By: Joy Gendusa

Your business can’t go according to plan if you have no plan.

What do you want to achieve this year? More new customers per week? Higher average order amounts? Better customer service ratings? No matter what it is you are shooting for, goal setting is one of the most important things that you will do in the New Year. I’ve got a few tips to help you get there.

1. Keep it Challenging but Realistic.

Any goal that you set for your company should be challenging but don’t over do it. For example, if you had an average order amount of $700 last year, you wouldn’t want to set your goal for this year at $3000 per order. Unless you make drastic changes in how your company runs or what you are selling, that goal is just not realistic. You know best what you may be able to achieve in your particular industry, so be honest with yourself and set your goals accordingly.

2. Write All Your Goals Down.

You may say to yourself on January 1, “I want to get 20 more new customers per week this year.” A few months later you will be saying “Did I say I wanted 20 or 30?” Or more realistically, you have forgotten that you even made that goal. If you have all of your goals written down you will be able to not only go back and check them, you will also be able to go down the list every few months and check to see how many of them you have completed.

3. Assess Your Current Situation.

To set goals you have to know where you are at right now. In 2003 I wanted to assess our customer service rating so we sent out a survey to all of our customers on which they could rate us in each department of our operation. That helped us establish our base. Now we send the survey to every customer after every order. This way we can keep track of how we are doing and if there is ever a hiccup we can fix it quickly. Don’t assume anything. Always assess the current situation before setting a new goal.

It’s Only Going to Hurt A Little…

Now, in financial goal setting for your business, one invariably comes to the question: “How do I decide on a budget when starting a marketing plan?”

This is obviously the first question that you have to answer in order to get started on your new campaign – and in order to reach the income goals you have set for yourself.

So how do you figure out what your budget should be? Here is an easy method to help you find a number that is going to work for you and your business. Some might say that it is a good rule of thumb, but I personally judge things on whether or not they work and get results. That’s all.

Moving on… Start with the amount of income that your company generated last month and multiply it by .14 (or 14%). That means that if you had $50,000 in Gross Income last month you should budget to spend $7000 on marketing in the next month. Wait… I know, it sounds painful but it is just like a shot at the doctor. It might hurt for a minute (or in this case a month) but down the road you are going to be glad that you went through it. Putting that much toward the right marketing will bump up your income the next month and start you on a cycle of steady growth.

I know that some businesses run tighter than others and it is possible that you won’t be comfortable with that amount in the beginning . Don’t misunderstand me, any marketing is better than no marketing. Don’t get discouraged if your budget is lower than 14%. But use 14% as the ideal to strive for because, for me as well as many other growing businesses, it has proven to give the best rate of growth possible. How do I know, you ask? My company has expanded 400% in the past 2 years. Now picture your business at 4 times its current size… There’s that smile I was looking for!

The growth of your business is based on three factors; quality products, great customer service and the proper amount of marketing. If you know you have the first two taken care and you still aren’t experiencing healthy growth then you need to take a serious look at your marketing budget.

So sharpen your pencils, start calculating and decide how rapidly you want your business to grow.

Please take a moment this week to sit down and decide on your goals for the New Year. Even if it is past the New Year and even well into the year, set your goals for the rest of the year.

Everything is easier when you are working towards a goal. My goal is your success and I assume that is your goal as well.

Article Source: http://www.article-buzz.com

Information about the Author:

Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania-www.PostcardMania.com in 1998, her only assets a computer and a phone. By 2005 the company did over $12 million in sales, employed over 100 people and made Inc. Magazine’s prestigious Inc 500 List as one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the nation. She attributes her explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing savvy.

By: Tammy Embrich

Are you finding lack of time for your online business becoming more and more evident?

Are you finding it more difficult reserving well-needed time for your children and family?

Well, you are not alone. All too often, many home based business owners (unintentionally) fail to prioritize their time efficiently. I think time is about the most valuable and limited resource that we have.

Balancing our personal and professional lives is indeed quite a challenge. This important task can be accomplished by taking a look at some significant small steps.

