Archive for January, 2012
Monday, January 30th, 2012
In a recent advisory board meeting I attended, the topic of award entries came up. The perception is that the same names win in their category year after year after year. What do they know that you don’t?
How to win an award
I asked 4 judges, who are also award winners themselves, and 2 writers, who create award-winning entries for their clients, what you need to know. The answers might surprise you…
Meet the JudgesAndrea Michaels, President, Extraordinary Events Colja Dams, CEO, VOK Dams Group Tony Conway, Owner, A Legendary Event Janet Elkins, President, Eventworks
Meet the WritersRuth Moyte, Wordmaker, Red Dandelion Creative Michelle Bergstein-Fontanez, Director of Marketing, Exhilarate Events |
What are the biggest mistakes companies make when submitting an award entry?
Not reading the rules!
Colja: Most award entries are turned down even before the jury gets together because formalities are missed.
Janet: Submissions that do not provide all information requested, are thrown together carelessly or are not written within specified guidelines (word counts, layout, etc.) may result in a reduction of points awarded. It is best to read and reread and then go back point by point through your submission to ensure all elements required are included and that any directions provided have been followed perfectly.
Missing the mark
Andrea: Not paying attention to what is really needed vs. the egotistical need to praise yourself into winning, because of course you are the most original, the most cost effective, the most creative and all that bullsh*t.
Ruth: Understand why your entry should be considered to win. What’s the angle – what sets apart your project from the others? If you can’t answer those questions with something other than “because I want to win an award”, it’s back to the drawing board. If you don’t understand why your project should win, most likely a judge won’t either.
Underestimating the power of photography
Michelle: No matter how minute the picture, or even how bad the picture may be, an award entry’s sole purpose is to tell the story about the event. Pictures are really worth a thousand words. As soon as you start planning an event, hire an amazing photographer and, if you can, also get a videographer. Give them specific direction on a shot list – from setting up, challenges, and during the event. Also be sure your photographer/videographer captures the emotion of the event and the artistry, yes that may be a little vague, but get them to capture all the details that went into planning the event. No detail should be left uncovered!
Getting lazy
Ruth: Pushing timeframes to the wire, and then writing in a rush is a big mistake. If you’re writing for yourself, give yourself time. If you’re having a writer do it, give them even more time. Editing is a part of the natural writing process. When you don’t give yourself enough time to write, then you’re cheating yourself.
Janet: It is imperative to write the submission specific to each award and focused on the elements pertinent to that individual award. You may develop an incredible submission for one award but use the same thing for another and you may miss key items that the second award calls for or the judging panel may feel that you are just dialing it in rather than truly investing in the submission process. This is also true when submitting an event to different publications, organizations or award presenters. There is an opportunity for cross over in judges and the requirements of submission for one may not match the requirements for another.
Writing a sales letter
Michelle: A big mistake I’ve seen is positioning entry content like a sales letter or promotional piece. This is not an ad, nor a sales campaign, this is an award entry, judged by fellow event professionals and veteran judges. The’ve seen it all, been through it all.
Talking facts, not stories.
Ruth – They should be able to transport me to the event so that I can imagine experiencing everything first hand.
Tell me about an entry that stuck out in your mind, either really great or really bad.
Andrea: I want to be amazed. And there are so very many examples (I’m talking about great right now). Last year for Gala I saw an entry for Venice, Italy where the visuals were so incredible and the scope of the job so amazing, nothing could compare. The film they sent, the photos they took were incredible…you felt the event come alive.
And the bad and ugly? One entry on floral was about three paragraphs which told no unusual story, and a few small photos loosely put into a binder so they were falling out. If the entrant felt so little commitment to the award I didn’t think the entry could possibly be worthy.
Janet: One great entry that stands out for me is one I have seen from Thailand. I feel like sometimes we in the West a bit arrogant about our belief in the ability to produce cutting edge, award worthy events with our access to premier technology and décor as compared to other places and we forget the beauty and creativity that comes from other countries and other cultures. The event I am thinking of was spectacular – starting with great depictions through quality photographs. The event showed the company’s complete attention to detail displaying beautiful work that incorporated creative fabric colors and designs in unique formats while tying in stunning floral elements to enhance the overall look. That detail also showed in the submission of their entry – it was thorough and well organized. Everything supported a central theme and provided multiple interesting visual experiences both for those looking at the photos as well I assume for those who actually attended the event.
What opportunities do you think businesses are missing out on?
Leveraging the nomination.
