NCET

If you’ve been too busy running your business and celebrating success this holiday season, the best way to get 2012 off to a great start is to take time to outline where you want to go and how you plan to get there.

Having a plan on paper will help keep you on track, ensure you are spending your hard earned dollars most effectively and give you the focus you need to create success.

SWOT

Start by taking a look at strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Do you have a clear and comprehensive picture of what went well and where results fell short? Do you know who your best customers are and where they came from? Can you identify where your business was profitable and where you lost money or opportunity? What systems, procedures, policies supported achieving your goals and which ones made things more complicated? Use this knowledge to create a plan that leverages and improves results.

Then write down what you are working to create. Are you looking to expand your business or market presence, bring in more customers, generate more leads, enter a new market place, or increase profitability?

Be clear about setting realistic goals to ensure you choose the best strategies and tactics. Once you have a clear picture of what you are working to create, it is easier to know what your priorities for the coming year will be. With clarity comes effective decision making and action that leads to results.

Perfect Paying Customers

Too many businesses rely on a passive sales process instead of taking action to achieve their sales goals. Having a well defined target audience enables you to build a marketing and sales process designed to attract perfect paying customers. Knowing who they are, why they purchase and how best to reach them provides the ability to fill the funnel with new names and to educate them about your product or service. Then focus on spending the greatest amount of your sales time with the highest potential customers. Work with those people who will buy today and refer business tomorrow.

Just Do It

The most effective approach can also be the most challenging and require us to step outside our comfort zone. Often the laundry list of what needs to get done far exceeds our capacity. Rather than be overwhelmed, get focused. Identify 3-5 things you can do that will move your business forward.

Conrad Hilton said, “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” The power of our plan and our action shows up in our results.

Liz Christoffersen is the Founder & CEO of Empower Consulting Group, and Trisha Ruby is the Mechanical Engineering Manager at Synergy Technology. Liz and Trish are Vice-Presidents of Entrepreneur Education for NCET, Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.