Are you great at knowing what you want to achieve, but not so good at actually pulling your goals out of your head and writing them down? You sorta know what you want to do, but aren't quite sure how to do it. 

Well I want to share with you a simple process that will make this a little easier for you.

First thing is to get clear on what your objectives are for 2012.  Then begin by making a list of the objectives you want to achieve this year.  Be specific and include time-frames for each one. So an example may be:

   I want to increase my list size by 10,000 and before September 2012.

From here, the second thing you want to do, is ask yourself: 

a)  What are my strategies for achieving these objectives? 

b)  What type of programs/services will I be selling to reach my objectives?

Take time to list all of the different strategies you can take to achieve your objectives.  The clearer you are here, the easier the next step will be.  So an example may be:

   To develop a value add free offer that will capture peoples names and contact addresses.

   To produce high quality content to use in promotional activities

And the final step is to break your strategies down into actionable steps, that you can track.

Your Success Assignment:

Now you know what the steps are to pulling together your Objectives for 2012.  It's up to you to take the time now and write our your objectives (if you haven't done so already).  Make them real for you, and make sure that you feel excited about what you want to achieve. If you don't then you've got the wrong objectives, and I would encourage you to go back through and look at what the best ones are for YOU!

 

I'm looking forward to working with you in 2012.

Yours in success

Deb

Ps.  Go ahead - let's work together in 2012

PPS.  Feel free to forward this email on to others you think might be interested in attending...

What I’ve learnt over the many years of being a business owner is the importance of having a strong team around you.  I've learnt that you don’t have to go it alone; in fact, going alone is taking the long (and risky) road to building a business.  Asking for support is more than okay, and having others who are there to challenge you is a good thing for your business growth and learning.

I was reminded of this earlier in the week, when one of my mentor clients posted a blog in our VIP clients' secret facebook group. Kim Wight and I have been working together for the past 12 months, and she had decided to write about her experience in building a strong support team around her and her business.  I thought I would share her experience with you as follows...

"I have now been in business for eight years, but 12 months ago my business model changed when I split from my business partners and was on my own. I admit that I was a little scared and worried if I could do it by myself.  While I knew I had the expertise in my role as a mortgage broker, I was concerned about how I could grow my business.

But I believe the universe has a way of opening doors for us and it certainly did in my case.   

About the same time as my business changed, I attended a networking event where the keynote speaker was Deb Pilgrim, who described herself as the 'Entrepreneur’s Business Mentor'.  After hearing Deb speak I decided to take up her offer of having her mentor me. I had spoken with other mentors and business coaches in the past but there was something about Deb that made me feel I needed to use her service. Was it business chemistry, or that inner sense that tells you this is the right thing to do?

We talked about my business, my personal life, my fears, and my plans, and together started to chart a course of action. Notice how I've kept saying ‘my’, because with Deb it is about what you want, and about how you will achieve it. It is not about an old business model pulled out for each client regardless of their experience or challengers as many other mentors or coaches do. 

In the beginning there were times when I put up road blocks and thought I would never get to the place I wanted to be. There were tears as I started to underestimate myself, but at all these times Deb was there quietly asking the right questions and giving tremendous insight and guidance to me.

It was during one of these times that Deb introduced me to Joanne Prior of Think Yourself Successful.  Joanne has this amazing ability to focus on your life and make such positive affirmations that you cannot help but be inspired and rejuvenated. I would recommend everyone needs a bit of Joanne in his or her life.

My business is part of a franchise group, but my goal was to develop my own brand of Kim Wight and be known and recognised as an expert in my field.  To do this I had to start promoting myself. I needed to make myself stand out from all the other mortgage brokers.  We worked on my core messages and elevator pitch, so that at networking events I would stand  apart from other brokers who tended to churn out the same old content. I had always wanted to be a keynote speaker, so one thing I began to do was write e-books which I could offer to people after each presentation as an add value.

Then with the support of Deb I launched into social media. I interviewed a number of experts before deciding to work with Tracey Jarvis of Social Media Girl. Tracey had her work cut out as I had dabbled in Facebook, but Twitter and Google were like a foreign language to me. Tracey helped me to further see my Kim Wight brand. She set up my web page and taught me how to not only use social media, but to enjoy it!  I now get such a buzz when people ‘like’ my page, follow me on twitter, and then mention or retweet me –  this is my greatest compliment.

So where has my business gone in the last 12 months? Well, I have had a 50% increase in profit. I am now having my blogs pinged to other sites; I have journalists contacting me for comments on finance, and I am a regular finance commentator on Angela’s Business Mix on 99.7FM.   