Tony:
1. Market not only your award win but also your entry and nominations
2. Use social media to share the news with your connections
3. While at the awards ceremony:
- Share a few highlights about your award nominations
- Thank your clients for allowing the event to be nominated
Janet: It is important to have press coverage of any kind – the more exposure, the more opportunities your business will have. Take the time to submit press releases, photos, blogs, award entries, etc. on all interesting o unique events you are involved in – even if you only produced a portion of the event. Explain your participation and the aspect that your company produced, include photos as applicable. Take advantage of any opportunity where you can display and be acknowledged for your work.
What would you say to someone who says they don’t think their event or business is award-worthy?
Tony: You never get nominated or win if you don’t enter. All business is award-winning if you write it well and submit great photography.
Janet: Let someone else be the judge. If your event or business has any element that is unique, creative or newsworthy it is worth the attempt. Even if you do not deem what you are doing as award worthy, consider turning your submission into a blog contribution or article for a magazine. Remember, press coverage and exposure makes for good opportunities.
Colja: If you don’t try – you will never win.
Andrea: Like everything in life it’s a numbers game and you will never know what judges are looking for. Enter, enter, enter and you’ll each time learn how to write better and produce better photography. And all of us who work at this crazy industry are worthy of an award. And if you don’t think anything you do is “worthy” then start changing what you do.
In order to create an amazing entry, what processes do you recommend a business implements?
Janet: Take a personal approach to each entry, share the mood, the feelings the event was intended to engender. Set the stage that draws the reader in to help them share the experience that the attendees had. The judges may review a large number of submissions, if yours is well written and memorable you have a better chance of standing out.
And, submit it in advance of the deadline just in case there is a foul up to give yourself enough opportunity to make sure it gets there in plenty of time.
Colja: Work on it while it’s still fresh – and make sure you get the pictures needed.
Andrea: Take notes on site so you don’t forget anything memorable. Do a careful outline of everything you want to include. Write the entry then put away. After a while rewrite and put away again. When you think you have the final fabulous entry send to someone to read who has no experience with that event and ask them to tell you everything that could be improved upon. They are reading for content, just like a judge will. And invest everyone on the team who worked on this event to help you with the entry, adding their personal anecdotes. I also recommend making it a light hearted read so judges can have some fun reading it.
Michelle: If you can’t hire a writer to do your award entry, work out a reduced fee for them to proofread it and make the due diligence review to make sure you have all your ducks in a row. At the end of the day, 90% of the process is following the award entry rules to a T, a minor misstep can disqualify you despite how amazing your content is.
Ruth: I believe that you know early on in the process if an event is going to be award worthy from a uniqueness angle. You may not know all the challenges that are going to arise, but to me those are the icing on the cake. When I used to produce, I always knew ahead of time that I’d be entering – or least 99% of the time. The “it” factor would pop on my radar and I’d start paying attention, writing notes, funny stories. Write down notes right after the event while you’re still emotional about it. Or call me and tell me about it so that I can write them down. I prefer to write an event when it is exciting and fresh in everyone’s mind. It makes for a better entry.
Get away from the office when writing. Go somewhere that you are comfortable and relaxed. Grab a glass of wine or a beverage, write from where you feel creative. It should be quiet and solitary so that you can concentrate well. If you like music, turn some on in the background. The key is to be comfortable.
Will you be participating in an upcoming award entry? Don’t miss the upcoming Canadian Event Industry Awards and the Event Marketing Awards (entries are due soon, but you still have time).
(photo via Vitó)
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Google Business Photos should be on the radar for hotels, retailers, restaurants, event rental companies and any other business that has a storefront.
Last year, I wrote on how to set up you business on Google Places, a critical step for being found in local searches. To enhance your listing, Google also introduced Google Business Photos. These are like Google Streetview for interiors. Google is working directly with local store owners across the US, Australia, UK, New Zealand and France to take complimentary professional interior photographs.
To find a Google-approved local photographer and get your Google Places set up with interior photos, visit Google’s Business Photos site.
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We have a tendency to cling to what is familiar, even when it can have a detrimental impact on us and our businesses.
Most event planners I’ve talked to have been very hesitant to embrace Google Plus, Google’s social networking site. The key reason? It feels like Facebook, without your established network, a few unfamiliar tools thrown into the mix…and, let’s be honest, who needs yet another social network to worry about?
Well, Facebook has a pool of about 800 million users, but billions of people perform billions of searches every single day. And that’s precisely why it would be a mistake to ignore Google Plus.
