Are you scared? Do you push yourself each day to do something that challenges you? You should! It doesn’t have to be very big or dramatic. It can be slowly and steadily working toward a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal), too. Taking something big and breaking it up into manageable pieces makes it less overwhelming. It also allows you to feel good about small “wins” along the way, providing continued motivation toward the big goal.
Creating challenges within your business can be tough. Examples include setting a business goal, writing a marketing plan, or making sales calls. Obviously, writing a business plan is going to take some time and can’t be done in an hour or two. This is something that will take a couple of months and a lot of deep thought. As a business owner, initially, you can and should put some of your own thoughts together, but make sure you engage and involve your employees in this process. By listening to their ideas, you’ll come up with the best possible strategy for your company, and your employees will be glad to follow the plan they helped create. Once you have formulated the business plan/strategic plan, implement the ideas and create accountability within that plan.
Start by breaking this strategic plan into manageable pieces for you and your team. If you think you have to accomplish each goal in a week or two, you aren’t going to stick with it. For example, as one of your goals, if you’re an engineer and want to build stronger relationships with architects, you will want to engage and track those interactions with said architects. Start by identifying those specific architects (by name, not just firm) with whom you want to build relationships. Once this list is complete, then you’ll determine how you will engage with these architects:
- Will you participate in their annual conference?
- Will you take them to dinner?
- Will you provide valuable information in regards to helping them understand engineering better?
- Will you be a better team player?All of these things are part of the overall strategy but are baby steps to reach your ultimate goal of building and strengthening those relationships.
Every day, do something that challenges you. In the example above, you may dread the idea of building those relationships but with practice and time, it will become natural and almost easy. By breaking your goal into smaller pieces and pushing yourself each day, you will grow and reach your goal. Before you know it, you’ll have created a good habit and it will just come naturally. Just start. Just push yourself!
nu marketing is a strategic business and marketing planning company who can help take your company to the next level. We help all sizes of architecture, engineering, and construction firms with their marketing and business development services. Call or email us today to learn more.
