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Fidelity Investments “Turn Here” campaign shows a green line that investors follow to stay on track. You can watch the video here: Fidelity | Turn Here. The core message of the commercials is that Fidelity gives you the direction to reach your goals. I’m sure that there are days when many of us have longed for a green line that carefully guides us down the path, telling us when to stay straight and when to turn.
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In business the path is a never ending hallway with doors on each side that lead to yet another hallway with more doors. A big green line would handily tell us which door to pick on any given day and avoid the occasional stumbles we have when we make the wrong choice.
If only life were that easy. We can however, map out a journey that will keep us on the right track to our personal and professional goals. Before you make your line you need a very clear starting and ending point. It sounds simplistic but far too many businesses have murky goals such as “be profitable,” or “success,” and even cloudier ideas about how they will get there. [Note: Your target market is NOT everyone with a pulse!]
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You should have a concrete destination that allows you to focus in on it with laser sharp clarity. Once you know where you’re headed, you can begin to detail how you will get there, the length of time it will take and who can help you reach the destination.
The “who” of your equation should include your target market, your organization (do you have the right people in the right positions to get you where you need to go?) mentors, advisors and experts. With these details in place you can focus on the how, what and when of your journey. How will you move from start point to destination? What tactics align with your strategy? When will you begin and how long will you remain at each stop along the way?
The clearer you are about where you want to go, the easier it will be to draw your own line. And like every good plan, you should periodically check and modify as needed.
So where will your green line take you? Feel free to share your goals in the comments and if you need help with your destination strategy let me know.
Resources:
21 Shoestring Marketing Secrets That All Small Business Owners Need to Know
Dave, so glad we can chuckle together! I know exactly how you feel! I too am stunned at how often people really are clueless about their ideal client. Laughing harder as I imagine you screaming from top of RenCen 🙂
You’re comment, “your target market is NOT anybody with a pulse,” made me chuckle. I was a director for BNI, working with people across metro Detroit on how to build their business through networking and it was amazing how many people had no idea who their most profitable type of clients were. Sometimes I wanted to scream from the rooftop, “How am I suppose to help you find business if you don’t know what business you want!”