It’s hard to believe that we are already putting the finishing touches on the “plan” for the New Year.
If you could use a little “jumpstart” to get things moving in the right direction check out the twelve steps below that we use in our “new year” planning.
We have used this process (or a hybrid of it) many times just to insure we had a roadmap for the upcoming year.
We shared this plan with our “Inner Circle” group in SW Florida recently and Kate suggested we send it out to everyone on the “Renegade” list in hopes of making 2012 a great year for as many of you as possible.
As you’ll see the “Twelve Steps” are not complicated, not real time consuming and don’t take a Masters Degree to complete.
The powerful thing about these “steps” is that very few business people (including your competitors) will take the time and energy to create any kind of plan at all.
Taking a little time now, before 2012 gets away from you, to create some kind of a plan or roadmap will repay itself several times over in the coming months.
Here you go -
Twelve “Renegade” Planning, Strategy and Actions for 2012
Day 1 – Set specific (business and personal) goals – “2012 will be a great year if” – create your list here.
The key word here is specific. The more specific you are in your goals the easier it will be to create actionable plans to reach them.
Day 2 – Prioritize the goals (think “gold coins”).
Not all goals are created equal. Some goals deserve a lot of attention – other goals less attention. Prioritize your goals by moving the things (gold coins) that will bring the biggest positive to you personally and in your business to the top of the list.
Day 3 – Make a list of “weaknesses” or “holes” in your business.
No business is perfect. Be brutally honest with yourself about the processes, systems, quality and even people in your business. Make this list without worrying about how you will deal with the things that you need to change – just make the list.
Day 4 – Prioritize the weaknesses and holes - biggest weakness first – be honest.
Again, no business is perfect – and it’s unlikely that any business will ever be perfect. But, you can prioritize the things that need to be fixed in the order that will offer the best results for your business. Note – identifying weaknesses and doing your best to eliminate or at least mitigate them is important. Just don’t get caught in the trap of spending all of your time focusing on “fixing” things. In a lot of cases you can get to your “end result” just as fast or even faster by spending time and energy capitalizing on your strengths. See Day 5.
Day 5 – Make a list of strengths in your Business - biggest strengths first.
Making a list of strengths is equally as important, if not more important than spending too much time focusing on your weaknesses. By leveraging your current strengths by creating action plans and strategies that capitalize on them you can often get amazing - and fast positive results. Example – McDonald’s didn’t get where they are today by worrying a whole lot about having amazing food. They spent most of their time creating amazing delivery systems – their true strength.
Day 6 – Make a list of opportunities - prioritize – use “gold coins” thought process.
Follow your instincts on this day – just make a list of all of the things you would do if you knew you couldn’t fail. Think big here. The only opportunity that I guarantee will not “fly” is the one you never try. Prioritize in the order that will add the most value to you both in business and in your personal life.
Day 7 – Choose the top three priorities in each of the categories to fix or leverage.
Starting with just three won’t be so overwhelming. It’s important to have some small victories quickly along the way. Don’t worry about the priorities that don’t make the top of the list – you can “re-prioritize” soon enough!
Day 8 and 9 – Create a simple plan with up to three action items for each priority.
Now it’s time for action. Create just three actions items for each priority on your list. In fact, some of your priorities can be fixed or leveraged by taking just one strong action. Remember, it’s just conversation until something happens.
Day 10 – Relax and ignore the entire process.
Some of your best solutions, ideas and plans can come at you when you just relax and let your mind takeover. You have been thinking, making lists and concentrating for nine days now. Take a “day off” and see what new amazing ideas and solutions “hit you”!
Day 11 – Take a second look at your priorities, plans and action items – make appropriate changes.
Take one last pass through your priorities, plans and action items. Don’t spend a ton of time over thinking things, but do make any changes that “came to you” while you were relaxing.
Day 12 - Share the plan with someone else.
I’m not suggesting that you necessarily ask for someone else’s opinion – unless you really believe that they have your best interests in mind – beware of “levelers”.
I am suggesting that by writing down your goals, prioritizing them, creating specific action plans and then sharing your goals with another person, your odds of successfully reaching them will increase exponentially – it’s just the way it works.
Finally, just get started – you will be amazed at what you can accomplish with strong and specific goals, thoughtful plans and by taking fast action!
2012 could and should be an amazing year for you. Most business people are waiting for “things to get better”. While competitors sit on the sidelines “Renegades” will be taking “massive” action and getting the results they deserve. If you take the time and energy to create and implement the twelve step plan above, you can and will see explosive growth in your sales and profits.
Dedicated to helping you increase your sales and profits,
Rob Oliver
P.S. I’ll be sharing several powerful and “tested” marketing and sales tools with you this year along with some successful “case studies” that can be duplicated in just about any business. Cheers to a great new year!
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