5 Simple Strategies To Help You Achieve Your Goals

I’m all for having a milestone, a goal, or an “end game” on any project I’m working on. It gives me something to focus my intention on and ultimately moves me towards what I most desire with more ease and flow. It’s manifestation at its finest! So here are some ways to make your goals S.M.A.R.T so that you’ll actually FULFILL your New Year’s resolutions or take that dusty business plan off the shelf and put it to work!

1. S- SPECIFIC. Before you start out on your Yellow Brick Road, make sure you’ve addressed the 6 “W’s”—Who, What, Where, When, Which and Why. This will help you put things in perspective and understand up front the people and resources you’ll need to succeed. For example you might say “lose weight” but perhaps a more specific goal would be to “join Weight Watchers, follow their program and attend live meetings once each week until I lose 20 pounds.”

2. M – Measurable. You need to be able to track your progress—of lack thereof—with anything you’re working on. Make sure that’s built into any goal you’ve set out to achieve. If you can chart progress then you’re more likely to keep moving forward. If there is no progress based on what’s being measured, then you need to be able to make immediate corrections.

3. A- Attainable. I love dreaming big but when aiming for the stars, it’s a lot easier to take a series of smaller steps to get there then it is to keep trying to actually JUMP up to stars. So hold on to that big, hairy audacious dream of yours but plan a series of shorter, more attainable goals that are more likely to get you there AND you believe that you’ll achieve!

4. R- Realistic. Could be a great goal but if you don’t own it, you may never achieve it. Make sure it’s something you really want AND willing to do what it takes to get there. If not, it may not even be worth starting.

5. T- Time. Putting a TIMEFRAME on achieving your goals helps you achieve it faster since it’s now rooted in something specific. If not time, then choose something else that’s tangible and can be experienced such as one of the senses.

To schedule your complimentary “Passion to Prosperity Strategy Session” to discuss creating your own S.M.A.R.T goals, contact Maria Simone by sending an email to admin@passion2prosperity.com.

Conducting Simple Market Research Saves Time And Money

Stepping into product creation and production is the goal of many entrepreneurs. When you have an idea, the next natural impulse is to turn the idea into form but there are several other stages of the process you may want to go through first before you invest too much time and resources into actually producing the product. Without some testing and market research, you may find yourself continually going back to the drawing board to make a product that will actually sell. You may not have the resources available to conduct more thorough research but here are a few testing strategies you can use to get market validation for your product or service whether you’ve invented a widget or you’re a consultant with a process to offer. When you’ve gotten a YES in these areas, then you’ll know it’s time to proceed to the next step.

1. Talk to your customers AND end users. These two groups are not the same and usually represent the retail buyer and their customer or your distributor and the person who buys from them. For instance, you may interview Home Depot customers who would buy your product if it was available but if the store’s buyer doesn’t get it, he won’t place an order from you. This also applies to online marketing when you’re working with affiliates. You want buy-in from BOTH groups.

2. Know where your product will sell first. Your product may look different on a store shelf, selling online, selling in Costco or bundled with another product. Discover which distribution channel will be most lucrative for you first and then make a product that will suit that channel. I knew someone that invested his first round of capital developing a product for Lowe’s Home Improvement only to find that the packaging was totally inappropriate and the buyers weren’t interested in carrying the product but he hadn’t taken the time to discuss it with them. It would have been better suited as a direct response product and sold via infomercial to start.


3. Test your price points. Karen Neuberger makes a famous line of loungewear for women. Her primary market is high-end Nordstrom’s but her outfits also sell in lower-end Marshalls stores. Even though the products may look very similar, there are very distinct quality differences between the two. The quality of the product made is a reflection of the price point that is most suitable for that particular market.


4. Pre-sell whenever possible. There is nothing that provides validation as much as early traction—knowing there are people willing to pay for your product. You can pre-sell by selling small orders or pre-sell the idea and then make the product later.

5. Be sure you can fulfill orders in a reasonable time and with minimum cost . You may have a great idea but the costs related to getting the product to the customer are greater then any demand would be so it may not make sense to even produce or promise the product. This is also true of a service when your time is involved. Regardless, make sure you know you can deliver on your promise before you commit to producing your product. For instance, think of the logistics and resources involved for FedEx or Super Shuttle Transportation to deliver on their brand promises of rapid transportation. A dentist who promises rapid response for walk-ins and then is faced with 500 new patients walking through the door will need to rethink his/her fulfillment and distribution model.

