Right about now everyone starts thinking about next year. What will it bring? What changes will happen? What is my plan? There are those things we just can't control (like the crummy economy) and there are many things within our control (like how we invest our time and money). Sometimes we call it "new year resolutions" but I like to think of our hopes and goals for next year as "new year outcomes." It's a subtle difference but more powerful to plan for the outcome you'd like to realize, than to simply resolve what you are going to do.
Whether it they are personal or business related, the process of defining what outcomes you will focus on next year is the same. I learned this process from attending Anthony Robbins seminars and tapes and have adapted and summarized it here. I find it useful to do this process twice -- once for business and once for my personal goals. Here's few quick steps to take when creating your new year outcomes:
1) Visualize this time next year. Visualizing success without knowing what exactly you will do to attain it is a very helpful way to zero in on the bigger picture. How will you feel about your business? What will you be able to do? How will others around you feel? What will your clients feel after a service at your spa? It takes less than two minutes to just relax and visualize what having a great year feels like.
2) List your accomplishments from last year. Write down your top 10 -- or even top 5 -- accomplishments of 2008. What did you create, complete and conquer? This is the time to crow about how great you are. To celebrate all that you have accomplished -- much of which was just an idea before you started it. [I personally find this is the hardest step, but once I push through my resistance I realize how much I really did do and then I have to force myself to stop at 10.]
3) Define your outcomes for next year. What to you what the final outcomes to be in 2009? How many clients do you want per month? How much profit will you have earned? How many articles will be written about your business in the local paper? What skills or training will you have learned? I find it helpful to write everything down in quick burst and then go back later to whittle them down and better define them. In the end, you should have a manageable list of outcomes..less than 10. Keep in mind that they are not tasks or a to-do list, but may actually have several actions that are need to accomplish any given outcome. Don't worry about those smaller actions yet, stay focused on the bigger outcomes you want to achieve.
4) Schedule it. So often we end our goal planning once we have set the goal. But taking action on that goal greatly increases your chances of success. Take that extra step now to schedule the month or even day that your outcome will be realized. For each of your top three to five outcomes, sketch out what needs to be done and in what general time line. The idea here is to put time around your outcomes, even specify a month if that is possible. Some outcomes are based in your day -- and these are your daily outcomes for habits you want to happen each day. Some outcomes will require you to do research or take a class. If that is that case, include those in your plan.
This process can also be quickly applied to weekly and monthly planning. In fact, it can make your day-to-day activities easier when you know, in advance, what you need to get done that month or week.
If your New Year's Outcomes include having a marketing plan to attract and retain loyal clients, you don't need to start from scratch. Smart Spa Marketing is a detailed online class with ready-to-use brand and promotional planning templates. This self-paced course will speed up the way you create your marketing plan -- using ideas you may not have already considered. In less than a week -- or as long as a month -- you can create your personalized and smart spa marketing plan that doesn't require any high-cost advertising to attract clients.
Best wishes to all for happy holidays and a prosperous new year!
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