TARGETS AND BENCHMARKS

Almost every reader of  Impact knows the power of defining and
writing down your most important goals. In business,
however, I find that too many entrepreneurs fail to break
their goals into small enough chunks. They have 5-year
plans and yearly goals or objectives, but they don't break
them down into monthly targets, weekly projects and even
daily activities. 
As a wise man once told me, "A goal without a plan is just
a pipedream."
If your goals are important, get a calendar or a notebook,
and break them down into specific targets. An obvious
example is that if you wish to save $5000 this year, you
must commit to saving $417 each month. That means this
month. No exceptions.
When they start coaching, many of my clients have goals or
long-term objectives, but they haven't broken their goals
into small enough action steps. What does "customer care"
mean in terms of action this week? How will you attract new
clients this month? Who is responsible for the marketing
plan? What's the budget, and what are the expected results?
Without specific benchmarks along the way, we rarely reach
our long-term goals. Have the courage to examine your goals
in terms of daily, weekly and monthly activities, then hold
yourself accountable. Are you taking steps to market your
business? Is your level of customer satisfaction going up?
Are you cutting costs? Are you doing better work? How do
you measure your progress day by day?
The answers to these questions will determine whether or
not you reach your goals, and ultimately, whether or not
you create the business and the life you really want.