“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”. – Winston Churchill
As we bid adieu to 2018 and welcome the New Year, it is time to evaluate what were our accomplishments and where we failed. Self-assessment is crucial for every business owner as it helps us assess our strengths and improve on our weaknesses. Unfortunately, not always do we achieve our goals, mostly because we fall short to follow through. Either we set unclear goals, lose direction, or simply give up. However, that is true for all business – we all have failed to achieve our goals at some point in time.
But the problem is when we do not learn from our mistakes. We go on pursuing our business goals in precisely the same way as we have done in the past, committing all the same mistakes, and gearing ourselves up for even more failures in the future. And perhaps that’s why you did not achieve your goals in 2018.
The good news: Businesses need to transform how they go about realizing their goals by planning effectively how to pursue them. Now that you have a track record all littered with disappointments, it’s time for self-retrospection. We have outlined the nine common reasons why you may not have achieved your business goals in 2018. Knowing how to avoid these scenarios will bring you a step forward towards success.
1. Setting unrealistic or undefined goals
One of the biggest reasons why businesses fail to achieve their goals is because the goals are too vague. What’s the point if you have set an objective but your team isn’t sure what you actually want to achieve? For instance, “Our goal is to achieve huge profits in the first quarter.” This is, of course, a goal, but not specific. It does not define how much profit you expect or what steps to take in realizing the goal.
On the other hand, if your goal is too impractical, it tends to be overwhelming. Over time, you will lose focus. The result – you fail to achieve what you envision.
Solution: In 2019, avoid this mistake by setting goals that are realistic and well-defined. Break down a goal into several achievable steps, and you are more likely to complete the same. Make it a point to write down your plans and this will make it easier to accomplish them.
2. Lack of focus
Another reason why you did not achieve your goals in 2018 is due to a lack of consistency. It is difficult to remain laser-focused for a long period of time, especially when interruptions are many. Initially you may feel excited about a goal – say a project – but eventually, you lack the passion for seeing it complete.
Solution: Overcome this behavior by defining your goal properly, and giving it a start and end date. The line of communication should be clear, and effective planning should be in place – what are the top milestones, what problems will it solve, how it will benefit the organization, what budget & resources you need, etc.
3. You did not survey it right
A major reason why most projects fail is that businesses do not have a clear & comprehensive understanding of what their customers want. Any product, service or business objective should be created on the line of what your customers’ expectations are, what are their problem areas, and how you can provide a solution. And if this ‘base’ is not strong, it is quite obvious that achieving your goals would seem far-fetched. This is true for any project.
Solution: A great survey makes a strong foundation for setting a project outline and goals. Valuable customer insights can help in effective targeting & segmentation and can go a long way in determining your objectives, setting a plan, and accomplishing the same. For this, you need to create a great survey first.
Askly is a powerful online survey builder that helps you ask the right questions to gain critical data, generate quality leads, and convert sales. It engages customers in a meaningful way, helping you identify their biggest challenges. With this in mind, you can set clear & achievable goals.
4. You don’t think big
Do you think small when you set a goal, take up a project or perform your business operations? That might be holding you back from utilizing the opportunities and achieving your objectives.
Solution: In today’s cut-throat competitive business environment, you have to think big and embrace the change to realize your goals. Set bigger goals and make sure the efforts are right in place. Search for new possibilities and harness the potential of advanced technology. Remember: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
This year, think differently…think bigger & better! Transform the way you manage your business operations. Convertly is a powerful tool that will completely revolutionize the way you used to manage your email list previously. The simple yet automated email marketing software is designed to make creating & marketing your email list a breeze. From sending broadcast messages instantaneously to building triggered, bulk autoresponder sequences, simplify your email marketing and achieve your business goals in 2019.
5. Not having a deadline
One of the biggest reasons why businesses fail when it comes to goal-setting is neglecting the importance of having a deadline. When business objectives are open-ended and do not specify the time frame within which they are to be accomplished, people tend to lose focus from it. The subject gets into the back foot, often leading to procrastination. Having the thought in mind that “this can be done sometime or the other,” things actually get delayed and are mostly not done.
Solution: It is almost essential to set a specific deadline within which a goal has to be attained. This will help everyone to remain disciplined and focused on achieving it within the time frame.
6. You neglected the power of analytics
Whatever business you are in, unless you are able to monitor your performance and draw powerful analysis from your results, you are nowhere. Often, companies set bigger goals, put their best foot forward, and yet overlook the potential of time-to-time business evaluation. No wonder, they remain a step behind achieving their goals.
Solution: Powerful analytics is pertinent to gather meaningful data that aids in effective decision-making. It is vital to track your performance through every stage of goal realization, ensuring that you are on the right path and capitalizing the opportunities efficiently. Analytics also help in identifying and eliminating the bottlenecks that come in the way of accomplishing your goals.
Digital marketers and website owners may utilize the potential of Statly – advanced analytics software that helps track every visitor moving through your website or sales funnel. It provides real-time analytics data that help track conversions through your sales funnel. The tool allows you to monitor what your visitors are doing on the website, helping you track sales & revenues based on your website behavior.
7. You failed to act upon your goals
It’s surprising that most businesses know the secret to becoming successful; however, hardly few of them take the necessary steps to accomplish that. There is no point having set realistic & well-defined goals unless you actually act upon them. Making big plans, talking big won’t help unless you work upon it diligently. And this might be one reason why you did not achieve our goals in 2018.
Solution: Set goals and act upon them. Stop procrastinating and stay focused on what you have to accomplish. Only then you can set yourself apart from those who only dream, but do not achieve.
8. Trying to be the jack of all trades
Last year did you spread yourself thin thinking that you can do everything you are good at? If yes, that is one of the biggest mistakes you have made. You had taken up numerous goals in your hand, but your list of accomplishment is zero because you tried to be the jack of all trades. Your resources are limited and tried spreading your wings.
Solution: Well, there is no harm in dreaming big but make sure you are well equipped to achieve the same. Instead of trying to do many things at a time, limit your goals this year and stay focused on achieving them only.
9. You always do things the same way
Do you always do things the same way, year on year? Then it is difficult to see astonishing results. If you did not achieve a goal last year, would it make any difference if you follow the same steps and try to achieve it this year? Working diligently won’t help unless you take a new approach.
Solution: Evaluate what you did last year and how? Identify loopholes in the process. Determine how you can do it differently this year. If Plan A did not succeed in 2018, try implementing Plan B in 2019.
Addressing these failure points in time will enhance your likelihood of achieving your goals. Remember, failure does not merely stop you from reaching your goals; it also affects your thinking, your productivity and perception to go forward.