Goals

What are your business and professional goals?

Turn your dreams and intentions into reasonable, achievable goals by writing each goal down beginning with the most important and ending with the least important.

Purchase a special journal all your own for this purpose. Keep this journal close by, on your desk at all times.Write down what you want to achieve yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily. Plan long projects by breaking them down into bite-sized pieces and dedicating so much time each day for achieving your goals.

Put Together A Work Routine Schedule And Stick With It

Keep A Business Daily Planner On Your Desk. Prioritize your home business according to specific deadlines. Make a note of tasks that need to be completed daily.

For example: Make a note to do your website updates on Mondays, Make important phone calls on Tuesdays, Do your business research on Wednesdays, and so on.

Carve out a reasonable schedule for yourself and base it around your business needs and goals. The most important thing about a schedule is of course sticking to it. Staying focused and consistent is the key element to achieving success in any home business.

Make Time For Yourself And Your Family

This is the most important issue home based business owners face today. You must reserve special time for yourself and for your family. If you don’t make time for yourself, you run the risk of business burn out. You need time to yourself to feel refreshed, energized, and ready to tackle the next task that needs completing.

Take at least one half hour to a full hour each day solely for yourself. Take a walk, take a drive, take a nap, read a good book, watch a good movie or favorite program, schedule lunch with a friend. This is so important to you and also your business If you have children at home, you need to also involve them in this important time.

Take your little ones to the park, the zoo, out for lunch, anything…just as long as you take this special time just for you and your children. Always take time out for that special bedtime story, helping with homework, making that special breakfast, or just talking and cuddling. Isn’t this the main reason for deciding to work from home…staying home with your kids and spending quality time with them?

Always schedule specific times with your kids, and also with yourself….this will help avoid getting over-stressed and over- worked with your home based business. Children like routine. You will also find that following a routine schedule will make you more productive and successful with your business.

Article written by: Tammy Embrich

Tammy Embrich is an Internet Marketer and is the
Owner of: WAH Opportunities

By: Katie Forrest

While working from home has many advantages and is a dream come true for many people, people often have difficulty adjusting to the new routine. Suddenly, you are your own boss and in charge of your own time. You have work to do and goals to achieve, but there is nobody ready to shout at you if you wake up late or watch Oprah instead of making some calls!

If you are not having the results you want from your home business, you may simply need to be more organised.

Here are five steps that you can take right away to boost your home business:

1. Plan your time in advance. Know exactly when you will be working on your business each week and spend Sunday evenings planning as much of this time as you can. Each week ask yourself what you want to have achieved by Friday afternoon. Review your progress for 10 minutes each morning before beginning work, and for 10 minutes each afternoon/evening after finishing work.

2. Do the most difficult things first. If there is something that needs going on Tuesday, and you really don’t want to do it - DO IT FIRST! Otherwise, you will spend all day working ineffectively because the dreaded task will be at the back of your mind. Don’t put yourself under that pressure! Just get it done and out of the way. Most jobs aren’t anywhere near as scary as you imagine them to be.

3. Keep the kids busy! It can be a nightmare trying to run a home business while your children are demanding attention, so try to combine the two. If your little darling has a regular nap in the day, make that your work time. If your children are older, try working at the kitchen table while they do their homework with you. Talk to your children about your business so that they understand that sometimes you have to work.

4. Use a day planner. Some people like paper diaries, some people use computer software, others have day planning tools on their phones! Find a system that works for you and take advantage of it.

5. Develop a follow up system. I’m constantly amazed by the number of WAHMs (and dads!) who have no consistent follow-up system. The money is in the follow-up! If you speak to a lead on Thursday who doesn’t want to buy right away, when do you speak to her again? Never? When you remember? Decide exactly when you will follow-up on people.