The Tipping Point
2 weeks ago, Google announced ‘Search, Plus Your World‘ a controversial revolution in the world of search that will have a major impact on your brand’s online presence. As Google states on their website:
“Search has always brought you information from across the web. Now, search gets better by including photos, posts, and more from you and your friends. When signed in with Google+, you’ll find personal results and profiles of people you know or follow. You can even expand your world by discovering people related to your search.”
It looks a little like this:
The World of Search has Changed
Search was once a competition of keyword relevance. Brands would hire an SEO expert to optimize their sites and find other ‘relevant’ sites to link to theirs – all to have their site ranked higher than their competition.
Google aims to change this by making search socially relevant. In other words, when someone within your social circle shares something, Google believes this content is likely more contextually relevant to you.
What This Means for Your Business and Google Plus
If you google yourself or your brand right now, it’s very likely your Google Plus profile (if you have one) will be on the first page and, in many cases, the first result. That’s because Google is giving priority to content from their social network (just like Google gave priority to YouTube videos and pictures from Blogger blogs – two platforms they own).
Connect the dots and that means:
- the content you share on Google Plus can appear higher in search results than even your own website.
- the larger the pool of people exposed to your content in Google Plus the more likely it is to get shared.
- the more people sharing your content, the more probable it is that you will be discovered by someone performing a ‘search, plus your world’.
- it’s not hard to imagine how much more powerful it is to have an endorsement of your brand from people your prospects know than it is to get random results from a search engine.
There are now over 1 million business pages and 90 million users on Google+. Will you be one of them?
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It launched in December of 2009, but many small businesses have just started hearing the buzz about Pinterest in the past few months. Still officially in Beta (and invitation-only), Pinterest has joined the weberatti, sitting alongside Facebook and LinkedIn, as one of the 10 most popular social networking sites. It now boasts over 5 million users and has been touted as the fastest growing social network in history. Have I piqued your interest?
Brides, wedding bloggers, fashionistas, graphic designers and artists have embraced the site. And more recently, I’ve seen real estate agents, television brands and teachers jumping on board. At a time when nary a person would say that they need another social networking site, Pinterest has flourished. Why?
The compelling features
In my opinion, they have the magic formula for an over-stimulated and time-starved internet user:
- Simple – It is immensely easy to use. Click to pin, put it in a category, add some keywords, et voila. A great user experience, clean design and devoid of ads, interacting with Pinterest is a breath of fresh air. And, as easy as it is to pin, it’s just as easy to repin. In one click and a matter of seconds, thousands of people can share something that’s been posted.
- Visual – We see well before we read. Pinterest is all about sharing visual images and ideas. No laborious reading here.
- Controllable – Unlike many other social networking tools, YOU choose what’s shared with you.
- Scannable – Pinterest is like window shopping. At a glance users can get inspired and see what’s hot. You don’t need to dedicate hours to Pinterest. In fact, you’ll find yourself scanning during lunch, before you put the kids to sleep, while you’re watching TV, etc.
- Serendipitous – Pinterest is about discovery. Log in and find all the things you love that you didn’t even know you were looking for.
Is Pinterest Right for Your Business?
What makes Pinterest so interesting are the users behind the tool. Grandmothers, stay-at-home Moms, husbands, students and everyone in between. The thread that binds is that they’re looking for visual inspiration or to inspire others visually. In fact, there’s very little discussion altogether, which makes this tool totally unique to any other social networking site.
So, if you’re products or services aren’t visually compelling, this likely isn’t the site for you.
That said, as this tool quickly becomes the place to collect and bookmark things we love, we may see the way it is used shift over time.
20 Ideas for using Pinterest for Your Business
For the inventory-rich business
- Promote your products / inventory – Add a ‘Pin It’ button on each product page to allow customers and prospects to share and catalogue your images.
- Product popularity – Track which products/ideas from your site have elicited the most shares.
- Product ideas – Rather than simply show a photo of your product (like a chair, for example), create Boards by theme (i.e. Winter Wonderland) and show the chairs in different thematic environments. Showcase your knowledge of trends and catalogue products by trend types (i.e. color blocking, stripes, metallics, etc).
- R&D – Test new product ideas by pinning them on Pinterest. Ask customers to vote on the ones they like most by repinning them, liking them or commenting.
- Create an e-commerce board – With Pinterest, you can not only showcase your individual products, you can also attach a price to the item (by putting a dollar figure before the price). When you do this, your products are automatically added under the “Gifts” tab, which allow users to browse products by price.
