SETTING YOUR GOAL FOR THE PROGRAM

The place to start in setting your program goal is to look at where you are starting from. How much business do you have now? Answer this question in whatever numerical terms you typically use to measure the amount of business you currently have. For example, you could choose (1) the number of clients you have, (2) the quantity of paying appointments scheduled weekly or monthly, (3) the billable hours you have put in or expect, or (4) the dollar amount of business you have booked or already billed.

If you do not already have a way to measure business that works for you, consider what would inform your marketing efforts the most. What number would best tell you whether your marketing is succeeding? Following are some examples:

The important thing to notice about all these measurements is that they are based on numbers you can easily keep updated and track. During the Get Clients Now! program, you will be measuring progress toward your goal each day, so you always must be able to know exactly where you are. If you are an interior designer, for example, it will probably be easier for you to track the dollar amount of your invoices than the net profit you are earning on each one. Be sure to pick a measurement that you can know on a daily basis.

Now, using the measure you chose, ask yourself how much business do you really want? This should be not just what you want by the end of the month, but the pie-in-the-sky, wave-your-magic-wand answer. Don’t worry too much about how possible it seems. Allow yourself to think big. Whatever answer you give here is the direction you are headed.

If you had what you really want—that level of business you just named—what would that get you? Would it give you something tangible you have always desired, like enough free time and money to take a month-long tropical cruise? Or is an intangible outcome more important to you, such as peace of mind, or a feeling of success? There’s no one correct response here, so choose something that is personally exciting, inspiring, or fulfilling. This answer is your motivation.

Still using the same measure, what is your program goal for the month of the Get Clients Now! program? Three new clients? Eighteen paying appointments per week? Twenty billable hours booked weekly? A monthly gross of $5,000? Your goal is what will give you the evidence that your program is working (or not).

Remember the SMART goal-setting characteristics in designing your monthly goal. A program goal must be a measurable target. “More clients” is not a goal; it is a wish. In order for a goal to help you track your progress, it must be numeric because you will be measuring your progress numerically as you move through the program. Your goal should also be a bit of a stretch. Be realistic, but challenge yourself to choose something slightly ambitious.

Finally, if you achieve your goal for the month, what will be your reward? Will you buy yourself a present, take some extra time off, have a special dinner? Choose something that will really represent success to you and that you will look forward to having earned at the program’s end.

Merely by answering the questions above, you will already be on the path to success. It’s part of the magic of goal-setting. When you set a specific goal and begin checking your progress against it on a regular basis, your day-to-day activities start to shift in the direction that supports your goal. This shift begins to happen without any conscious effort on your part. And, of course, additional effort in an informed direction can dramatically enhance the process, as you will see in Chapter 4.