Do you love or hate this time of year? Some people seem to be inspired by the possibilities of the coming year, while others are stuck firmly in the “2019 sucked” camp.

I’m definitely in the optimistic group. 2019 was amazing, and 2020 is going to be even better. I’m deep into planning mode over here, and I’m loving all the ideas that are bubbling up for creating the most productive, profitable, and FUN business year ever. I hope you are doing the same!

Bob Milliken

It’s an old cliché, but without a plan you may not reach your destination. Use my 3 key planning tools and you’ll be 100% beyond your competition.

Who

Know and Understand Your Target Market – What are you selling? Who is it specifically for? Who are you serving?  Who are you NOT serving? Before you can successfully build a list, generate leads or decide what type of marketing strategies and media you are going to implement, you need to define WHO the most likely buyer is, where you can find them and how to communicate (market) to them.

Media

Getting Your Message Out – there is such a wide range of media available that it can be confusing (video, email, social media, direct mail, you tube, pod-casts, webinars, seminars, online programs, books, your website, …). I suggest that you keep it simple (and SMART) and choose only the 4-5 components that you are most comfortable with.

Goals

Be (Crystal) Clear on Your Goals – I can’t say this enough. Without goals you are basically rudderless. You have no direction. Ultimately you have no business. Goals are the yard sticks of your game.

All my goals pass the SMART test (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound). If the idea does not pass the SMART test, it doesn’t make it to my goal sheet. That means that everything that I have planned for 2020 has an excellent chance of getting done.

Ask yourself; What are you specifically trying to accomplish? Within what time frame? What Steps or benchmarks have you set? How are you going to measure success, and what does success look like? Also, why do you want to sell your products / services to your clients? Understand that there is power in clarity.

Takeaways

Be SMART and aim high! You might surprise yourself by beating your plan. Find a “corner” in your week where you can measure your success (or not so) and plan for the coming week. Constant attention to the plan will increase your chances of success by 100%!

Need help building your plan? Call us. With our step-by-step 2020 Marketing Planner you’ll always know where you are.

To all my readers I wish a happy and prosperous 2020.

Bob Milliken is a master marketer specializing in helping businesses achieve outrageous levels of success. Bob can be reached by phone at 604.270.1730 or by email at bob@rfmholdings.com