By Charlie Cook

Some people seem to steadily increase their income while

others just make enough to pay the bills. What's the

difference between the people who make millions and the

people who struggle all their lives to get ahead?

If you want to attract more clients in order to build a

more profitable business you need three things. You need

clear goals, knowledge of how to market your business

and a plan of action. Your marketing is like the

proverbial three-legged stool. To function effectively,

all three legs need to be solidly in place.

Without clear goals you won't move forward. Without

marketing knowledge you'll waste your time instead of

pulling in many more clients. Without a plan of action,

your marketing won't get done.

Setting Your Marketing Goals

Staying on track can be a struggle, whether you are trying

to stick to a diet or get your marketing in shape. How can

you get started and maintain your marketing momentum? What

you need to do is make a commitment to specific marketing

Winners set both large and small goals, and they put

specific goals in writing. This last task may sound

superfluous but it can make a big difference to your

success.

One of my goals had been to write a book, a task that

seemed overwhelming. Of course, no one writes a book all

at once, they are written a page at a time. With a

short-term goal of writing three to five pages a week,

I made steady progress, wrote three books and have

outlines for two more.

Take a piece of paper or fire up your word processor and

make a list of goals for yourself and your business.

Include both long and short-term objectives. When you

write your objectives where applicable include who,

what and when.

The easiest way to get started is by beginning with your

long-term objectives and then getting more specific. Ask

yourself the following questions.

- What are your five-year goals for your business?

- What are your marketing goals?

(They could be skills, knowledge, new prospects or new

customers.)

Be as specific as possible when answering these questions

and defining your goals. For example, you might say, 'I

want to have published eight training manuals, be earning

two thousand dollars a day and working less than 40 hours

a week in two years.'

In addition to setting broad and long-term goals, you need

to set small and short-term goals. Define your annual,

monthly, weekly and daily goals. Once you've got them down

on paper, take a copy and thumb tack it over your desk.

- What's a one-month marketing goal you can accomplish?

- What's a one-week marketing goal you can accomplish?

Some days you'll feel like you're on a treadmill going

nowhere and your long-term goals continue to be out of

reach. When this happens, try two things. First look at the

list of what you've accomplished in the last week, month

and year. Second, with your larger goal in mind, circle the

next finite and easily completed objective on your list and

get going.

Every time you complete one of your objectives, no matter

how small, you're that much closer to reaching your

long-term business goals. If you're writing a book, each

page you write puts you that much closer to your goal.

- Could you improve your marketing by clarifying your

long and short-term marketing goals?

When you have clear goals and track your marketing

accomplishments, it is easy to stay motivated. As you make

progress, revise your goals and you'll continually improve

your marketing and be more successful.

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