A Goal Setting Process that Works! : How to Achieve Your Goals Year after Year Goal setting can seem daunting at times, right? But, with the right process in place, what used to be painful can now be easy (and maybe even a little fun too). I used to hate December because the weather gets cold here. The skies get grey… and they stay grey… for what seems like forever! And it’s the time of year when I’d look at my goals. For a long time, December would come and I’d start feeling anxious because I knew I was nowhere near accomplishing my goals – and so it would get me upset. I’d feel awful because I’d realize I was falling further and further behind where I wanted to be. The contrast between the goals that I set in January (at the beginning of the year) and where I actually ended up by December was depressing. There was always this massive gap between the two. After a couple years of hoping things would just “change” and I’d suddenly get better results, I knew that I had to refine my process. The bottom line is that you and I can continue to do things the old way and continue to moan and groan about the results that we’re getting (or not getting)… OR … We can learn a process that works. And that’s what I did. So let me reiterate. If what you’re doing isn’t working for you, you’ve got to… Learn a process that works Here’s the thing… It’s not our fault. We were never taught goal setting in school – at least I wasn’t. And that’s why, for me, my “make shift” goal setting process never worked in the past – no matter how much I read about setting smart goals. It just never happened. However, now, things are totally different and I want to share one little trick with you that made all the difference. But first, let me show you just how well this trick has worked for me. 2016 was, by far, my best year ever. So, here’s what happened. . . From a business standpoint, we launched a whole new business that took off like a rocket ship, far exceeding our goals. That gave us the ability to contribute WAY MORE than we had ever thought to causes that we are passionate about. And that super lights me up. The other thing it did, was give me more time to be with the people that matter most to me – like my wife, Amy, my kids, my family, and my friends. There were seven goals, in total, that I made for 2016. Here’s the actual screenshot from my phone: My 1st goal was to build an e-mail list of two hundred thousand small business owners by December 31, 2016. My 2nd goal was to attract twelve thousand paying members to Platform University by September 30, 2016. That was the goal, but it actually became obsolete, because Michael Hyatt and I, we ended our partnership in February that year, so that I could concentrate on my new business. My 3rd goal was to conduct a two million dollar launch of my membership course and donate two hundred fifty thousand of that to World Teacher Aid, which is our charity that my wife and I run. The goal date for that was October 31, 2016 My 4th goal was to exercise three times per week. Goal 5 was to schedule two ‘couples only’ getaways with Amy by July 31, 2016. Goal 6, to organize one friend get away by October 31, 2016 And, my final goal, #7, was to raise one million dollars for World Teacher aid by December 31, 2016. So, here’s the deal. Of these seven goals that I set . . . I hit or exceeded four of them. One goal I just missed. I didn’t quite hit it, but we were really close (raising $1M for our charity). One became obsolete (that’s the one with Platform University). And, that’s OK. Oftentimes you’ll set goals and then, for whatever reason, like in this case, the goal becomes obsolete and doesn’t matter anymore. And then one goal, I completely missed (adding 200,000 to my email list). Although we put every effort into that one goal . . . I just completely missed. And that happens sometimes too. I made some good headway on this one, but we got started late in the year and I think that was the big difference. Even though I underestimated the time it would take for me, in terms of getting started, I made progress on the one goal that I missed. And guess what? When you reflect on your goals, don’t look at what you didn’t do, but focus on the progress you have made. Overall, I was happy with my progress for the year. And this year, I’ll be reviewing my goals again (I’ve still got a few days before the deadline to squeeze some magic in 😛 ). The point is, I’m able to achieve most of my goals like this, year after year, because of a goal planning process I learned from my friend, Michael Hyatt. When I first started using it, I had my best year ever. And then the next year, I bettered my best. And, the year after that, I bettered my best. And, this year, I will better my best again! Before that. I would always fall short of my goals. Now, I’m constantly hitting them. And now, I’ve got momentum on my side. I’ve got a great track record the last few years because of this process. It’s called Best Year Ever. So, every year I continue to refine the process so that it gets easier and easier for me. And it’s going to get easier and easier for you the more comfortable you get with it. Because then you can begin to tailor it to what you want to accomplish. My recommendation is that you first learn the process and follow it to a tee. That’s exactly what I did. Then, once you’ve got the process dialed in, you can begin adapting it to your own specific needs Michael will be sharing more about the process in this presentation. I want to encourage you to go and follow his process. It works. It has helped turn December around for me in terms of it being a month that I would not look forward to. Now, it is one that I absolutely look forward to. In fact, when a whole bunch of snow gets dumped on us, I go home and build a snowman with the kids. That’s always fun. And when you start to use this process, you’ll have something to look forward to each year too! So, go check it out at Best Year Ever . Disclosure: When you join Best Year Ever, we get a little something for recommending it to you.
