How to set smart and realistic goals for your business

Staying focused on clear, actionable goals helps drive business growth. Using the SMART approach makes goals specific, measurable and achievable — giving you a clearer path to success for you and your clients.

One key to growing your business is staying on top of what you need to do to keep moving forward for yourself and your clients. Setting goals — large or small — can be critical to your success. But despite the best of intentions, change is hard, and you may find yourself wondering how you’re going to accomplish the goals you’ve set for your business.

Making a goal more actionable and achievable is key. Consider using the SMART criteria: make sure your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. For example, instead of simply saying that you want to attract more clients this year, you could look at past client growth to identify a realistic number of new clients and resolve to obtain a certain number of new clients per month by the end of the year.

If you want to set yourself up for the best chance of success, here are some additional smart tips for making sound goals for your business.

1. Prioritize your goals

Before deciding what goals you’d like to accomplish, make a list of what’s most important to your business, and then prioritize each goal on the list, especially if you have more than one idea. To prioritize your goals, ask yourself:

Which goal do I think about the most?
What goal would make me feel most proud?
How much would my business benefit from completing it?
Will this make life better for me and/or my clients in the long term?
How can this goal solve a problem in my life and/or my clients’ lives?

2. Break your goal into small, specific steps

You’ll stand a better chance of achieving your goal by breaking it into manageable steps. Completing a step will help you feel a sense of accomplishment. For example, if your goal is to have more touchpoints with clients, create specific steps that will take you there, such as creating a monthly email newsletter or sending birthday cards to clients. If you make your steps easily achievable, you’ll build momentum and find the encouragement you need to keep going.

3. Pick one or two goals

When setting goals, more isn’t better. Pick one or two goals that are important to you and direct your attention toward them. Maybe it’s being a better listener or learning how to apologize; if you start with one or two goals, you won’t overwhelm yourself with long lists of changes to make — you will then have a much better chance of success.

4. Build a routine

By building a routine around your goal, you can help it become a habit. For example, if you want to be more active on social media, you might set aside 10 minutes every morning to post relevant content and connect with clients or colleagues. If you find that your routine isn’t working for you, try switching up your plan to see if it makes a difference.

5. Enlist support

Friends and family members won’t let you off the hook if they know you’re trying to accomplish a goal. Accountability is one of the best ways to stick to a goal, so don’t keep them to yourself — tell those around you that you need their help.

6. Reward yourself

Sometimes we fail because when we pursue a long-term goal the reward is delayed. One study showed that adding an immediate reward, however, can help when trying to stick to a goal. If your goal is to attract a certain number of new clients each month, consider treating yourself when you meet your monthly goal with a nice lunch or something new for your office. But remember, it doesn’t have to be extravagant. Results from the study showed that an immediate reward might be as simple as taking time to enjoy the accomplishment itself.

7. Download an app

Technology can go a long way in helping you achieve your goals. In addition to enlisting support from family and friends, downloading an app can be helpful in getting you to stick to your new goals by creating reminders and productive to-do lists. Apps like HabitBull and Productive, for example, can show how well you are achieving your goals. They keep track of your tasks and allow you to swipe through once you’ve finally finished.

8. Set up helpful reminders

Life can get in the way of our best intentions. That’s why it’s important to post your plan in plain sight once you have determined your goal. Whether you decide to hang your goal on your bathroom mirror at home or above your desk at the office, the visual should include your goal and remind you why you chose it. Seeing your reminder every day will take you back to your original intention.

Remember, setting smart and realistic goals for your business can help provide valuable direction and show you where you really want to concentrate your efforts. By implementing a few of these tips, you’ll be able to set yourself up for success and eliminate the distractions that can lead you astray.

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Prioritize your goals by looking at your strengths and weaknesses

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