Put it in Writing
Always a cliche, but never wrong. As with any goal, writing it down is the first step in letting yourself know your goals are serious.
Be Specific
“Increase sales” is a goal that can only be accomplished by luck. “Increase sales by 10% by November 2015” is a goal that can be accomplished by YOU. While increasing sales in general may be something you want to do, setting yourself specific deadlines with quantities will help you determine your course of action. The more specific you are, the more you’ll have to face the reality of your goal. And that’s a good thing, because you’ll be creating a realistic goal.
Course of Action
Once you’ve set your goals down to the specifics, you can draw out a list of options or steps to achieve that goal. For example, to increase your sales you may want to:
1. Hire two new employees
2. Send out postcards every three months
3. Offer seasonal sales and promotions
Your course of action is the meat and potatoes of your goal and will give you a plan to stick to.
Be Realistic
The problem with some of the goals we set is that they’re not realistic. Many people set their bar much too high, and then are discouraged when they cannot reach it. Some of use even abandon our written goal altogether with the mentality that we got too excited in planning. So be realistic in the first place; that way your goal will be more likely to yield its results.
And now I’m going to contradict myself:
Always Remember - Aim High
While it’s important to be realistic when setting your goals, don’t be afraid to test yourself. Aiming high is definitely a good idea if you do so with the right mindset. Why? Because setting a higher goal can still yield success if you fall short, and you’ll thank yourself in the long run. Think you can increase sales by 10%? Try 20% - But only if you’re willing to work for it. By seriously working towards 20%, 10% will seem like a breeze - or at least give you something to fall back on. You may surprise yourself and achieve more than you had hoped for.