Have you ever used a GPS (Global Positioning System)? Of course you have. GPS is used by many to get from “here to there” these days. When I started my business 28 years ago, we used something called a “map,” and it was made of this interesting material called paper!
But today, we simply get out our smart phones (that know where we are…scary), and open our maps application. Or we get out our Garmin and type in where we want to go. It knows where we are, and gives us turn-by-turn directions to get to our destination.
Do you know where you want to go? Are you clear about where you want to go in life and in business? And, more important, do you really know where you are now?
The first thing a GPS does is determine where you are. I had the amazing honor of being quoted in the last chapter of the last book Zig Ziglar wrote, Born to Win. And I helped Tom Ziglar put together a phenomenal business assessment that reveals exactly where you are in your business right now. The assessment in Born to Win asks ten questions under each of these important five areas of business:
1. Marketing - Everything you do to attract prospects to your business.
2. Sales - Everything you do to convert prospects into paying customers.
3. Operations - Everything you do to serve your clients.
4. Administration - Everything you do to track your numbers and the internal office systems to run the business.
5. Leadership - Everything you do to lead and guide your business.
The assessment reveals how solid your systems are in each area (or not). You find out where you really are in your business. Most small business owners don’t really understand how to assess where they are. The answers to these questions reveal where you are in your business compared to where you want to go, and that is extremely important.
In fact, in coaching small business owners for many years, I’ve found that most don’t really have a grasp on where they really are in their business. This assessment helps you see where your business really is right now.
Back to GPS. Let’s say I want to go to my favorite spot in Florida, but I have been blindfolded, driven around for hours, and dropped off on the side of an unmarked road. Unless I know where I am, I can’t get to Florida. The GPS picks up where I am. Then I can type in the location in Florida and it will give me step-by-step directions to get there.
So, the first part of GPS for phenomenal success is allowing the GPS to determine where you are. Once you know where you are, you can then use the GPS to guide you to your destination:
GPS—Goals, Plans, Systems
G is for Goals. Without clearly defined goals, you will never know where you are going, or if and when you get there. You must have clearly defined life goals and business goals. They must be written down. They must be yours. They must be meaningful to you. They must be specific and measurable.
P is for Plans. You need a map. Would you try to go somewhere you’ve never been without a map? A simple business plan that includes your business goals, your mission, a 12-month budget, and a marketing plan, sounds like a lot, but I’ll show you how to make it really simple. It is vital that you create a really good map and follow it closely.
S is for Systems. You must choose what vehicles you will use on this amazing and exceedingly important journey. Your business is a vehicle; and like any vehicle, it has a number of systems that work together to operate it. A bicycle has the wheel system, the gears, the frame, the braking and steering systems, all working together as a system. An automobile has a number of systems such as the combustion system, the drivetrain system, and the steering system that work together.
A Boeing 747 aircraft has many systems that work together and can take a bunch of people a long way! I created a “747 Business Model” that is in Chapter 4 of my book 7 Secrets of a Phenomenal LIFE.
The five systems of a phenomenally successful business make up the vehicle you will use to get to where you want to go. They are also the systems that will help you stay there. The stronger the systems, the smoother they work together, and the better your trip will be. It’s no fun running out of gas or breaking down on the side of the road. It’s no fun having to rely on a vehicle that is falling apart, which is the case for many small businesses.
So, set your Goals. Develop your Plan. And build Systems in your business.
See Howard in action February 6-8, 2014 at The Secrets of a Phenomenal Business Conference
Howard Partridge is Ziglar's Exclusive Small Business Coach. Get Free Business-Building Resources from Howard!