Most network marketers would not want to meet me at a party.
Here are just a few of the questions I'd hit you with:
What's your business? Is your priority to find associates or customers for your products? Where do you find them? Advertising, word-of-mouth, a referral system, joint ventures? Do you want to make a living from network marketing or just supplement your income? How much do you want to earn? By when? Are you making progress? How do you know? Is what you want to accomplish even possible?
Why am I grilling you with all these questions? Let me explain with an example.
Let's say your goal is to increase your business. Okay, then here's how: Don't make any sales today. Tomorrow, make sales calls all day offering your products at cost. It won't be long before you make a sale.
Goal achieved, right? Technically, yes. But that's not really what you meant by increasing your business, is it?
Before you can ever hope to accomplish your business goals, you must know in detail what those goals are in the first place.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals for Network Marketers
The S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting technique is popular because of its simplicity and power. Clarify your goals according to the following criteria:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Results-oriented
Time-bound
Let's give it a try with the goal of "increasing your business."
Specific: What do you mean? Recruit more associates? How many more? Sell more products? To new customers or existing customers?
Measurable: How will you track your progress? Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly? By leads, by sales?
Achievable: How big is this challenge for you? Have you ever done anything like it before? Has anyone else? Yes, there's always someone who's first, and you may be that person, but make sure you know that's the kind of goal you're setting before you get started.
Results-oriented: Why do you want to increase your business? Do you want to quit your day job? Buy a new house? Go on vacation? Feel more peaceful and secure? Take more time off?
Time-bound: By what date?
Vague goal: Increase my business.
SMART Goal: Double my monthly revenue from network marketing in the next 30 days (as compared to the previous 30 days) by recruiting 3 new associates and selling a total of $1000 in products to at least 10 new customers.
It's important to note that with any goal, the details will change as you progress. Goal setting is not about stubbornness. It's about clarity. The more clarity you have from the very start, the more you can invite new opportunities into the process. Those opportunities can be measured against the original plan and explored (or not) as a conscious choice. And greater choice leads to a feeling of empowerment.
Network marketers who learn to use the SMART goal-setting strategy will recruit more associates and increase their sales faster than their competition.
Copyright 2006 Curtis G. Schmitt
