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Boost Profits with a Productivity
Plan
By Stephanie Chandler
Most business owners know the value of a developing a
business and marketing plan before a business is
launched. But once the proverbial open sign is lit, many
neglect to focus on day to day operations, managing with
little more than an over-loaded e-mail inbox and a to-do
list scratched out on a sticky note.
If you aren’t meeting your goals, it could be due to the
fact that you haven’t defined them. Creating a
productivity plan gets you organized and allows you to
accomplish more in less time.
A productivity plan is simply an outline of tasks that
you intend to complete on either a daily, weekly or
monthly basis. Tasks can range from basic operations to
marketing and sales activities. Use your plan to get the
most out of each work day.
Designing Your Plan
Design a plan that fits your individual goals. If there
are specific tasks that you need to complete each week,
designate a specific day of the week to accomplish each
task. For example, you might review financial statements
on Mondays, schedule one-on-one time with your staff on
Tuesdays, focus on marketing activities on Wednesdays,
and so on.
Assigning tasks to days of the week will help get you
into a routine and minimize procrastination. In addition
to specific daily tasks, you can also create a list of
other goals to accomplish throughout the week. For
example, a consulting business might include the
following tasks: attend a networking function, update
three pages of the website, make a new media contact,
contact three potential alliance partners, develop one
new worksheet for clients, and complete at least seven
introductory calls.
The tasks for each business vary greatly. When
developing your list, ask yourself these questions:
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What tasks will help me with my general
organization? |
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What do I need to do to make sure I am
constantly marketing my business? |
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How can I improve the company’s bottom
line? |
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What tasks should I be doing that I tend
to avoid? |
Here are some ideas to get you started:
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Perform X number of cold calls.
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Write and send a press release.
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Evaluate reports (website traffic, P&L
statements, inventory, etc.). |
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Attend a business networking event.
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Read an industry-related book or e-book.
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Update website.
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Add new content to website.
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Write X number of words for book
manuscript. |
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Make contract with X number of potential
alliance partners. |
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Submit an article.
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Develop new marketing campaign.
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Give away X number of freebies.
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Take it Seriously
Write your plan in either a word processing document or
in a spreadsheet format and update it regularly. Print
it out and post it near your desk so it’s always handy.
In addition to a weekly plan, you can also define
monthly and yearly goals. Once you begin to check off
tasks, not only will you feel a sense of accomplishment,
but your productivity will inevitably improve.
Your plan doesn’t have to stop with you. If you have
employees or a virtual assistant, be sure to create
plans for them too. Soon everyone in your business will
be working smarter and your only regret will be that you
didn’t create your plans sooner.
Sample Weekly Plan
Monday: Review weekend sales
reports
Meet with staff to review
weekly goals
Tuesday: Update website
Place merchandise orders
Wednesday: Work on newsletter
Develop at least one new
promotion idea
Thursday: Make six cold calls
Write thank you notes to
clients and vendors
Friday: Spend two hours on
new product development
Clean up e-mail inbox (less
than 30 messages)
Other Weekly Goals:
Attend one networking function
Lunch or dinner with a client
Lunch or dinner with a business partner
Investigate new advertising opportunity
Read one trade book or report
About the Author:
Stephanie Chandler is an author of several business and marketing books
including "LEAP!
101 Ways to Grow Your Business" and “From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur:
Make Money with Books, eBooks and Information Products.” She is
also founder and CEO of
http://AuthorityPublishing.com, which
specializes in custom publishing and internet marketing
services, and
http://BusinessInfoGuide.com, a directory of
resources for entrepreneurs.
For author and speaker details, visit
http://StephanieChandler.com.
*This
article can be reprinted in full provided the author
resource box is included with the publication.
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Guide
Related Books:
PRODUCTIVITY ~ ORGANIZATION ~ SIMPLIFY
~ TASKS ~ PLAN |
