mindtools: SMART Goals - Time Management Training From MindTools.com Break down your goals into smaller actionsSmaller tasks are easier to do and are more motivating. Being able to quickly tick off your goals and feel like you are making progress is possibly one of the best top tips for setting goals you can have. Setting goals can be overwhelming, but accomplishing one small task is a lot more motivating and, if you complete 10 simple tasks really easily, you will quickly find you have achieved your goal! It doesn’t matter if you are setting personal or business goals, this top tip will help you. Use a trigger habit to get you startedYou have set your goals and defined your actions, but you just can’t motivate yourself to get started, right? As a famous quote goes, the best way to get started is, and this might seem strange, to get started. Once you are in full flow, working on your actions then you will be on a roll but the challenge for many people is getting out of the starting block. According to James Clear in his book Atomic Habits, a trigger habit is something that gets you started. If you have a blog post, book or website page to write but don’t know where to start then just put pen to paper and write one sentence. It doesn’t matter how good or how bad it is. You can always edit what you have written. I have had this issue many times when writing my books on Amazon or when writing a blog post. I would spend (or should I say waste?) time trying to come up with the perfect opening paragraph when in reality it didn’t matter. Most people take value from the content that comes later on. Nobody reads a great blog post and thinks “that first sentence wasn’t worthy of being in a Jane Austen novel”! If you have an action to make sales calls, post regularly on social media or do email prospecting, just send out one email, make one call or post one thing. Then do it again… Shorten the goal-setting periodSetting goals over 12 months is too long. We set goals in January (or the last day of December) and by February we have lost motivation and possibly forgotten what we want to achieve. Does that sound familiar? This scenario applies more to personal goals but the way our mind works and how we behave isn’t radically different when it comes to setting business targets. if you want to know how to set business goals that you can stay focused on, then check out my online course on how to set goals that get results. I use a proven formula that requires setting goals over a 10-week period. This helps massively to stay focused and knowing that you have less time to achieve results means there is more urgency. Deadlines get things done - and the closer the deadline, the more laser-focused we are! Get help with setting business goalsIf you aren’t sure how to set business goals or you need help focusing on business goals then get someone to help you. This could be a colleague or friend who keeps you accountable or better still, it could be a business coach who has experience in setting goals.
If you would like help with setting goals then let’s talk! Use the button below to set up a call and we can discuss how to set business goals that you want to and can achieve! Many thanks for reading this blog post on how to set business goals. I hope you have found them useful. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch. |
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February 2022
AuthorAuthor Darren Hignett has a wealth of experience and knowedge on achieving results with 10 different books on Amazon as well as experience running a coaching and digital marketing business. |