Here we go, it’s 2024! Did you meet your 2023 goals? If you didn’t then have no fear.
In this video I break down what you need to know when it comes down to “Systems vs. Goals” including writing goals down, your “why”, mapping out a plan, execution, track and measure, developing systems and reflect. Remember, a goal without a plan is just a wish. Happy New Year everyone! Now go get some!
Hey, what’s up everybody. Welcome to the Ironclad Marketing Minute. My name is Ben Ricciardi from Ironclad Restoration Marketing and the Restoration Rundown Podcast, where I help restoration business owners get more sales by getting their internet marketing right.
Can you believe it? We’re in 2024 and it’s only fitting that the very first video, the very first Marketing Minute video of 2024 is all about goals. Whether they’re the short lived New Year’s resolutions, a goal to get more organized, or just sales goals in your business.
Fact is that most of us never reach their goals, but why? Why are most people in businesses failing when it comes to reaching their goals? Well, despite the thousands of self help books written on the subject, I think the reason is very simple.
People are typically and businesses are typically Missing two crucial aspects of goal setting the how they’re going to achieve those goals and the why to me, those two things are hands down the most important parts about reaching your goals.
You have to have a plan and you have to have a reason. Goals are very easy to set. Set anybody can set a goal. Just run outside and scream a goal up into the sky or write it down on a piece of paper. And then just do that every single day for a couple of weeks and then get back to me on how that worked out for you.
Did you reach your goals? Probably not. So think back personally, if you’ve ever had a goal, did you see it through? If not, did you ever think about why? Personally, I know for me, one of my goals this year is to help lose a little bit of my dad body.
But if I spent every single day thinking about my goal and looking in the mirror without becoming a healthier person, and implementing systems of exercise regimens and changing my diet, I’m pretty sure I would have to continue to upsize my clothes this year.
The other part about reaching that goal is my “WHY”. Why do I want to lose that weight? Well, for one, a big motivation for me is my family. I want to stay as healthy and agile as possible to take care of them for as long as I possibly can.
So when it comes time and I don’t feel like exercising and I don’t feel like eating healthy, thinking back to my “why” will help keep me on track sticking with the systems that I’ve implemented to reach my goal, right?
Without changing my systems in my processes, I might hit a goal in the short term, but there’s a good chance that without changing your mentality to a systems based mindset, I’m going to revert back to my old ways and gain back the weight that I work so hard to lose.
And that’s why implementing, even altering your processes in your business art is crucial into reaching and more so maintaining that. So when I speak to restoration business owners, which I do quite often and talk to them about their goals, I usually get some sort of generic response like, Hey, I want to hit 3 million.
All right, great! You have a goal, but more often than not, when I ask them how they planning on how they’re planning on hitting that sales goal, I’m just met with more goals. Well, I’m just going to increase my leads by 40%.
What I rarely hear is that they have a plan of action in place and proper systems to handle all of the things they need to do to achieve those goals. These business owners, we’re like amateur plate spinners at a circus.
We’re trying to increase their digital reach, get leads, build relationships, manage their employees, retain their clients, handle their operations, answer phones and handle accounts receivable. That sound like you? Well, you’re not alone.
These businesses live in crisis mode and can never fully get to where they need to be. Because they have not invested the time into developing systems that can be replicated in scale and without systems or a true reason why like financial freedom or to sell your business one day when times get tough, they will, they have nowhere to turn for more motivation to stay on track to hit their goals.
So what can you do right now to switch from a goal orientated mentality to a systems mentality? Well, here are a few things that you can do right now to help your business reach some of your goals in 2024.
Number one, very simple, write your goals down. This seems really annoying and mundane and arbitrary, but it’s a huge part of seeing them through whatever that goal is for your business or personally. Put it on a piece of paper so you can begin to outline how you’re going to get there.
Next, you need to figure out your “why”. Really dig deep. Start with some introspection. Just figure out why you’re an entrepreneur, why you’re even running this business. Is it to set your family up with financial freedom? Is it eventually to sell your business?
Just figure out your strong why because this is another big part of hitting those goals when you reach those low points. Now, another important part of this is mapping out your pathway and a plan to hit your goals. All right?
Get granular with this, the more you break it down, the easier it will be to see it through. If your plan is to hit a certain revenue target, make sure you know what it will take to reach there. IE how many phone calls, how many inbound leads? How are you gonna get those jobs? You have to know your numbers, alright?
Take action. One thing that separates winners from the losers is winners take immediate and deliberate action. Just writing things down without a plan is nothing without execution, okay? Part of your plan should include the action steps that it’s going to take to reach your goals.
Then track and measure what you measure and track improves. Tracking and measuring are huge parts of hitting your goals. Are you getting the amount of inbound leads that you need to hit your sales targets?
What are your conversion rates? Take the time to check on in on those things weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, consult with your marketing agency. If you’re hiring third party, everybody’s on the same team and make sure that you have API’s or key performance indicators mapped out clearly that you can help track and measure your goals.
It’s not always going to be a straight uptick. Sometimes there are going to be some lulls so the more you have measured these metrics, the more you revert back to your why and your plan, the easier it will be to write the ship or understand that you may be on the right track.
Develop systems. Proper systems provide consistency in your business. Without them, it’s going to be hard to track and measure. It’s going to be hard to create a plan. It’s going to be almost. possible to scale your business, okay? Clearly mapped out systems are fundamental in this process.
And then another big one that a lot of people I think miss out on it is reflect. Reflect on your progress, celebrate the wins, whether that’s weekly, monthly, quarterly, bi yearly, yearly, you need to be able to sit back, look back on what you’ve done, where you started and to where you are right now.
And that might provide you a little bit extra motivation, or you may be able to check a system that’s not quite working out the way you think to be able to alter it, to get you to where you need to be.
Just remember, as we move into 2024, you need to make sure that you’re switching your mentality from goals only mentality to a systems mindset when it comes to achieving those goals. Cause remember, goals are the results that you want to get, but the systems are the catalyst that’s going to get you there.
Without your proper systems, you’re destined to be stuck at the starting line. Remember, a goal without a plan is just a wish. We’ll see you next time. Happy new year.
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Benjamin Ricciardi is the founder of Ironclad Restoration Marketing, A digital marketing agency that specializes in the Restoration and Cleaning industry based in South Florida. Benjamin is the author of The No Bulls**t Guide to Internet Marketing for Restoration Contractors and hosts The Restoration Rundown Podcast, a podcast that is focused on everything related to marketing and owning a Restoration and Cleaning Business. Connect with Benjamin and Ironclad Restoration Marketing on social media for the latest tips and tricks on how to grow your Restoration Business.