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April 30, 2012

Goal setting is not as easy as it sounds…

We’re all familiar with the adage of setting SMART goals (Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-framed).  But I submit that’s only half the story.

Let me give you an example everyone is familiar with – weight loss – and a typical SMART goal tied to it… “I will lose 20 pounds in the next 180 days.”  Yup, it meets all the SMART criteria.  So what?  You can’t just sit around and expect the weight to fall off.

The real goals should put in place the ‘actions’ you will take to lose that weight.  For example:

  • I will work out at the gym for 1 hour, 3 nights a week for the next 6 months.
  • I will stop eating desserts.
  • I will park at the far end of the parking lot and walk to my office… and take the stairs every day.

These are ‘doable’ things that will help you reach your ultimate goal.  They take discipline, persistence and hard work (and that’s why most people never reach their goals!).

Back to marketing & sales… your company probably has a SMART revenue goal set by the executive team; something like, “We will increase revenues by 25% next calendar year.”  Fine… and like weight lose, it won’t just happen.  What actions are you going to put in place that will help you to achieve it?

How you answer that question is what the marketing process is all about… and doing it well will give you a competitive advantage.


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