- Crowdsourced photos – Ask customers to pin photos of themselves using your products and tag them with your company name or a hashtag.
- Weekly offer / sale – Deal of the day sites begone. Why not host your own flash sale site by creating an ‘On Sale’ board and posting sale items. Or create a weekly offer that you promote on Pinterest only.
For the event planner
Create an account for your event:
- Tell a story about the event – Imagine you’re planning a fundraising event. You could create a board of pictures from your events, a board on inspirational quotes, a board showing who you’re helping, a preview of products you’re auctioning, etc.
- Speaker videos – Ask speakers to create a video promoting their session, upload them to YouTube and then pin them on Pinterest. Don’t forget to add annotations to your videos about your event.
- Crowdsourced photos – Ask attendees to pin their photos to Pinterest and have them tag photos with your event name or a hashtag.
- Invitations – Create an invitation image for Pinterest and include the event details in the Details.
- Portfolio – Show transformations & before and afters. As I reported in my last blog post on How to Get PR for your Event Business, editors are scanning social media sites to find events and ideas to feature in their publications.
For all
- Find fans – Find out who has pinned content from your site. Simply type http://pinterest.com/source/yoursite.com into the address bar in your web browser and it will show you who has shared your website’s information and what they shared. Click on their profiles to learn about them and their interests. Consider commenting on their pin, providing more information, answering questions, etc.
- Humanize – Tell a story about your company by way of your pins and boards. For example, an event planning company could have boards for their favorite design books, office photos, style trends, quotes, employee photos, work samples, other interests (like favorite foods / recipes), other inspiration (like favorite decor ideas)
- Insights – Spend time looking into your followers to understand who wants to stay on top of what you’re pinning. Follow them back and track what their interests are. This can give you deeper insight into who they are.
- Contests – Hold a contest asking customers / attendees to pin photos – the one with the most repins, likes or comments win a prize. I.e. Event organizers, hold a contest asking attendees to pin their favorite moments from your event.
- SEO - Currently, when someone attributes a pin to your website (by including a link), this actually counts for SEO value.
- Research – Follow influencers and find out what they think is hot, important and interesting. A bonus is that a user is notified when someone begins following them. So, this can be like a tap on the back to let influencers know you’re there. You’d be surprised how many people research who’s following them.
- Seasonality – Match your boards with your business’ seasonalities. For example, a caterer might create a Valentine’s board to showcase great food ideas for Valentine’s day. A planner might create wedding boards during wedding planning season. A rental company might create a holiday wish list board to showcase products relevant to the holiday season.
- Think keywords – Many users take advantage of the search function on Pinterest, so ensure you’re thinking keywords when you enter your image/video description.
A Few Words of Caution
- Self-promotion – Every social networking site has its own etiquette. Pinterest is no exception. They discourage users from using the network as purely promotional. That’s just common sense.
- High quality photography needed – If you’re going to participate, recognize that if you want to be repinned, your images / videos need to be high quality and attractive.
- Open window into your thoughts, ideas & organization – Pinterest does not have the ability to make your pins private for now, although they have identified this is something they’re considering working on. So, be cautious about what you share. For example, you might not want to post ideas for projects you’re working on – for confidentiality and privacy reasons.
- Rules of conduct – As with any social networking site, there are specific (and legal) rules of conduct. Ensure you follow Pinterest’s Copyright, Privacy and Terms of Use Policies. The site is stirring up a lot of controversy over their copyright terms, so it’s important to read them carefully and ensure you understand and are comfortable with them.
Update
Here is list of how actual events or businesses who have creatively used Pinterest:
- SXSW Survival Guide
- PitchEngine posts recent pitches
- A list of brands using Pinterest
- Mike McCallen uses Pinterest to show his resume
- Fashion label live-pins their event
What are your favorite ideas? How are you using Pinterest for your business?
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Thursday, January 12th, 2012
How would you like to get FREE exposure for your business? How would you like your latest event to be featured prominently in the glossy pages of your favorite magazine? And how would you like to be quoted as the featured expert in your field?
I recently spoke with 3 prominent special event publication Editors to understand, from their perspectives, what opportunities event businesses are missing and, more importantly, what they need to do to about it.
Meet the ExpertsChad Kaydo, Editor in Chief, BizBash Media Liese Gardner, Editorial Director, Event Solutions Magazine Lisa Hurley, Editor, Special Events Magazine |
With all the pitches that come across their desk, what gets your attention?
