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01.04.10 If You're Failing To Plan, You're Planning To Fail  By
Stacy Karacostas We all know the old saying "If you're failing to plan, you're planning to fail". And we know it's true, right? My own experience has proved that the best way to MAKE things happen-versus just hoping they will-is to know where you are now and where you want to go, then make a plan to get there. Yet I'm amazed at how few small business owners have any kind of marketing, sales or business plans at all. I'd say maybe 5% of the entrepreneurs I talk to do any kind of planning at all. Most can't even tell you their net or gross revenues unless it's tax time. And while they might be able to tell me how much they want to make, when it comes to achieving that goal they're just winging it. Do that and chances of hitting your goals are not high. Since we're getting ready to roll into a new year, there's no better time than now to spend a little time planning for your future success. Below are 6 simple steps you can take now, that are sure to make a big difference for you in the year to come… 1) You have to know where you are now, or you can't plot a course to somewhere else. This means your first job is to take a look at your books and see where you stand. You should know:
• Your gross revenue
• Your net revenue • How many clients or sales you had this year • Average per sale value • Average annual value of one customer or client • Total number of employees • Your total expenses • Your marketing expenses • Your own take home pay • The number of hours you worked If you aren't using Quickbooks or something like it, I highly recommend you start. Bookkeeping software makes it much easier to track these important numbers. 2) Choose your destination. Now that you know where your business is today, you need to decide where you'd like it to be in 12 months.
• Projected gross revenue
• Projected net revenue • Projected take home pay • Projected number of hours worked • Projected per sale value • Projected annual client or customer value • Projected number of new clients or sales Continue reading this article. About the Author: Practical Marketing Expert Stacy Karacostas, founder of SuccessStream Sales & Marketing Solutions, specializes in taking the stress, struggle and confusion out of growing your small business. She's the author of the 2-page marketing plan workbook Putting Your Business on the Road to Success, and The Small Business Website Bible. Stacy also writes the fun and informative Marketing Junkie blog and Bright Ideas weekly newsletter. For more practical, business-building wisdom help yourself to a copy of her free report The 7 Deadliest Small Business Marketing Sins... Are You Guilty? | ||||||||
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