I am being asked to present not just on finance matters, but also on networking and the use of social media in small business.

In essence that networking meeting where I meet Deb Pilgrim opened a wonderful new world for me. The value of my time with Deb has far exceeded my expectations, and my goals have not only been met but in fact I feel as though I have been blasted into another universe of opportunity.

So I say “Thank You’’ to my team: Deb Pilgrim for your support, guidance, understanding and enthusiasm for my success, to Joanne Prior who empowers me to be magnificent, to Tracey Jarvis for sharing her expertise of marketing and social media and to Angela Vithoulkas who has been so generous and given me the opportunity to speak with thousands of people through her program Angela’s Business Mix.   Cheers to the team who changed my life.’  Kim Wight

So who is on your team?

Let's continue our conversation, feel free to jump over and leave your comments and ideas around what your offers are on our blog.

When a new client comes on board, one of the areas that we look at fairly early on in the coaching process, is what their offer is to their potential clients, and how can they best position this offer to bring in new clients to their list. 

Let's continue our conversation, feel free to jump over and leave your comments and ideas around what your offers are on our blog.

Being able to work closely with business owners who are focused on making a difference to their businesses over this ninety days is such an honour. 

They all committed in their own way to the process of learning and implementing the materials and concepts that were presented. And as a group, they were there supporting each other through the ninety days.

When I begin working with my clients, although they may be in a variety of industries, they always seem to be confronting the same challenges.  They’re looking at ways to grow their business, improve sales and still have a life, it’s just that they may explain it in different terms to the person sitting next to them.

As we began our ninety day journey, foundations needed to be either built or strengthened for growth and clarity to occur.  It was time to step back and really work on their businesses, rather than getting caught up in the day to day stresses of running their business.

This is one of the main reasons I like working with my clients over a period of time, rather than coming in and doing a one-off session with them.  Given time, they are able to step away from the day-to-day stresses, even for an hour a week, and focus on their own development.  This really is time well spent...

One of the first areas we focused on was really getting clear on who their ideal clients were.  Digging into developing the psychographic profile and understanding what keeps their clients awake at night. Being able to read the minds of your clients is what makes the difference between a good business and a great business.

Once they understood who these people were, they were then able to work through the key benefits and results they achieve with their clients, and consolidate their offers as well as develop their core marketing message.

We spent time looking at all of the different types of marketing activities available, what needed to be included in their marketing plans to further build their client base, and the level of trust within this community.

Nearer the end of the program, and to really consolidate the transfer of learning, each participant ‘presented’ their business to the group.  They incorporated what they had learnt, and posed questions to the group for further brainstorming and masterminding.

The key messages that I know the group are walking away with is that building relationships, engaging and adding value to their clients is what is important in building their thriving business.  That the direction they are going is right for them and their business, and that they believe in the possibilities of not only themselves, but also their business.

So as we enter the second half of 2011, I will be excited to see what they create and achieve for their businesses over the next six months...

Ps. Our next 90 Days Get More Clients coaching program, begins Monday 8th August...

We’ve hit June, six months into 2011, and am wondering how you are going?  It’s been a big six months for some of you, whilst others are struggling to meet the targets set at the start of the year. 

Stepping back and taking time to assess where you currently are, is such an important business strategy for keeping you on track. 

So take a moment to block out some time in your diary to re-evaluate your original targets for 2011.  Maybe you’ve set them too high – made them too unattainable?  Or maybe you haven’t stretched yourself enough and need to push your targets a little further out?

This week, I’ve encouraged all my one on one VIP Mentor clients to block out time in their diary, and reassess what has been happening for them so far this year.  And I would like to share with you the five questions that my clients are currently working through, and make a request that you block out some time this week in your diary to work through them as well.

Don’t rush through your answers, take the time to answer them. Be really honest with yourself around where you are currently, and what changes you need to make.
 
1: What have been my major achievements in the first half  of 2011?

2: What have been my biggest setbacks in the first half of 2011?

3: Have I limited myself in the last six months? If so, how did I limit myself? And what do I need to do to remove these limiting beliefs for the second half of 2011?

4: What do I need to learn from my answers to the above questions?

5: How can I use this information to make the second half of 2011 ROCK? (and yes, I did write ‘ROCK’)

Now, looking over your answers what have you noticed? What do you need to change and do less of? What is working well and you need to keep doing? 

As always, my aim is to be here and support you, so feel free to share with me your answers to these questions.