A Guide to Achieving Goals for your Retail Business

What if our goals were just dreams, with a deadline?

With each new year, there are new resolutions, new promises and new goals being made. However how many of us make goals and find themselves not achieving those goals, not seeing it through or changing their goals too often*. (*Waves both hands frantically in the air). What was getting in the way of achieving the actual goal?

What you will get from this article:

• Learn why goal setting is important
• Understand how to create goals that inspire you
• Tips on transforming your goals from concept to reality
• Access to a strategy workshop with Desketing

Learn about our secrets and tips on how to set goals and create a future for your retail business.

#1 Goals set the benchmark for success.

Why is goal setting important to your retail business?

Goal setting is not a simple case of saying or writing down, ‘I want to make a million-dollar business’. The definition of goal setting is the process of identifying what you want to accomplish and creating measurable objectives and timeframes to achieve them.

Sitting down with our retail clients, the importance of goal setting becomes so much clearer, because without goals and objectives, how do you determine success?

Not setting goals is a surefire way of avoiding disappointment over unrealistic goals, but setting goals is also a surefire way of discovering a sense of achievement.

Top things to remember

• Goal setting is the vehicle that will drive you to your desired destination.
• Goal setting keeps you accountable
• Goal setting will help you overcome procrastination
• If you don’t know what you want to achieve, you can’t create an action plan to get there

#2 Create important, motivating, compelling, inspiring, get out of bed goals.

Set effective goals that are important to you and offer you value in achieving them. If you have little interest in the outcome, then chances are you won’t do the work to make it happen. This is particularly critical for retail business and franchises, because setting goals require commitment, feeling a sense of urgency and a must-have attitude. If you don’t have the motivation, then you’ll do what most of us do, and end up putting off what you need to do to make the goal a reality. We’re likely to do the work and put in the time and energy when the end goal in sight excites us and is the driving force behind our actions.

Let’s change our mindset when it comes to goals. What if our goals, were just dreams, with a deadline? Then all we have to do now is create an action plan to achieve.

#3 Transform your goals from concept to reality

SMART goals stand for smart, measurable, relevant and time-bound. Transforming your goals from concept to reality involves well defined, clear and real goals.

Be sure to set precise amounts and dates so that we have that benchmark to measure. They need to be real goals because there’s no point in setting goals that will lead to demotivation and tear down your confidence. Setting realistic goals will give you and your team a sense of achievement.

#4 Progress equals happiness

Don’t underestimate the power of small wins. Setting progressive goals that allow you to feel like little achievements help us to move on to bigger achievements. Sometimes it’s the little motivations, that lead to small goals, which lead to progress which leads to leading a team that feels fulfilled and happy.

#5 Determine Your Process

You have to understand the difference between goals and process. Think of yourself as a small rowboat. Your goals are the rudder on the boat and give you direction. If you commit, it keeps you forward, and if you chop and change between goals, then you’ll find yourself in circles.

The oars are your process and determine your success.

While goals set the direction, the process determines your progress. And as we mentioned before progress equals happiness.

You’ll get nowhere from just holding onto the rudder, you have to row.

If you’re a runner and your goal is to run a marathon. Then your process is an 8-week training schedule.

If you’re the owner of a retail business and your goal is to build a million-dollar business. Then your process is a sales and marketing plan.

Click here to book a goal-setting strategy with Desketing.

#6 Set daily reminders

Transform your goal into a reality involves writing it down, telling people, telling yourself every single day! Whether that includes putting your goals around your office, on your walls, desktop computer screen, bathroom mirror, Trello, Skype, Whatsapp, email and calendar alerts. Setting constant reminders keeps you motivated, helps you visualise and understand why you’re doing this.

#7 Do you have the skills or resources to make it happen?

Goal setting is not just about choosing the rewards, but also accepting the need for the skills and resources required to make them happen.

For retail businesses, a strategic sales and marketing plan involves a detailed action plan that includes regular marketing campaigns and a rollout including signage, posters, email marketing, mobile marketing, Google Ads and social media marketing.

Do you have the skills or resources to make it happen? Schedule a meeting with our team of design and marketing experts to keep you focused.

Are you ready to take the next step and learn how to set business goals you will achieve?

Ask us about Goal-Setting Strategy Workshop

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