When it comes to your network marketing business, or any business for that matter the importance of setting goals and developing an action plan cannot be overlooked. Unfortunately, too many people miss the next critical component of the whole goal setting process…the action plan. It is important to have specific, measurable goals; however, those goals are meaningless unless you have a plan to get there.
Every week I talk to network marketers who have a big goal, but no plan to get there. They want to earn $10,000 per month, but they have not taken the time to formulate the steps necessary to realize that objective. Today it is my hope that I can help you put feet to your dreams, so that they ultimately become the reality of your business.
Let me start by addressing your goal. How clear is it? Could you paint a picture of it? Could you easily articulate that goal to someone else, so that it becomes visible and real in their minds? If your goal is not that specific, you need to go back to the drawing board. Ideally your goal should be so well defined that it becomes concrete. Secondarily you need to set a time frame for that goal. For example, move beyond “I want to earn $10,000 a month” and into “I want to be earning $10,000 a month for 12 consecutive months within 36 months.” Since this goal is more specific, it is easier to measure and it creates a mental deadline. Now you will want to break that goal in to small pieces and time frames as a measurement criteria. So for example you might determine that you need to be at $3,500 per month at the end of the first year and $7,500 per month at the end of the second year to meet your long range goal of $10,000 per month.
Now we get into the mechanics of accomplishing that goal. What does it take to get you to that clearly defined destination in the time frame that you’ve allotted for yourself. For the sake of simplicity, let’s assume that each sale made in your organization earns you $100. To reach your first year goal, there need to be 35 sales per month made in your organization or an average of 9 sales per week.
This brings up the first criteria of your action plan. You need to be sure that it is realistic. The actions you commit to need to have a decent chance of producing the results you desire. In this case you decide that your action plan will be 4 online presentations per week and 2 home meetings per week. Now that you’ve determined that this is your course of action it is best if you take this plan a step further by putting it in writing. Once you’ve put your plan in writing, send it to a trusted friend or adviser and ask them to follow up with you on a regular basis to hold you accountable to the execution of the plan.
The next step in the process is the measurement of the effectiveness of your plan. You should be tracking your results on a regular basis. Once you’ve measured the results of your action plan, it is time to evaluate the effectiveness of the plan. In your evaluation, you should be examining what you could do more of, less of or better to create the results you are striving for. This is a great opportunity to once again call upon your friend or adviser for ideas to improve the outcomes of your efforts.
Once you have begun achieving the results that you are seeking, it is time to switch your focus to increasing the effectiveness of those efforts. Begin to experiment with things like wording, meeting times, meeting locations, etc… Look for the adjustments that provide maximum leverage of your time and activity. I have found in my own experience that a small adjustment to a marketing piece has at times doubled the effectiveness of that piece. Remember there is always room for improvement.
By developing a clearly defined goal and action plan you are creating an environment for long term success in your network marketing business.
