The SMARTER method
To help you define and manage your business goals
The SMART concept to achieving goals has been around for several years. It’s an excellent way to make sure your goals are specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable, and timely. But do you know about the SMARTER method? It’s a way for you to evaluate and revise your goals.
S
Specific
Your goal must be clear and specific. To this end, your project needs to be fully understood by all your employees and every person involved. If your objective is vague, you’ll be setting yourself up for a difficult time because it will be hard to define success.
- You need to ask yourself the following:
- What do I want to achieve?
- How will I achieve this?
- Who is involved in this project?
M
Measurable
By defining metrics, you’ll be able to reach your goals more easily. When it comes to marketing, your ROI (return on investment) should be a fundamental part of the process. You should be able to measure your results to find out if your goals have been reached.
- Ask yourself the following:
- What do I want to measure: number of sales, new clients, new prospects, new branches?
- How do I know if I’ve reached my objective?
- When do I want to reach this objective?
A
Achievable
Your objectives must be achievable. We all like to think that we can reach the grandest goals, but sometimes this is simply not possible. Make sure your goals are ambitious enough that you drive yourself to reach them but don’t make them unrealistic.
- You should ask yourself the following:
- Do I have the required human resources?
- Do I have the financial means to reach my goal?
- Do I have the necessary technology or equipment?
R
Relevant
Your goals need to be relevant to your business context. Each objective must be connected to an overall vision of your business and must be aligned with the objectives set by the team, department, or organization. If you’re short on key resources, your expectations won’t be met.
- You need to ask yourself:
- Are my goals relevant to my business context?
- Do my goals align with those set by my team, department, or organization?
- Is the market ready or saturated for my offer?
T
Timely
You should set a specific deadline so you can plan the steps that will help you reach your objectives. That way, your team will be able to measure the evolution of the work accomplished in real time in view of your end goal. You might also want to break down your overarching objective into smaller goals so you can monitor your progress along the way.
- To this end, ask yourself:
- What can I achieve in 3, 6, and 12 months?
- What’s my deadline?
- Do I need to establish a timeline? If so, what are my smaller objectives?
E
Evaluate
The SMARTER method simply adds two extra steps to the SMART method. First, you should be able to evaluate whether your goal is relevant. Within the context of your market, are the tools and media channels chosen attuned to your targets? You should constantly evaluate your initial objective and readjust it as needed.
Evaluating is the best way to avoid losing time and money in your projects.
R
Readjust
If the market has changed for any reason – mergers, acquisitions, departure of key persons – you could have trouble meeting your goals. That’s when it’s time to take a step back and find out if you need to readjust. Keep in mind that readjusting doesn’t mean abandoning your goals altogether and setting new ones, it’s simply a means to an end and a way to overcome problems.
Get the support you need to maximize your return on investment with SMARTER method
"*" indicates required fields