Be relevant, be relevant, be relevant!
Liese – “Those that are relevant to the content and spirit of the magazine. It’s great when the sender sends an informative message – such as ‘We just produced an event we think is great for your tent issue. It involved X-number of tents, was unique because of XX, the challenges were X and the team included X, Y and Z. Here is contact information for them. Attached are low res photos by (photographer’s name) for sending purposes, but we can get you high-res as soon as you need.’ Simple, to the point, informative. People get too caught up in what they may have learned about press releases and pitches. This is really all that is needed to get our attention!
Chad – “BizBash has a pretty specific audience and we like to cover things before anyone else does, so I’d rather get an email with a couple short paragraphs about why this would be interesting to my reader, not a press release that is more suited to a general audience—and that is going out to lots of other outlets. (That said, clear, comprehensive press materials are very helpful once a story is assigned.)”
Beyond context, think about content
Liese – “I can’t stress about the photos enough. Like so many publications, Event Solutions is photo-driven whether online or digitally, so that always will be a major consideration for inclusion.”
What is the most memorable way someone pitched a product/idea?
Show, don’t just tell
Lisa – “This is so old-fashioned and of course doesn’t work for all pitches, but I am always impressed when someone sends me a sample (and no, I’m not asking for freebies, and I think it’s wise to ask an editor beforehand if they would like to see a sample). To me this says the person making the pitch believes so strongly in their product or service that they just know I will like it once I see it.”
Avoid Gimmicks
Chad – “If you have a product you’d like us to check out, of course we’ll want to see it, but sending a gift or overly elaborate packaging doesn’t make me more likely to feature something,” says Chad Kaydo, “Straightforward and targeted always beats fussy and overwrought.”
Social Proof
Lisa – “I also put a lot of faith into pitches that carry the endorsements of leading event planners.”
What tips do you have for becoming THE person that gets called for a quote?
Build Relationships
Liese – “Here is the bottom line on why someone gets quoted and it’s no mystery – they have been in touch with the magazine either by sending consistently good information or have been visible in other press (press begets press). I suggest sending a note to the editor outlining your area(s) of expertise and that you are available anytime as a resource for articles that concern that topic(s). It lets the editor know that you can be a resource on certain subjects. I recommend sending this type of pitch in addition to company news and event pitches.
Have a Plan
Liese – “In regards to all these different type of communiqué with the media, it’s a good idea to map out with your team what you want to get from media exposure. There are two approaches. One is the shotgun affect in which you are looking for any mention, anywhere. To me, that is not very effective. The other is a strategic placement and a careful campaign that puts you, your company, your work, your expertise, in front of the right publications that will in turn get you in front of the right clients.”
Be Easy to Work With
Lisa – “The number one rule for getting quoted is to reply-fast! We editors always seem to be putting things together at the last moment, and if I don’t hear back from someone I’ve contacted for a quote, I have to move on to someone else.” If an editor reaches out to you after a pitch, that’s like a little jerk on your line when you’re fishing. You got ‘em hooked! don’t waste this opportunity and get back to them as fast as you can. just two weeks ago, I got a great press release for an event product, which included the promise “photos available upon request.” but the PR person never got back to me, and so we wrote up another product.
Liese – “If you see someone quoted often, it also usually means that they are also reliable sources for the editor. Meaning, they will call or e-mail back within 24 hours if not sooner (editors are notoriously on deadline), they address the subject at hand in full sentences that offer little jewels of information (in other words – no “yes” or “no” answers).”
Have a Unique POV
Lisa – “If you want to be quoted, be brave. Speak in specifics, not generalities, and don’t be afraid to give an opinion.”
Chad – “Speak in soundbites—keep it short and interesting. Don’t just promote what you do.”
Mind your Ps and Qs
Chad – “Say ‘thank you’ after the story runs, regardless of how prominently you were featured—it’s a reminder to the writer that you’re still out there, and that you follow what they do.”
How is social media changing the way you find ideas / experts to feature in your publication?
Feedback & Ideas
Chad – “It definitely shows you who is engaged in a topic. We occasionally use @BizBash_News and our Facebook page to solicit opinions and suggestions for stories.”
