I'ts July and hard to believe that the year is more than halfway over. Now is the perfect time to review how you've been doing and what it takes to achieve or even exceed your goals this year.

And one of the best ways to do that successfully is to arrange for some breathing space away from daily distractions. Create a winter retreat for yourself where you can reflect on the past as well as envision and plan for the second half of the year.

How much time should you take? Anywhere from a couple of hours to half a day, or maybe even all day if you can.

Take yourself to the beach (you wish :--), the park, or your favourite cafe. The only "rule" is that you need to "get out of the box" (or office) -- pick a place that puts you in a good mood and where you will enjoy spending some uniterrupted time. Be sure to bring your biz and marketing plans you created last December or January, pens and notebook, and maybe a laptop. and if you're not in a cafe or similar place, bring a picnic basket or snack as well.

Once you've settled in, relax and enjoy the scenery for a while. Let go of all the things on your "To Do List", the emails to answer, calls to make, etc. Be present. Then, start by reviewing the last six months.

You can begin by asking yourself a few general questions to get a sense of how things have been going.

Are you happy with what you accomplished so far? If you are happy, great. Focus on what's been working well and do more of that. Remember those two questions I have been going on and on.....? If you're less than happy or even disappointed, now is your chance to make the changes that will get you back on track.

Next, take out your goal statements and other planning tools that you created and used to plan out the year back in December or January. you did that, didn't you?

If you haven't, take an extra half hour and reflect om what you wanted to accomplish this year and write it down.

Then, go over each of the points and compare where you are now with where you were projecting you'd be. Are you on track? Have you accomplished what you planned?

Or are you way behind? No judgement. Leave the could of's and should of's. Just take down the facts so you know where you stand.

Now, get down to business.

Consider where you are now, decide what you want to achieve by December 31st, make a detailed list and think about what it will take to get you there.

How far do you have to go, and how are you going to get there?

• In which areas are you on track, and in which ones do have a lot of catching up to do?



• How are you doing in terms of revenue ... Profit? Are you on track, or are you falling short?



• Do you need more customers, or do you need to charge more?



• Are your expenses in line with sales or do they need to be reduced?



• Which clients have you lost, and which ones are new? See any trends?



• Has your gross profit shifted up or down?



• Have you brought on any new products or services? Do you need to?



• Do you have any passive revenue generating products? Do you need to create some?



• Are you working to many hours? .... or not enough?



• Do you have a plan or are you winging it?

How can you improve things?

Go down your list of goals and figure out what areas need more work, and where you are doing just fine.

Now comes the fun! Make a plan and schedule specific and track-able activities that will get you on the fast track to accomplishing your goals.

If you want different results than what you have, now is the time to make changes! To quote one of my favourite Albert Einstein quotes......



To finish your planning session, write a note to yourself a year from now, projecting what you will have accomplished by then. Finally, pat yourself on the back and treat yourself to a nice lunch or dinner before you head back to work.

If you're uncertain how to reach your sales target this year why not request a 60 - minute Business Strategy Session with me. I'd be pleased to help you access your marketing plan and get you on track to more success. To schedule your session simply drop me an email ockert@icon.co.za,

Talk to you again soon

I know it's a bit of a schlep to register on the blog to give feedback but it would be greatly appreciated if you do......give feedback I mean :-- Your feedback could just help somebody that's been having the same kind of problem

Are there specific areas that you have a problem with? Are there specific areas that you did have problems with and solved it? How did you do that?

Love to hear the feedback

Ockert
The Miracle Man