Focusing on Daily Input to Maximize Business Output (Weekly Scorecard Template Included!)
Starting or growing your own business can be overwhelming. When we lack direction, we’re susceptible to distractions, leading to things like anxiety, sluggish progress, and failure. Anyone can fall into the trap of being “busy” for the sake of feeling productive. Especially solopreneurs. So how do we safeguard our efforts, so we see continued progress, rather than just a pile of busy work?
First, it’s important to define what progress looks like. This is relative, so put some thought into what you want to see. While your gross sales number is a good indicator, it’s not the only one. Sort of like how your scale weight isn’t the only indicator of your overall health. Several actions are responsible for the health of your business. And focusing on consistent daily input will help maximize your business output.
What does consistent daily input mean? These are tasks that affect your total productivity. An example might be mentioning your business to 1 person per day (in order to meet new clients, which in the long run helps build a healthy pipeline, which may increase your annual sales by 10%). Intentional organization of your workday ensures you’re focused on the right things at the right time. You control the distractions, maintain balance, and get things done.
The most logical way to determine your inputs, is starting from the top and working your way down. This will take a bit of time but is absolutely worth the effort. The more specific you are about what you’re trying to accomplish, the better! Daily inputs should be designed to help hit weekly goals, weekly goals should feed into your monthly goals, monthly goals serve your larger quarterly goals, and finally. . . if you’ve achieved each of your quarterly goals, you should be successful with your year-end goal.
Identify 1-2 big goals you want to accomplish. Remember, the more specific the better. Limiting this to 1 or 2 will give you a much greater chance of success. Now take your year-end goal and do your best to break it down into 4 equal, more manageable parts. These become your quarterly goals, and you’ll get more granular as you repeat this process to break your quarterly goals down to monthly, monthly down to weekly, and finally weekly down to daily. You want to end up with 5-10 consistent daily inputs.
Unless you’re tracking your progress, how do you know if your system is working? An easy tool you can implement into your workflow is a weekly scorecard (here’s a basic template). Grading yourself may seem daunting, or even pointless. But unless you’re honest with yourself, your efforts are wasted. Your needs and goals may also change, so it’s important to quickly identify what is and isn’t working. Missing a goal is an opportunity to fix what’s broken and keep going.
Choose a day to reflect on the previous week. Met goals are green, while missed goals are red. Evaluate outcomes and narrow your focus to the things that are making a difference. Seeing red, or missing a monthly goal, simply means an adjustment is needed somewhere. You may need to experiment at times to stay on track. As weeks go by, continue adding columns and as your scoresheet grows, you’ll see tangible evidence of your success.
If you want to dig deeper into goal setting for your business, check out “Traction: Get A Grip On Your Business” by Gino Wickman. Originally intended for business owners with a management team, this system can easily be modified to meet an individual’s needs, for both complex and simple goals. Get creative and see how it can work for you!
“Traction offers a helping hand for beginning entrepreneurs and others whose businesses are stuck at a point where hard work and determination are no longer enough for them to survive and grow. Business owner and consultant Gino Wickman explains how to structure your business using his Entrepreneurial Operating System to remove typical frustrations, so it regains momentum, it runs seamlessly, and you don’t get mired in details. The system is based on practical experience, not theory. Numerous tools and templates lead business owners step by step through processes to create a structure and core focus that strengthen and reenergize their organizations.”
About Uniglobe Travel Center
UNIGLOBE Travel Center (UTC) offers a variety of programs to support your independent travel business, all of which provide top-tier commissions and assistance with the development of sales and marketing plans. Each comprehensive home-based travel agent program is geared to your level of experience in the industry and helps you grow to the next level.
With 200 years of combined travel experience, our dedicated host agency staff are fully equipped to help you reach your goals. We focus on support, business development and coaching, and will give you the right balance you require of each element to become the best home-based travel agent you can be.
The UNIGLOBE brand is an internationally trusted and respected name in the travel industry, celebrating over 26 years of working and growing together. Since 1996, UTC has been a leading host agency helping travel agents build their businesses and realize their dreams.
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