The absolute #1, guaranteed, sure-fire way to get more revenue.

Most business owners I meet want to “bring in more revenue”.  Some admittedly have more pressing priorities like delivering the products or services to their existing customers, but essentially, as business is about money, bringing in “more” will always be up there.

But many owners of small businesses do not set sales targets.  To bring in new business “as fast as possible" is not a target.

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What is “more”?  How much was sold previously?  What measure of time is used?  All good questions in order to consider how to bring in “more” revenue.

The answer to the first of these questions is 1 penny.  Is that what was meant?

All of this leads to a basic principle of good business.  Keep an eye on the numbers.  We wouldn’t let our bank balance plummet to zero without knowing it but for some reason many small businesses are not as clear about the sales coming in, what is expected, when and what should be targeted.

Recently, I was reading an article debating whether or not it was appropriate to say “sales is all about the numbers”.  This is a common saying, and I agree that there are many other factors in a successful business and in selling, but the numbers are a vital part of focusing on the results we want.

I ask many solo business owners, solopreneurs, what their target is for this month or this quarter.  Far too many don’t know, haven’t decided or, worse, pluck a number out of the air.

Not being an archer, but having fired rifles and other weaponry in the military, I am used to staring at a target.  Something I was taught was not to squeeze the trigger without knowing where my gun was pointing, namely “down the range”.  In order to score in target shooting, we aim at the bull.  If we miss, our aim is off or the gun is not firing accurately, the chances are we will still hit the target, even if not the bull.

Why would business be any different?  We absolutely must know what we are aiming at.

Why would setting targets be so important?  At least two reasons.

There is much talk about the Law of Attraction, and visualisation has been advocated for years.  Setting targets for our sales activities, on one level works along the same principles.  If we declare a target and focus on it, the mind, the subconscious or the universe, whichever of these ideas we subscribe to, will conspire to make it possible. Whether it is our imagination producing creative ways to succeed or the universe actually delivering success from its own banks, by just specifying a target we get closer to achieving it.

The second reason is more matter of fact.  By setting a clear target, it becomes easier to break down the work needed to achieve it.  The number of calls, contacts, meetings, presentations needed to bring in the desired sales.  This is also why the supporting numbers are so important.

If you run your own small or one-person business, make the time to record accurately your activity towards sales and set specific targets into the future.  Against these targets, the results of our activities will allow us to then forecast results and have no (or fewer) surprises.  That can lead to at least more restful nights.

So going back to the absolute #1, guaranteed, sure-fire way to get more revenue…I have to admit here this is said tongue in cheek.

In order to increase revenue, we must target a specific number greater than before. A target should be achievable but only at a stretch.  Don’t target to double revenue unless you know exactly how and why that would be possible.

The claim of a “sure-fire” way to increase revenue is of course bogus.  There is no guarantee, but I can promise that setting real targets will give you a much better chance of hitting the revenue figures you want.  And as for “more” revenue, as introduced above, more could be just 1 penny, so never get caught stating goals, targets or objectives with words like more or greater.  If you are not specific, nor will your results be.

The time-frame for your targets is for you to choose, a week, a month, a quarter or a year.  What works for your business and your market.  Typically, 3 to 6 months is a good period to work to as it is long enough to encompass most sales cycles, but not too long to lose sight.

Only you know how much time you can afford to keep on top of your numbers, targets and hence revenue, but when asked what you expect to earn this year, do you really want to say “no idea”?

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[Create Attraction With Women]

If we declare a target and focus on it, the mind, the subconscious or the universe, whichever of these ideas we subscribe to, will conspire to make it possible.