What I’m listening to: Galway Girl by Ed Sheeran
Third month of the year — how are those New Year’s resolutions going?
If you’ve put a plan behind them, you’re probably doing pretty well. Even if the plans aren’t working, you’ve learned something. Well, two things actually. What doesn’t work and how to move forward with your plans.
Still, the idea isn’t to just learn things about our businesses and ourselves. The goal is to earn something. So let’s look at your goals first.
[bctt tweet=”For a goal to be successful, it has to be specific.” username=”LoriWidmer”]
That means instead of saying “I want to earn $5,000 a month” you should probably fine-tune that to something more like “I want to increase my hourly rate to $100.”
That’s actionable.
From there, you can build a plan for how you’re going to make that happen. It might look something like this:
- I’m going to connect with three new client prospects a month (and stay in touch)
- I’m going to send out four brochures and sales letters each week
- I’m going to follow up every week with whatever marketing I do
- I’m going to ask for more referrals from clients
The goal of increasing your rate is a simple one: do it. So now we’re left with our plan for making it happen. You can write down anything you like, but without one little thing, you’re probably not going to follow through. That one thing?
Accountability.
Who are you answering to for your actions? And you need a “who” in your plan. It’s amazing how much more you pay attention to your goal and your actions when you have to report in with someone. Find that person. (Mine is Joy Drohan and I’m hers.) Make that person ask you every month at the same time for your report. Put it on your calendar (it is ultimately your responsibility).
[bctt tweet=”Another earnings booster: remind yourself to work at being successful.” username=”LoriWidmer”]
Besides your accountability partner, set reminders for marketing, for reviewing your progress, for tweaking the plans, for exploring new methods, and for revising your message. If that’s too much reminding, pick one. Maybe two. Then open your calendar app and make a recurring appointment for yourself.
From there, you can build on your approach, and adjust it as needed. But putting in place just a few small steps can make a huge impact on your earnings.
Writers, how do you make sure you achieve your earnings goals?
What one method works best for you?