To schedule your complimentary “Passion To Prosperity Strategy Session”, contact Maria Simone by sending an email to admin@passion2prosperity.com. You may reprint this article in its entirety with author's contact and bio information.

Creating Abundance With Joint Venture Alliances

Intentionally creating WIN-WIN-WIN promotional opportunities with those who have a vested interest in your success can set the stage for abundance to flow effortlessly into your business. Collaborating with like minded individuals can be one of the fastest ways to promote and sell your products and services. I have experienced substantial growth in many areas of my businesses including revenue, attraction of customers more aligned with my offerings, a substantially larger mailing list, reduced marketing expenses, and so forth. A Joint Venture (JV) happens when 2 or more entities come together to create a mutually beneficial relationship that not only supports one another’s success but also creates more value for the customer. Because it has become such an important and effective marketing strategy over the past few years, I devote a fair amount of time going over the nuances of creating and sustaining these relationships in my business development programs. The strategies include:

1. Establishing a common objective to base the relationship on.
2. Finding your ideal Joint Venture partner.
3. Making that initial contact and inspiring a JV to do business with you.
4. Crafting a WIN-WIN-WIN scenario beyond basic financial compensation.
5. Execution of the promotion.

There are many reasons WHY one would want to create a JV relationship. Here are a few scenarios that tend to produce the most fruitful outcomes for me and the clients I’m working with:

1. Rapidly expand your subscriber base. It’s easy to quickly increase your list of prospective customers when you can tap into someone else’s list and the goodwill they have already established.

2. Establish instant credibility. If you’re new to your industry and would like to quickly establish trust with your market, having an endorsement from a well-respected player could be exactly what’s needed.

3. Create a successful program or product launch. Allow your JV to assist with promotions of your products and services to their already established markets that contain your ideal customer. For instance, if I owned a scrapbook supply company and my JV had a substantial mailing list of scrapbookers, it would be in my best interest to collaborate with them for my product promotion.

4. Offer more value to your customers. Who doesn’t enjoy a “gift with purchase”! Bundling your products and services with those of your JV partners truly creates a WIN-WIN-WIN because your JV partner gets exposed to a new market, you get to offer more value which will help increase sales and your customer gets to take home the prize.

5. Use the JV partnership to establish a milestone. There’s strength in numbers and your JV partners may be able to help you achieve bestseller status if you’re an author, win an award or contest or help you make an outstanding contribution to a non-profit simply by reaching out to their database.

6. Use it to attract necessary resources. There are resources you need in your business to be able to serve more customers. Your JV partners can help you attract these resources and may include capital, media attention, team, and manufacturing support.

To discuss next steps to creating profitable and rewarding Joint Ventures and how to include them in your business, email simone@passion2prosperity.com for a private consultation

Shifting Overwhelm Into Opportunity

You can turn what appears to be “overwhelm” into a more positive experience. When the anxiety starts to creep in, simply stop and take a few deep breaths. Then express gratitude for all the new choices that are before you ---because that is what’s really happening, isn’t it? Ask for guidance as to which feels like the best option for you to pursue and wait for an answer coming from your heart, not your head. If you can be still in this process, the answers come much more quickly. If you find yourself faced with too many tasks, know that you don’t have to do everything at once and you never have to do it all alone. Do what feels right for you in the moment and know everything else will get taken care of when it should.

In A Small Village, A Goat Bears Your Name

Every year I make donations to various organizations that provide food and education to the poor on behalf of my clients and subscribers.
This year I decided to expand my support and purchase goats and chickens that help sustain lives in various villages around the world.
The contribution seems nominal considering the overall impact it will have...and it was blessed in your name.

One of the driving factors of creating abundance is the ability to give back and help change someone's life and I have found that if I focus on that goal in business, financial abundance seems to flow in a lot easier.

Think about this: What would you do with an extra $1000, $10,000, or $100,000 per month in revenue?

If you're interested in doing the same, I encourage you to contact your local food banks or perhaps connect with one of these organizations to make a donation or to make a micro-loan:

http://www.mercycorps.org/

http://www.kiva.org/

http://www.bracusa.org/

http://www.cambodiaschools.com/


If you're committed to creating more financial success in 2010, don't forget to join me for my 30 Day Revenue Makeover starting TONIGHT

http://passionatebiz.com <--- click here to register

I'll be sharing specific strategies of how to put more to your bottom line, leveraging what you already have to create more revenue, and attracting more customers.


Wishing you many blessings during this holiday season!

Maria Simone
http://passion2prosperity.com
http://the15minutementor.com

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