What The Future Holds - The Art of Strategic Business Planning
by: Shawn Meldrum

  "Look not mournfully into the Past; it comes not back again.
Wisely improve the Present; it is thine.
Go forth to meet the shadowy Future without fear and with a manly heart."
                                                                          Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Although planning and goal setting should be a continuous process, the beginning of a new year   seems to be a good time for reflection and making a fresh start.  It's a time to dust away the everyday "to do's" that are clouding your mind and start with a clean slate and a fresh look at what you really want.

If you have ever played golf you know the importance of focusing on the target and not on the obstacles.  Life is no different.  If we don't focus on the target (where and what we want to be, have and do) then we will most definitely end up somewhere else.   

Yet, focusing on the target (our goals and plans) seems to be the hardest part of succeeding. 

Most experts agree that only 5% of the population at best have written goals or plans for the future.  Isn't it amazing that we will spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars planning and creating the blueprints for a building or structure but we won't spend a few hours planning and reviewing the most important thing of all - our own life.

As Alfred E. Newman put it:
"Most people don't know what they want - but they're sure they haven't got it."

So to make the process of planning easier I am going to boil this down to it's most simple form and I'm going to challenge you to complete this by the end of this week.  This format should work for every facet of your life but for the sake of simplicity lets just focus on your business goals for now.

Deciding What You Want

'The problem people have is not achieving the goals they set, it is setting the goals"
Earl Nightingale

Decide what you want.  Is it a certain amount of income?  A certain number of deals?  Starting your own company?  Creating a new source of business? 

Whatever it is make sure it fits the following guidelines.  These are critical.

1. It is believable.
2. It is clearly defined.
3. It is something you fervently desire.
4. You can vividly imagine yourself in possession of it.
5. You have written it down

 How You Are Going To Get It

"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail"

There is a big difference between wishing and goal-setting.  Wishing is wanting it to happen, goal setting is deciding it will happen.

Create a detailed plan of how you are going to reach your goal using the following steps:

1. Begin with the end in mind - then work backwards.
2. Break down activities into doable steps - make sure to focus on activities not results.  You cannot always control the results you will get but you can control your activity.  (i.e. "Call 10 past customers per week and ask for referral" vs. "Get 1 referral per week").
3. Organize steps into a logical order.
4. Establish a realistic time frame.  Analyze your past performance and determine approximate times for accomplishing each task.  Be realistic.  Just focus on getting from A to B and then to C and so on.  Don't try to jump from A to Z.
5. Assign calendar dates for the accomplishment of each step.

 Monitor Your Progress

 "Performance that is monitored and reported naturally tends to improve"

I'm amazed when I see somebody spend hours or days creating a detailed business plan and then lock it away for safekeeping.

With so many distractions and people clamoring for your attention it is easy to get off track.  Keep your plan handy at all times (preferably keep it on you).  Review it at least once a week and make adjustments where necessary.

There.  It's that simple.  Now get going.

To make it easier I have created a "Planning For Success" Cheat Sheet you can print and use.

Remember: "If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got.  If you want something different then change is critical.  For things to change, you must change".

Click here for "Planning For Success" Cheat Sheet
(To save - right click on link and choose Save Target As...)

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