Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Goals for the New Year - Happy New Year!


Goodbye 2010! So long. Adios. You've been good to me, with a 35% upswing in revenue, but now it's time to move on.  2011 is just around the corner and I'm very excited to be poised for yet another big revenue increase.  

This is my favorite time of year with family in town, parties, eating out, and touristy activities. Living in Scottsdale, Arizona means that whenever someone visits, the tourist map gets dusted off and the sightseeing activities are planned. Even though I take the week between Christmas and New Year's off, I still spend time planning my goals for the New Year.  

It is amazing to me the difference between people who plan their goals versus those who do not.  Goal-oriented people are driven by their goals and accomplish so much more than those who fly by the seat of their pants.  The exercise of working on your goals gives you clarity about what you want to accomplish and helps you reach for more than you have now.

So what do you want in 2011?
*What revenue goal would excite you?
 *How many new clients would it take?
*What professional accomplishments would motivate you?
*What about personal goals? What can you realistically accomplish to be or remain physically fit?
*Is your office aesthetically pleasing or does it reflect poorly on your business?
*Is your website lacking design or branding?
*What new marketing tactics do you need to implement to get where you're going?

Many experts say that to increase revenue by $100,000 you must spend an additional $25,000 to get there. Since you get what you pay for, how much did you increase your revenue this year? How much are you spending on marketing?

Spend the time now to grow next year. Work on your goals for the New Year!

Suzanne Muusers
Business Coach for Financial Advisors

Monday, December 6, 2010

Revenue Goals and Marketing Metrics for 2011


What would it take for your business to generate a revenue increase in 2011? Give this some thought as you do your end of year planning and think about what needs to change in you and your business. Since you've been measuring your marketing (you have, haven’t you?), you'll know what to let go of and what to continue. But let me ask you, what exactly are you measuring? What are your marketing metrics?

In order for us to grow as a person and a business owner, we need to track specific metrics over time to analyze where we're growing. Reviewing this data on a quarterly and annual basis helps us to be better business owners and to think strategically. For example, if we see that over time the number of unique visitors to our website is stagnant, then we know that in order to grow and bring the firm into the 20th century, we need to investigate internet marketing tactics to improve this metric.

Here's a brief list of metrics:
New clients
New investible assets
Cost per new client acquisition
Conversion ratio
Referrals per client
Website pagerank
Unique website visitors
Facebook fans
Newsletter sign ups

What marketing tactics do you need to implement to reach your BIG revenue goal for 2011? Where are your opportunities for growth in 2011? What tactics have you not included in your business plan? We all have weaknesses or areas that need attention. What are yours?

Which area below needs work in your plan?
Trade Shows
Event Marketing
Public Relations
Online Advertising
Print Advertising
Social Media
Video Marketing
Email Marketing
Website Marketing

What I want for you in 2011 is bigger financial success so that we can put the Great Recession behind us.  It's time to move on and reach for the life we want. How are you planning to grow your business in 2011?

Suzanne Muusers
Business Coach for Financial Advisors