The Merrie News - Aug 18, 2008

Would I Back You?

Hi there,

I'm definitely someone who says "yes" to opportunities and then worries about it afterwards. Last week I got a call from the local BBC radio station asking if I could do an interview on being a "Mumpreneur" (The Money Programme that went out on BBC2 on Friday night was all about Mums in Business). So, I said yes to this particular interview - only to discover that they wanted to come along at 7.30am!! Do they have any idea what a house is like at 7.30am with two young children?

Anyway, all went well, the interview went out live on Friday morning, and it made Sam's day (age 5) having a BBC emblazoned radio car sitting in our driveway.

But the experience got me thinking.

I was only able to say "yes" because I have a complete focus in my business and what I'm trying to achieve. I have my list of personal goals, and I have my list of business goals. But I also have a list of my marketing goals.

It's really important that before you start any marketing activity at all that you know what you are trying to achieve with your marketing.

In fact, I would go as far as to say that you should not even attempt to do any marketing activity unless you have written down your goals.

Your marketing, after all, is what will achieve your business goals and ultimately your personal goals.

If you can't get customers buying your products, then how are you going to make sales? If you can't find people to join you in your network then how are you going to build a residual income?

The only way you're going to do this is via your marketing.

The difference between your different goals might look like this: Personal Goal - To retire to the Bahamas in 10 years time on an income of £100K a year; Business Goal (for this year) - to build an income of £20,000 with a downline of 200; Marketing Goal (for this year) - to recruit 10 new frontline distributors a month (I'll assume a percentage go on to duplicate).

The next step will obviously be how you do that. The 'how' becomes your marketing strategy and plan. The 'how' might be through online forums, advertising in the local press, business networking groups, and so on. When you put your marketing plan together it needs to have the activities in place to create, on average, 10 new distributors a month.

You see how it all links together?

10 new distributors each month gives you 120 in total. We'll assume, for ease of maths, the other 80 come from downline duplication. So by the end of the year you have your 200.

Your income matches the £20K that you set out to achieve.

And you're on schedule for the Bahamas.

(NB You will need to have done a bit of maths beforehand to make sure your figures add up...this is just an example, and I like my maths really simple!)

With marketing goals you can have annual goals, but also 6 monthly and quarterly, and even monthly. It's up to you - it's your business - but as you keep an eye on your goals, and how you're doing against them in reality, you'll know whether to adjust them or not.

A lot of people I know have their personal goals in place (worryingly, with no plan of action of how they might achieve them). A smaller percentage of those have their business goals in place. A tiny proportion of those have marketing goals in place. And the really smart ones track what they're doing - but that's a whole other subject!

If I was a betting girl, I know who I'd back.

So would I back you?

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