How To Use An Action Plan

Having a plan and executing that plan are two different things. Planning is good but it won't get you anywhere. Execution is good but without a plan, you won't get to where you want to be. I find that many online business owners tend to lean toward one and not the other. Which category do you fall into? While most people tend toward one or the other, it's the successful combination of planning and executing that will actually make a business successful. Help yourself by planning and executing brilliantly. Here's how to create a simple but effective action plan: 1. First, get a blank piece of paper and a pen. 2. Decide where you are. Pick an area that you want to focus on (for example, monthly income or number of clicks to get one sale). Be sure to identify a specific area of your business and then identify a specific number you want to work on. For example, if your current monthly income is $3000, write that at the top of your page. 3. Decide where you want to be. Using the same area of business and the same measurement (dollars or clicks or whatever you chose in step 1), write out where you want to be. If you want your monthly income in six months to be $6000 per month, write that at the bottom of the page. 4. Now connect the dots! On the space on your page between where you are and where you want to be, create steps with real, practical ideas that help move you toward your dream. If it's a simple matter of only two or three steps, that's all you need. However, more than likely, you need to fill your page with ideas to help you move from "now" to "soon." Some ideas for the example we've been looking at might include: increase prices by 10%, try upselling customers into a higher priced product, do half an hour of cold calling each morning, etc. These items should be specific action steps that you need to take, not general ideas you have. Be sure to assign due dates for each one so you have a timeframe to work in. 5. Now, take those action items, and implement them into your weekly planner. 6. Then simply execute! Do one step at a time, each day, every day, until you've reached your time limit listed at the bottom of the page. Did you achieve your goal? Did you miss the mark? If so, how close did you come? Once you get into the habit of doing these regularly, you'll find that you'll do them more and more often for a variety of business and personal goals.