How to Fine Tune Your Marketing Efforts to Attract More Clients – Part 2

Last week we discussed how to get clear on what is (and what is not) working in your business, so that you can make the necessary adjustments and start seeing better results with your marketing.

Once you are clear on what you’d like to change and just what your baseline is, it’s time to start setting some goals.  Setting goals is a critical factor in your business success for the following reasons:

• Setting goals gives you something to work toward.
• Working toward goals allows you to measure your progress.
• When you stay focused on your goals you will be more likely to say no to distractions that could delay your progress.

Setting and achieving your goals will increase your confidence, improve the quality of the services you offer and make you more attractive to prospects.  When defining your goals, it’s important to keep a few things in mind:

• Your goals must be specific.  You don’t want to say, “I’d like to make more money in my business” or “I want more clients”.  You want to be much more specific with your goals.  Define how much revenue you would like to generate, or how many clients you’d like to enroll in your practice.
• Your goals must have a deadline.  Ambiguity won’t serve you here.  Set a specific date by which you plan to achieve the goal.  That way, you can easily break the goal down into manageable action steps, performed weekly.
• Your goals must be reasonable.  You should stretch yourself a bit past your comfort zone so that you really have to step up your game to achieve the desired result.  Just be careful not to set yourself up for frustration by setting a goal that’s too high for you, right now.  For example: If you currently have zero clients, deciding you want to have 20 clients within the next 30 days may not be realistic.  But you could certainly attract 5 new clients within the next month.  Set goals that are a bit of a stretch, yet still attainable.

Before you dive into outlining your goals, I encourage to imagine what your perfect business looks like.  What kind of clients do you work with?  How many hours per week do you work in your business?  What does your monthly revenue look like?  How are you making a difference in your client’s lives?  As you clarify the vision for your business, you’ll be able to set your goals according to this perspective.

Why is this important?  Because another key to success is setting goals which align with your personal vision for your business.  You must work toward your vision, not someone else’s.  Your vision has to be your own!

As you consider what you would like to accomplish, analyze the different aspects of your marketing which can bring that vision to life – such as:

• How many clients you have now – and exactly how many you’d like to have
• The size of your email list now – and what you’d like it to be
• How often you do speaking engagements now – and how many you’d like to do each month
• What marketing strategies you pursue now – and those you would like to participate in
• What programs/products you offer now – vs. what your ideal client actually needs
• What type of support you use to market your business now – and what you need to put in place

Remember, it’s YOUR business.  Owning your goals and making them work for your situation is what will set you apart from others.  You will continue to stand out when you keep your focus, because you will be actively accomplishing more in your field than those who are simply copying ideas from others.  True marketing strategy begins with fresh ideas – so, once you have accomplished a goal, set another reasonable goal, along with a deadline for achieving it.  It will keep you moving forward, preventing you from being left behind or overcome by the rest of the pack!

Have you reached one of your defined goals recently? If so, I would love to hear about it. Please take a moment to share your success here on my blog!

Your Action Plan For The Week:

1. If you haven’t already done so – Take the time to make a list of all the goals you have for your business.
2. Review your goals.  Be sure that they are yours and yours alone.
3. Score your goals using a scale of 1-5.  The number one representing the least attainable and the number five being most reasonable and easiest to attain.
4. Decide on a reasonable – but firm – deadline to accomplish all goals scoring a 5.