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Plan for Success
Plan for Success
Tips to help you achieve your goals in the New Year
In order to have a productive and profitable year, planning is imperative. But it doesn’t have to be daunting. While some may opt for a very detailed
plan, there are a few very simple things you can do to identify and reach your goals.
Define the Future
The most important part of planning is defining exactly where you want to be twelve months from now. Try writing a one– to two–sentence statement
that defines your vision. Consider this your business benchmark. As you proceed with planning, you’ll want to identify smaller, more targeted goals to
help you reach this benchmark.
Plan Ahead By Looking Back
By looking back at the past year, you’ll gain valuable insight that will help you plan ahead for the year. Be sure to be comprehensive during this
important planning phase.
Examine your expenses and do your projections
Determine whether your staffing is appropriate for your projected workload
Assess your marketing efforts
Understand your competition
Identify areas of improvement and efficiencies
Look at Your Business Through a New Lens
Another great way to plan for the future is to look at your business in a different way. For example, look at your business from your competitors’ eyes.
Do you see any opportunities that they could identify that might be detrimental to your business?
Also look at your business through your customers’ eyes. How do they see you? Is their perception of your business what you want it to be, or do their
perceptions fall short? If you don’t honestly know the answers to these questions, consider making a customer survey one of your goals.
Identify your Goals
Once you’ve identified your benchmark, taken a look back, and seen your business through different lenses, it’s time to commit to your goals. Think of
them as what you are going to do to help you reach your business benchmark. When you do this, be realistic. Limit yourself to no more than ten
goals. Some examples could be:
Reduce expenses by 4%
Learn more about my customers
Refresh my marketing materials
But identifying your goals isn’t enough. You must define how you are going to reach them. So for each goal, plan the solution. For example:
Reduce expenses by 4%
Secure bids on insurance to see if you can get better rates
Enact a new budget on office supplies, etc.
Look for more ways to save energy
While there are more in-depth ways to plan, these simple ideas should set you up with a good foundation and put you in position to reach your
business benchmark for the new year.
Sources:
www.evancarmichael.com; www.beysterinstitute.org; www.trcb.com
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http://www.centurylink.com/business/resource-center/white-papers/plan-for-success.html 1/29/2012

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http://www.centurylink.com/business/resource-center/white-papers/plan-for-success.html 1/29/2012