Make Your Goals Realistic

Since the first of the year we have been talking about goal-setting. Some people like to set goals and others say, why bother? I think goals are good as long as they are realistic. If you set goals that are realistic, you have a better chance of achieving them. In my post Make Goal-Setting Your Goal, I mentioned that many of you have made resolutions to lose weight, exercise, quit smoking, etc. For example, you have set your sights on losing a few pounds. Let’s say you set your goal to lose 50 pounds in the next three months. That is a pretty steep goal. As you lose weight, your body will need some time to get used to the weight loss. Chances are you’ll plateau. You’re more than likely NOT going to hit that goal because you set yourself up for something that is a little farfetched. So you may feel like a failure. You may give up. You may feel like life has treated you unfairly. You’re so upset that your drown your sorrows in a bowl of ice cream. Maybe you’re so upset you forgo the bowl and just start digging in with a spoon. Anyone else ever been there? If you start setting goals like that, chances are you’ll give up.

 

The smart thing to do is to set a smaller more attainable goal first. Chances are you’ll reach your goal anyways, but you won’t get discouraged getting there. Michael Cole always says when you’re setting goals to keep this in mind: "Ask yourself how much, of what, by when?" I have used this system over and over again. I have had great success with it.  Here’s why... Say I want to sell 20 promotions during the month of February. To some of you this may seem like a huge goal that is not attainable. But, I think for me this is reasonable. I state how much (20), of what (promotions), by when (during the month of February). This sets the standard and parameters for my goal.

 

Now, I can break it down so it won’t seem unreachable. I looked at the calendar and counted I will be working 20 days in February. This is easy math; I need to sell one promotion a day to reach my goal. How will I track this goal? What good is setting the goal if you’re not going to track it and see how far you’ve come? I will track it with my Jump Journal which has places where I can track the promotion. This is an essential tool for tracking my progress. The Jump Journal provides me with a map to my goal. By tracking daily, I can see where I can offer the promotion and increase my daily ticket. I can look at my client list for the day and recall who gets pedicures and who may be interested in the promotion. I can also look for clients who don’t usually get pedicures and offer them the promo too. Weekly tracking puts all of my days together and helps me to see where I stand with my monthly goals. This highlights my wins and short comings, letting me know what I need to do to hit my monthly goal before the end of the month.

 

Just so you know, my salon promotion is two paraffin pedicures for $99. The promotion price is honored by all nail techs regardless of level/seniority. The promotion is valid January and February. If someone purchases the promotion in February they have six weeks to receive the second pedicure. This is my call to action; this is what will make the clients redeem the second pedicure instead of waiting until next Christmas. If we didn’t set an expiration, there is no call to action. There is no hurry to receive the second pedicure. By setting up the promotion this way, it gets my clients used to getting a pedicure every four to six weeks. It creates buyers!

 

So, I know how much of what by when, but how am I going to get there? What is my strategy? What will I say to my clients to let them know about the promotion? Do I hope and pray they see the promotion signage in the salon and ask me about it? How will I present it to them? How do I stress the value of the promotion? Tune in next week for "The Plan." Setting realistic goals for success — one more way to make you stand out above the rest and become the BEST!

 

— Jill