Finger on the Pulse
Liese – “Because so much of what we do is photo driven, Facebook is perfect for looking in on what event professionals are doing. In this regard (photo wise) it’s a little more helpful than Twitter or Linked In. Myself, our editor, Ann Turner, and our Creative Director, Jean Blackmer, have all found stories and photos on Facebook because it is so rich with photo postings, albums or blog links. For business articles, staying in tune with Linkedin conversations has been a great way to find what people are talking about and find new experts. Personally, I find these three social media outlets to be a sea change in shaping editorial as well as keeping my finger on the pulse of the industry. I’ve found so many great new faces through Twitter, especially by following hashtag conversations such as #eventprofs.”
Make your own media opportunity
Liese – “I encourage everyone to be their own media through blogging. There are just so many stories out there and limited editorial space (this holds true of print and online media outlets). By blogging, companies are able to control their brand and message and consistently reach out to current and prospective clients. And, as I mentioned, the media will also look in on blogs to find stories, get more information about you, or educate themselves on your work or marketplace.”
What are the biggest mistakes you see companies make, and how should they fix them?
Sending content in unusable form
Lisa – “I’m always amazed at pitches that come my way in some graphic form that makes me have to retype the information in order to post or print it. This is not why God made computers.”
Making editors hunt for information
Lisa – “I highly recommend spoon-feeding editors. For example, I sometimes get pitches for new venues, and when I ask for missing basics such as capacities, the person pitching will tell me, ‘Oh, you can find that information on the venue’s website.’ No, no, no! Think about what info the editor needs and get it for them—even if that means just grabbing it off the website yourself. Make it easy for the editor to cover you, and you will get coverage.”
Pitching too frequently
Chad – “If you mass-email an irrelevant press release every week, when I see your name in my inbox, my brain says ‘delete’.”
Short-term thinking
Liese – “If you have something coming – say you are doing something large in the summer – I’d start reaching out to the editors now with other news, yet mention that tidbit as well in the ‘bio’ paragraph about your company. It’s about sitting down and creating a strategy so that all the pieces of your story are being conveyed in several different ways.”
Chad – “If yesterday’s pitch didn’t get covered, tomorrow’s might, and next month the writer might get an assignment that you’d be a perfect source for. And that might be a bigger story than what you were originally hoping for. Build a relationship over time.”
Waiting too long to reach out to the media
Chad – “Sometimes people take so long to create an elaborate pitch, the information gets stale. When we cover an event, we like to post the story within a day or two. If you take a week to put together a press release, it’s probably too late for us to do much with it. (That said, we always want to see photos of innovative work, and we often use those photos in other kinds of stories later.)”
What tips have you used for getting press coverage for your business?
photo via Shrieking Tree
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Friday, January 6th, 2012
This time of year is rejuvenating because it gives all of us an opportunity to shed old skin and recalibrate our thinking. But the hype often gives way to habit. You only need to turn to your local gym to see this phenomenon in action. Throngs of people sign up in January but more than half don’t make it to swimsuit season. In fact, gyms typically anticipate a 20-30% drop out rate by April.
The Curse of Business Bad Habits
In their 4th Annual National Small Business Survey, Staples found that more than 80% of small business owners don’t keep track of their business goals.
Most of these companies are plagued with a dichotomy. They are either convinced that big challenges require complex ideas and end up building a plan that is too difficult to execute or become anxious at the thought of introspective thinking and instead focus on independent tasks that lack a unified direction.
Goal Planning is Business Sustenance
There’s a quote by Lewis Carroll that says, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” Goal planning provides a distinct path that takes you from where you are to where you want to go. It helps you know if you’re heading in the right direction, ensures that you spend time doing things that are most important to the business and aligns employees behind a direction. Establishing and maintaining goals are fundamental contributors to small business success.
A 3-Step Solution
One of the most useful tools I’ve developed for my business is a simple and easy-to-use 3-Step Goal Setting Worksheet.
Step 1 – Start with the End in Mind
- At the end of the year, what do you want you company to look like?
- With this in mind, list in the first column the three to six most important areas of focus for your business?
- In the second column identify specifically how you’ll define success.
Step 2 – Create your Path
- In order to achieve your Year End GOAL, next define the milestones you need to achieve by the end of each quarter.
Step 3 – Define the Steps
- In order to achieve your Quarterly Milestones, define the specific tasks you need to achieve each month.
I schedule 1 hour every Friday planning my next week to ensure that I’m working my way through to my milestones. And I spend 1/2 hr at the end of each day planning the specific tasks I’ll be doing the following day. The important thing is to not get caught up in the monotony of bad habits and always keep your eye on the end game.
Click here to download the worksheet.
What tools and processes do you use to define and maintain your business goals?
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