Marketing That Stands the Test of Time: 3 Rules that Never Change When it comes to marketing your business, the basics still rule. They’ll never change. A recent article proposed that online marketing is about to change, as we know it. While some of the points may be valid, I also think the “doom and gloom” proclaimed over the industry is grossly over exaggerated. I’ve been in this game of business for a long time. And during that time, I’ve seen MANY people come, and many people go. Big names who were once the “go-to” person in their niche, now obsolete or irrelevant. This happens ALL THE TIME. It’s nothing new. So how do we last the test of time? Three things to keep in mind… 1) Things are going to change… but the fundamentals NEVER do. Sure the “tactics” are going to change. Even the “tools” and platforms are going to change too. But the fundamentals behind what made these tactics work will always last the test of time. It’s easy to get caught up in the “online product launches don’t work anymore” propaganda… but the reality is, launches work… and they continue to work really, really well. What doesn’t work is when people use the same strategies year in and year out without updating or adjusting their marketing. They get lazy. That’s why their marketing has become less effective. It’s boring or outdated. It’s NOT that product launches don’t work. It’s that their marketing doesn’t stand out. It doesn’t connect. I have many examples of this, but the first one that comes to mind is a coaching client of mine who essentially ran the EXACT same launch for nearly 3 years in a row (and it’s run twice a year). It has always worked well, but recently, the results started to level off. Her launches weren’t growing. So, what did we do? We reimagined the launch. We changed things up. We gave everything a facelift in the way that we positioned the offer, in how we delivered the marketing, and ultimately how we connected with her audience. Doing that is SCARY. Because innovating means that you are trying something new. That means you’re entering the unknown. And the tension between leaving what you’ve always known to try something new is real (and hard… which is why we avoid it). But here’s the thing… The innovation doesn’t mean that you completely abandon the fundamentals of a good launch. It doesn’t mean that you completely throw up your hands and cry “launches are dead”. It means that you have to get creative about your approach while STILL relying on the fundamentals of what makes a great launch work. The anticipation, the social proof, establishing authority, community, providing value, connection, having a great offer, a deadline and everything else. So, what happened with my client’s launch? She was scared OUT OF HER MIND. But… she trusted the process. And she innovated anyway. The results were… Her biggest launch ever. A HUGE discovery that simultaneously dropped her refund rates by almost 70%. And FAR greater client results (which is only going to help her even more in her next launch). 2) Tell great stories, win more sales. At the end of the day, marketing is nothing more than telling stories. It’s not “tricking” people into buying something they don’t want. That’s what REALLY rubbed me the wrong way with this article. The author kept saying things like “customers are getting smart” and “customers know what to look for and how to avoid it”. I don’t know about you, but I’m not trying to “trick” my customers. Great marketing is NOT brow beating someone into a sale. It’s not “tricking” or deceiving someone into buying what you have. Great marketing inspires. It tells a story. It bridges a gap between where the customer is and where they want to be. That’s why I am OBSESSED with the “Circle of Awesomeness”. Which if you’re not familiar goes like this… STEP #1: Make a sale STEP #2: Get client RESULTS STEP #3: Capture client’s STORY STEP #4: Share client’s STORY STEP #5: Make more sales But here’s the thing… Long-term success for you and I depends on #2… helping your clients get the RESULT they’re looking for. If you don’t do that, then your marketing instantly becomes WAY more difficult. However, if you help your customers get the result they’re looking for, you have a great story to tell. And if you’ve got a great story to tell, your marketing becomes SO much easier (and dare I say effortless?) Why? Because at the end of the day, people buy stuff because they have a need. They have a problem they want solved. And as long as your product, service, coaching, consulting or whatever you’re selling solves that problem (and you have a TON of evidence to showcase that), you’ll always last the test of time. So, I’m not in this for the quick win… and I don’t think you are either. We’re in this for the long-haul. That means that we are crystal clear about the #1 factor that influences our long-term success… our client results. 3) Love on your people. At the end of the day, business is all based on relationships. If your core approach to marketing begins with a commitment to serving your people and helping them get results, people will want to work with you (no matter what “tactic” you’re using for marketing). Why? Because it’s just about communicating that commitment and showcasing the evidence that the results are real (aka… your stories!). And when you do, your audience will realize that you have their best interests in mind. That’s why this feeling that marketing is “tricking” people or “deceiving” people REALLY ticks me off. It has NOTHING to do with that. It has EVERYTHING to do with serving people and communicating how what you have can help them get the result they want easier and faster. So all this “doom and gloom” is ridiculous. Do we always need to adapt and change? Yes. Do we need to constantly look at our marketing and try to improve it? Of course. But don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Online launches are NOT dead. Lazy, boring marketing is dead. But the fundamentals of great marketing are ALIVE and THRIVING. So, don’t be lazy. Don’t be boring. Stick to the fundamentals. Commit to getting your clients results. Then share those stories. Do that, and you’ll win long-term.
