In our line of work it’s very important to plan. Managing the expectations of our customers and maintaining business relationships is important to the long term success of any company. Planning can be the difference between success and failure. Whether you are sailing around the world with Mike Horn or have the initial meeting with a new customer. Planning is key.
Here are a 3 quick tips on how you can become a better planner.
- Do a SWOT Analysis. Figure out where your strengths are and where your weakness may lie. It might surprise you. Give an employee, team member or staff member authority over those areas of weakness. The keyword is “authority”. Most people only give “responsibility”. When someone is responsible they report back to you and you micromanage them. This never works out and will leave you just as stressed. Authority allows them to take ownership of the task given. After you give the authority you then mentally separate yourself from it and not think of it again.
- Set some reachable short term goals. How many sales do you want to make this week? How many customers do you want to call? How many events will you attend this month? Set a goal and reach it. Give yourself a reward for doing well. Bet a fellow staffer something nominal (a $25 gift card to a local restaurant) for who wins the goal first. These small goals can help you reach an other wise unattainable large goal.
- Lastly, see the big picture and have big vision. Dream big but think about the details it will take to get there. Most people get stumbled on vision because it’s such an overwhelming thing to have. If your vision is big, so might be your confusion on how to get there. The most important part of vision is having it one day, one week, one month at a time. One day is all you should be handling at a time. Plan times on other days and weeks to handle any task that can wait.