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TODAY’S IDEA: 30 Questions to Ask Before Setting Business Goals
— From Marketing: A Love Story: How to Matter to Your Customers, by Bernadette Jiwa
As this year comes to an end and we think of what new and wonderful things await for us in the New Year, it’s only natural to plan ahead. However, when setting business goals—or general goals—for something completely new, the limitations of knowing “how-to” do something, tend to scare us, or even stop us on our tracks, as the uncertainty befuddles us. Yet these limitations are actually a gift, even though we may not see it at the time.
“There is no one right answer” when starting something new, says marketing guru Bernadette Jiwa in her wonderful book Marketing: A Love Story. Whether you’re setting a goal of starting a business or creating something new for your business, “There is no one way to get to where you want to go, and that’s a GREAT thing. If there were a how-to guide, then everyone would have the formula and nothing we created would be unique.”
“Nobody told Jobs and Wozniak how to build a computer company [Apple], let alone how to make it one of the most loved brands in the world; and Howard Schultz didn’t get the Starbucks’ magic from a manual. Nobody can tell you what to stand for or how your values, wants and needs should intersect with those of your customers and then manifest as a business, an idea, or an experience. Figuring out the destination is hard, but recognizing it is more valuable than knowing exactly how you’re going to get there.”
Jiwa says, “Until you do the hard work of understanding the why? and the who for? every tactical how-to has the potential to take you down the wrong track. The most useful answers are the ones we take time to figure out by ourselves, not the ones everyone can find in a handbook.” And to figure this out, she shares 30 questions to ask before setting business goals: the answers will bring much clarity and will turn into a roadmap to follow. While she geared these questions to startups and entrepreneurs, I believe they are also helpful for any businessperson who is setting a goal of starting a new project that hasn’t been done before.
30 Questions:
- Why are we doing this?
- Why are we the people to do it?
- Why is now the time to start?
- What will happen because this idea exists?
- How will this change how people feel about x?
- Who is it for?
- Why will they care?
- What do the people we hope to serve want?
- What do they believe?
- How do they feel about the problem we solve?
- What do they do—where, when, why and with whom?
- What will customers say to their friends to recommend this product or service?
- How can we make customers feel good because they recommend it?
- What are we really selling beyond the utility of the product or service?
- How can we add more value?
- What happens because our business or project exists?
- How will people find us?
- Where are they already looking, or not looking?
- What’s our greatest strength?
- What weakness might get in the way if we don’t address it?
- What does success look like, today, this year, next and five years from now?
- What do we value?
- What do we want to change?
- What promises do we want to make and keep?
- What matters most right now?
- What’s going to matter more three, six or eighteen months from now?
- What’s our difference?
- What do we need to do today, to make sure that we can keep doing the things we want to do tomorrow?
- If we could do anything today would this be it?
- If not this then what?
Jiwa points out that “Having your own map is more powerful than having someone else’s directions. Once you have the map, you’ll always have a way to get from where you are to where you want to go.” It’s worth putting in the time and effort to answer these questions before setting your goals: the answers will turn into the actual goals and help you draw your own map to accomplish them.
Cheers to you finding your own path!
ACTION
TODAY: As you are setting business goals for the New Year, and especially if you are starting something new, make some time in your calendar whether today or over the next few days to answer these questions. Create your proverbial roadmap so that it can take you to your desired destination.
FUTURE: Even if it’s not for the New Year, whenever you are setting business goals and/or starting something new, come back to this list and go over it again to paint a clear path for your success.
Know someone who would like these 30 questions? Please share them via email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, thank you!