The overall idea here is that you have to treat your business as a business. You wouldn’t expect your dentist to decide his working hours each day, or your doctor to delay sending off your blood sample because he had to fill in a really long, dull form to send with it. As soon as you see yourself as running a business, you will see the results you want.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Katie Forrest began her first business aged just 21. She runs a successful network marketing business and is happy to answer any and all questions. Nutrition: www.TheNutritionWebsite.com Skin care: www.katieforrest.goldenkeys.net Network Marketing: www.mannapages.com/katieforrest

By: Audrey Okaneko

People decide to start a home based business for a variety of reasons. Some people want to be home when their kids get home from school. Some people are caring for a sick parent and wish to be home. Some people just can not conform to the 8-5 mold.

When you work at home, you are in charge of your time. You will decide how much time is spent talking with customers, how much time is spent marketing your business and how much time is spent doing the laundry.

It is so easy to run out to the grocery store, or do a load of laundry, or finish up those dinner dishes; however none of those activities are contributing to your business.

One of the cutest stories I can share with you is the time I spoke with a woman who just couldn’t find her first customer. She and I had created a list of 50 activities she could do that would help her find that first customer. At the end of the week, she still did not have a customer. She was upset and frustrated. We began to talk about the list of 50 activities. She had not done one of them. What she had done was rearrange her office space twice, buy and put labels on several folders for the paperwork she knew she’d have down the road and read some articles on sales.

When you work at home, there is no one telling you when a project must be completed. There is no one asking you for your completed work. You have to have the desire and the motivation to take the steps needed to create sales for any business you start.

I am strong advocator of goals, both short term and long term. What is it that you want to accomplish today, this week, this month and this year? Put it in writing. If you want to find one new customer this week, that’s a great goal, but how will you find that person? Will you place an ad? Will you write articles? What steps will you take to find that new customer?

I know that sometimes we don’t hit our goals. That’s ok, rewrite them. Allow yourself 30 minutes per day to reread your goals, make a plan to execute those goals and if necessary, rewrite them. Remember there is no boss to tell you how to spend your time, but a goal sheet can help guide you through your days and weeks.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Audrey Okaneko has been working at home since 1983. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at www.recipe-barn.com

By: Becki Maxson

If I was to come into your office area right now, would you cringe? Don’t feel bad, I’ve been there too! But you know you don’t work at your best when things are a mess, or all the important stuff is swimming around in your head. Here are some great tips to start getting better organized.

Email is your best friend and your worst enemy. If you don’t take charge of it, it will take charge of you! Outlook is a terrific tool to keep track of your emails, your daily schedule, your to-do list, client phone numbers and email addresses and more. I use the folder function to act as an online file cabinet. Really, it’s simple and it works great! I just create a folder by subject and drag pertinent emails into it. Then when I wonder, “What did we talk about last time?” or “Where’s my log-in for that account?” I know right where to go.

Paper, paper everywhere…are you buried? Maybe a computer system isn’t for you, but all is not lost. If you don’t have a planner, get one! There are many kinds of planners to choose from, in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Find one that fits your needs and use it to keep track of doctor appointments, school meetings, your work schedule, etc. Set up a good old-fashioned rolodex or file box to keep track of phone numbers, emails and other information.
I also print out e-books that I buy and put them into report covers with a clear plastic cover so I remember to read them and they don’t go to never-never land on my hard drive.

Now, tax planning. Neglect your record-keeping and you’re asking for a real headache down the road. An easy way to keep track of receipts is to get a hanging file folder and 12 manila envelopes. Have one envelope for January, one for February and so on. During the month, throw all your receipts in the corresponding envelope. When the month is over, tally up your receipts and write it on the outside of the envelope. That way, when tax time comes, most of your work will already be done. Or again, use a simple Excel spreadsheet or just a spiral notebook to keep track of your expenses by category. Remember to track your income too!

Take some time each day to “take care of the little things” and you’ll stay organized, feel less stressed, and get more work done!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Becki Maxson juggles a family and home business in Rocklin, CA. She is the founder of KingdomWork.com an online resource for Christian home based business owners, and is a Marketing Mentor for Advantage Conferences