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Time For Your 6-Month Vision Check-Up
by Debbie LaChusa
As we approach June and the halfway point of the year, it's a good time to step back, and re-visit your goals and vision.
When you created your marketing plan for 2006 (you do have one, don't you? - if not it's time to get one!) you created a vision of the success you wanted to create.
And hopefully you established some goals and at least one measurable objective representing that vision.
Periodic Check Ups Keep Your Business Healthy
I always recommend to my clients that they check in on their goals at least every three months, and ideally monthly. It's the best way I know to stay on track and reach them.
In addition to your regular check-in's it's a good idea to do a more thorough evaluation midway through the year.
Veering Off Track Is Not Always Bad
Very often, as time progresses and business opportunities come and go, we can find ourselves veering off our intended path. That's not always bad. Sometimes the best opportunities are the ones we never could have anticipated.
Still, it's a good idea to take some time to regroup midway through the year.
Review And Regroup
Review your marketing plan. Review and update your marketing activity calendar. Have you implemented all the marketing activities according to plan?
Or, have some things fallen by the wayside. Don't worry if this has happened - it happens to me every year! I tend to be a little over-zealous in my planning and so there's usually at least one thing that doesn't get done.
Don't Beat Yourself Up
Instead, use this as an opportunity to re-evaluate the importance of anything that hasn't gotten done.
Often, if it isn't getting done it's either because it's something we really don't like doing (these activities are a good choice for outsourcing), or because it really isn't that important to us.
Count Your Successes
Look at what you have accomplished and how far you've progressed toward your vision and goals. Then make decisions about what needs to be done in the second half of the year to keep you on track.
What's it going to take to achieve your goals? Are you on track? If the answer is "yes," it's likely that more of whatever you've done so far this year is in order.
Re-Evaluate Your Goals
What if you're still a long way from reaching your goals? Take this time to re-evaluate your goals. Are they still important? Do they still seem reachable? I believe it's good to have aggressive goals, but not so outlandish that you don't believe you can achieve them.
Make Necessary Adjustments
Based on your analysis, make some decisions now to either adjust your goals or step-up your marketing. By doing this now, you're giving yourself plenty of time to adjust your plan, your marketing activities and still come out a winner at the end of the year.
Live FROM Your Vision
And remember, a key factor in achieving your vision is focusing on it daily. It shouldn't be something that's filed away in a drawer somewhere. Live it. Breathe it. Act as if you're already there. When you live FROM your vision, I think you'll be surprised how quickly it becomes your reality.
Creating a vision and goals is one of the first steps in creating a marketing plan. After all, if you don't know where you're going, how can you expect to get there? If you're trying to create a successful business and you don't have a marketing plan, you need to get one. With my 10stepmarketing System you can easily create your own marketing plan in 10 simple steps. It's easy to get started today with
The 10stepmarketing System here.
(C) Copyright 2006 Debbie LaChusa
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debbie LaChusa created The 10stepmarketing System to make marketing your own business as simple as answering 10 questions. Learn more about this unique, step-by-step system and get a free Marketing E-Course when you subscribe to the free, weekly 10stepmarketing Ezine at http://www.10stepmarketing.com
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