A Specific Goal is an Effective Goal
By: Vlad Ehrsam

Is just setting goals enough to achieve your business objectives? It's a fallacy, one very easy to believe, but the fact remains that a goal like an expanded customer base is simply not enough. This is where specific goals come in. They help you achieve your targets in a better way, and to recognize when have met them.

The fact of the matter is that goal setting is not as effective when done in ambiguous terms. Specific business goal setting requires that you follow certain steps to determine exactly what your goal is in measurable terms. Just saying you want to increase sales is not enough. It is too vague to really be an effective goal.

First, you need to know how you will define whether you have reached your goal. Business goal setting needs to be done with a measurable result in mind. For instance, you could say that you will increase sales by 5% this year. Or you could say that you want to increase foot traffic through your store to 50 people per day. These are specific goals that allow you to have measurable results.

Make sure, however, that your specific goals are attainable. In your first year of business you might not be able to achieve 50 people per day. It may take a couple of years to get to a point where 10% sales increases over the year is a feasible goal. You should be able to set reasonable goals that you can hope to achieve.

Just as you need to make sure that your goal is reasonable, it should also be challenging. Constantly setting easy goals will not help you learn to work hard to overcome challenges. Make sure that your goal requires you to stretch a little bit. Then your next goal setting session can involve goals that are even more ambitious.

And now you need to plan how you're going to meet your goal, and for this you need a series of mini-goals that build up to the final crescendo. The steps to the ladder to the top rung they boost your self-confidence and pump your morale with every rung. And they provide a highly effective way to land your target.

If you set an effective, specific business goal, you will have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and chances are your business will thrive. Most businesses collapse within the first five years which is why you should devise a five year plan which consists of a range of specific goals. Without a specific goal and plan, your business will be doomed to failure from the start.

Any business goal which is specific in nature can be achieved and this translates into success for your business. The key to accomplishing an effective specific business goal is to write it down. You should also write down your plan of action. Having these on paper, means you can refer to them from time to time. They also serve as a road map as you progress along. If you don't write down your goals, you'll probably forget about them. So if you want success for your business, start by setting a specific goal, write it down and then take it from there.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleJoe.com

Vlad Ehrsam is the chief writer for, and editor of Full Info on Business, there's a wealth of knowledge on the website, plus why not sign up for the free Business newsletter.
This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated