Written by Doreen Dilger, The Home Based Business Coach

As you seek to improve your conversion rates, you’ll realize that real-time marketing offers an excellent solution to improving lead gathering as well as conversion rates. One of the reasons conversions go up is because your audience starts seeing you as real. The more you engage in answering to events happening today and participating in real-time conversations, the more your audience will grow to trust you.

Like with most marketing there are KPIs (key performance indicators) that you need to track to ensure that your efforts are getting the results that you desire. All real-time marketing does is to add in the "when" to the "where" and "how" of marketing. "When" is now.

For example, if you promote work-at-home opportunities and the new jobs report comes out, what can you do to make yourself part of that conversation? You can use their hashtag on Twitter to market your business proposition based on the job reports. Your response might include an informative infographic, or a link to a page of testimonials of those who have used your program to earn money and end their need for a job.

By inserting yourself into the conversation revolving around current news events, you can get more buzz than you may have thought possible. The KPIs you track aren’t that different from the ones you track all the time, but you will want to track them in real time to ensure that your efforts from that action gets immediate response.

There are several KPIs that you need to track:

·         Owned Audience – While no one really owns their audience as they’re free to leave whenever they want to, you’ll want to know how many people you’ve already connected to click through and perform any action based on a new event.

·         Website Visitors – When you participate in the real-time event, does it affect your website visitors right now? You can use Google Analytics to view real-time activity on your website right now to see if your efforts make a difference.

·         Total Leads – How many leads do you collect in the 24 hours after the event?

·         Customers – Do you get new customers within 24 hours of the event?

·         Recurring Revenue – How many of these new customers end up as repeat customers?

·         On-Page Activity – Check your on-page activity during the event. Does it change? What happens?

·         Social Media Activity – Once you start your real-time marketing effort, how many times is your message shared or responded to?

·         Checkouts – Do people check out without issue? Are there abandoned carts?

·         Conversion Rates – What is your lead to purchase conversion rate at the moment or for the 24 hours after the event?

By paying attention to these KPIs, you can understand whether or not your real-time marketing efforts are working. You’ll want to set up the ability to see these KPIs live during the event, and the 24 hours after the event.

You can use a lot of the information you gather to improve future real-time marketing events as well as to create better follow up. For example if you have a lot of shopping cart abandonment, you can remarket to those people a special way based on the fact that they clicked through your real-time marketing collateral.

Have a question or comment about this blog?  Please post below.  As a way of thanking my audience for participating I am doing a monthly give-a-way for all those who read my blog posts, sign up for my FREE Report or those who participate in any of my seminars.  One lucky winner will be picked on the last Friday of each month and announced here on my blog.

Remember all it takes is a plan and specific daily action steps to move you to your goals!

Here’s to your success!

Written by Doreen Dilger, The Home Based Business Coach

Like most plans you make for your business, nothing is like the reality. Once you have started implementing your marketing strategy and see how close your assumptions match the reality, you can start tweaking the plan to keep it fresh and reality based. There are many ways to test whether or not you need to review your strategy.

1.       Ask Your Customers.  You'll want to automatically survey new customers to find out how they found out about you so that you can evaluate whether or not they found you via current marketing plans or via some other way. If they give you a reason they found you that is contrary to how you thought they might find you, then it might be time to review your marketing strategy.

2.       At the End of the Marketing Cycle.  Some marketing strategies have a definite beginning and ending. For example, if you are running an email marketing campaign that runs for 30 days straight, then you need to review the strategy at various points throughout the plan and also at the end to ensure that you got the results that you thought you might.

3.       By the Numbers. Many business owners make it a habit to review their marketing strategy on a quarterly basis to match up the financials with the effort. How did that PPC campaign you ran last quarter stack up compared to the email marketing push that you started at the same time? Can you quantify your efforts?

4.       To Ensure That Your Strategy Is Unified.  If your overall strategy is to service six-figure business owners and above, then every single element of your marketing plan should match that goal. It is easy, without review, to get lost and off track. A good time to check up on the unification of your strategy compared to the steps you are taking to implement the plan is at least quarterly.

5.       To Know Your Return on Investment.  How much is it costing you to acquire a customer and what is the lifetime revenue potential from each customer? Are your plans reflecting the financial truth? Is your marketing strategy directly influencing your ROI? If not, then you may need an entire overhaul of your marketing strategy.

6.       Your Educated Guess.  Sometimes, you just have to go with what you feel. If you feel as if your current strategy isn’t matching up to what you want for your business, then it’s time to review everything so that you can figure out where to make changes and where to implement new strategy.

7.       When You Develop a New Product or Service.  Each time that you develop a new product or service is a great time to revisit your marketing strategy so that you can incorporate plans for pushing out the new product and/or service. How you did things before might not work.

8.       Check the Numbers Weekly:  When checking in on the numbers on a regular basis such as weekly (or you could do it quarterly instead), at the same time you can understand how all your actions are affecting your marketing strategy and ultimately the bottom line.

The entire point of marketing is to tell your target market that you exist so they can choose your products or services. If you want to be good at getting the message out to the right people, you’ll need to evaluate on a regular basis how it is that you spread the word about your products and services.

Have a question or comment about this blog?  Please post below.  As a way of thanking my audience for participating I am doing a monthly give-a-way for all those who read my blog posts, sign up for my FREE Report or those who participate in any of my seminars.  One lucky winner will be picked on the last Friday of each month and announced here on my blog.

Remember all it takes is a plan and specific daily action steps to move you to your goals!

Here’s to your success!

Written by Doreen Dilger, The Home Based Business Coach

Word-of-mouth marketing is the oldest form of marketing that exists, and it’s still very effective. In fact, one of the best ways to get more clients for any business owner is to increase your word-of-mouth marketing efforts. People trust hearing from those whom they know, or respect, or have other connections with more than they trust a specific type of advertisement.

1. Ask for Referrals – If you want your current customers or contacts to give you referrals, it is important that you tell them that is what you want. The more you tell your contacts that you want them to recommend you to others, the more likely they are to do it.

2. Provide Sources with Details – A great way to ensure that you get the right type of referrals is to tell your customers and contacts exactly what type of clients you are looking for. That way they can be sure to tell the right people about you and your products and/or services.

3. Be a True Resource – The more you can offer to everyone you come into contact with, even if you cannot service them directly, the more you’ll be seen as a resource to others. They will then trust enough in your skill to recommend people who can be your actual clients.

4. Provide Incentives – There is nothing wrong with providing some incentives to your contacts to recommend you to others. You can do it before or after the fact. Some people have successfully given coupons and discounts to those who have recommended them, with great results.

5. Promote Testimonials – Ask for testimonials from your currently satisfied clients to share with your social media followers, website visitors, and within your sales pages. Once you receive a testimonial there are many ways in which you can use them to get more business.

6. Build a Community of Customers – One way to really catch your word-of-mouth marketing on fire is to build a community of customers who can speak with authority to your awesome services.

7. Create an Affiliate Program – A really fabulous way to create momentum in your word-of-mouth marketing is to open an affiliate program for customers only. They are the ones who can really speak to the level and quality of your services you offer.

8. Network Strategically – Many people with whom you have casual contact through networking events can be a wonderful resource for referrals. There are many networking groups that you can join to help you get the word out.

Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the best forms of marketing available and one of the least expensive. All you have to do is live up to your reputation and continue to under promise and over deliver so that your clients are thrilled by your products and services enough to keep the word-of-mouth going.

Have a question or comment about this blog?  Please post below.  As a way of thanking my audience for participating I am doing a monthly give-a-way for all those who read my blog posts, sign up for my FREE Report or those who participate in any of my seminars.  One lucky winner will be picked on the last Friday of each month and announced here on my blog.

Remember all it takes is a plan and specific daily action steps to move you to your goals!

Here’s to your success!

Written by Doreen Dilger, The Home Based Business Coach

Whether you give them or attend them, meetings are an essential part of the workplace and community groups.  They are where ideas are generated, goals are set, expectations are covered, and a whole host of other things are accomplished.  But meetings can also waste a whole lot of time and leave people more confused than before the meeting started.  The answer to this problem is to streamline your meetings to ensure they are useful and productive.

While meetings can be a great way to set goals and figure out what needs to be done, they’re not always necessary.  If you are in the middle of an ongoing project, having a meeting for everyone to say “this is what I was supposed to be doing, I’m doing it” is pretty much a waste of everyone’s time.  Before you have a meeting, look at your goals and priorities and see if it’s really needed.  You may be able to get by with a phone call or email to ask how everyone is doing on their goals. 

Set an agenda, make sure everyone knows it, then stick to it.  In large meetings, especially brainstorming sessions, it’s easy for one person to go off on a tangent and pull everyone else along with them.  While there is a change you’ll come up with a decent idea, you’ll also end up wasting a lot of time.

When setting up a meeting, it’s common to want to include people.  It may be that you want to expand your pool of ideas and viewpoints, or you want to include new or less utilized office members.  It could also be to include other organizations.  While this can have benefits, it can also lead to meetings that drag on and could even turn into a battleground for conflicting viewpoints.  Before you send out a reminder for a meeting, make sure everyone there is needed and will not simply be dead weight.

When planning a meeting, set a clear agenda of what needs to be covered; feel free to be very specific and detailed.  Put your agenda in writing and make sure everyone has a copy and knows what is going on.  If something comes up that isn’t on the agenda, write it down and tell them that it’s a good idea and will be discussed later, but right now you must stick to what’s on the paper. 

The biggest time-waster at meetings is usually in the very beginning.  Often people are late or want to chat and socialize.  The best way to get rid of time-waste in a meeting is to ensure that it starts on time.  If people want to socialize, they can come early.  Also, don’t wait for late people to show up.  This will help save time and encourage them to be prompt in the future. 

After the meeting, make sure everyone gets a copy of what went on at the meeting.  This ensures everyone is aware of what the goal is, and what their part is on the overall picture.  This will also help those people catch up who showed up late or couldn’t make the meeting.  In addition, it is something you can use to inform people who didn’t need to be included in the meeting, but need to know what is going on.

By streamlining your meetings, you can not only save time, but also increase productivity.  If everyone knows what’s expected and what they’re doing, they’re going to be more effective workers. 

Have a question or comment about this blog?  Please post below.  As a way of thanking my audience for participating I am doing a monthly give-a-way for all those who read my blog posts, sign up for my FREE Report or those who participate in any of my seminars.  One lucky winner will be picked on the last Friday of each month and announced here on my blog.

Remember all it takes is a plan and specific daily action steps to move you to your goals!

Here’s to your success!

Written by Doreen Dilger, The Home Based Business Coach

You spend a lot of time in your office. It should be that this space is not only inviting but also energizing, healthy and creative. One way to do this is by simply creating a positive flow of air and mood throughout the space.

Here are some quick and easy tips:

#1 – Keep the air flowing. One thing you don’t want is stale air in your creative space. Regularly open windows at either end of your office space to allow a clear path of air to flow through at all times. It’s important to keep the air flowing even during the winter months. You don’t have to open your windows very much to get a good flow of air – a little will do.

#2 – Keep the office green. Plants do a lot more than look attractive. Having plants in your office space will help reduce the static energy in the air. This is energy that comes off computers, telephones and other electrical outlets. Green leafy plants will help reduce the amount of toxins in the air and help you breathe easier.

#3 – Keep things natural. The more natural materials you can use in your office space the better. Opt for natural wood, stone and paints where possible. The key is to reduce as many toxins as possible in your office. Go for simple renewably sourced products. When decorating, opt for a “greener” eco-friendly paint that doesn’t release toxins into the air.

#4 – De-clutter often. My clients know that this is something I do on a regular basis.  The less cluttered your environment, the better the overall energy flow. Keep your office space tidy and neat. If you don’t need something, find a good home for it. A clutter-free office space may also help you think clearer and more creatively.

#5 – Add feel-good items. Feel-good items like favorite photos, art and objects will all contribute to the positive mood of your space. Add these sparingly without cluttering your space for a feel-good vibe.

#6 – Balance your color scheme. Colors can set a mood instantly. Blues, greens and yellows (yellow in moderation) can create a creative, airy, light mood – perfect for offices. Reds and oranges are fiery and may be a little too bright for most office spaces. Having said that, my accent color is PINK and I have it everywhere.  Take a little time to look into colors to see which make you feel good and will create the mood you’re after.

Creating a healthy office space doesn’t have to be difficult. It’s simply about creating a more relaxing, happy, energetic space. When you walk into your office and instantly feel good you know you’ve achieved just that.

Have a question or comment about this blog?  Please post below.  As a way of thanking my audience for participating I am doing a monthly give-a-way for all those who read my blog posts, sign up for my FREE Report or those who participate in any of my seminars.  One lucky winner will be picked on the last Friday of each month and announced here on my blog.

Remember all it takes is a plan and specific daily action steps to move you to your goals!

Here’s to your success!

Written By Doreen Dilger, The Home Based Business Coach

How to assure you finish writing that book, launch your next program, get your money-making projects out to the world

When you have a “job,” you get things done because you have to. When the boss says that a project needs to be completed by a certain day, it gets completed. Of course it does. That’s part of the job. If you didn’t get things done on schedule, you wouldn’t have the job for very long.

But when you work for yourself, all of the assumed accountability goes away. You have no one to answer to. Nobody gives you a deadline. You need to create your OWN schedule, and hold YOURSELF responsible.

And that is why so many small business owners struggle to get things done.

We start our own business for freedom. We become our own boss so that we don’t have to answer to anyone else. And then, because we have no one to answer to, we lose that accountability. We lose that reliable guarantee that assures that work gets done.

Having someone hold you accountable for getting things done is actually a GOOD thing! (But I still don’t want to get a job and have a boss). So how do we create that assumed accountability without having an actual boss stand over our shoulders?

I start by publicly announcing the launch of my newest program/book/teleseminar series BEFORE it is actually completed.

Sounds simple, right? And you’ve probably heard this before. As entrepreneurs, we need to do things to hold ourselves accountable. And doing it in a public way adds to our level of accountability.

Yet some entrepreneurs still struggle to get projects completed, even if they’ve announces it publicly. They stand up at a mastermind meeting and commit to getting their book written by the next meeting. They announce in their eZine that a program will be launched on a certain date. But those dates come and go, and their projects are not completed.

Well, here is the step that is usually missing:

Add something that makes it practically impossible for you to weasel out of your commitment. Make sure the consequences of NOT getting your project done are something you could not live with.

If you tell your friends that you are going to have your website completed by February 2, and you don’t have it completed by February 2, your friends might tease you. If you make a commitment to your mastermind group or your coach that you will write your book by March 4, and you don’t, it could be embarrassing, and you might feel disappointed in yourself for not following through.

Unfortunately, the desire to avoid that pain is not always enough to motivate us.  But the potential of even bigger pain? Well, that’s a powerful motivator.

Here is my dirty little secret…

I invite people to “pre-order” my newest program/product/book.

I announce the launch date of my program, and I offer a special early-bird, pre-order rate. Most of the time, I get a rush of orders, and this often puts thousands of dollars in my bank account.

Now I have no choice! If I didn’t get my program completed, launched, and shipped by my committed date, I would not only anger my client and sacrifice my reputation, but I would have to repay everyone who pre-paid.

So that never happens.

I get my projects done on time because I have no choice!

Choose to put yourself in a position where you feel you have no other choice – but to get your projects done.

Have a question or comment about this blog?  Please post below.  As a way of thanking my audience for participating I am doing a monthly give-a-way for all those who read my blog posts, sign up for my FREE Report or those who participate in any of my seminars.  One lucky winner will be picked on the last Friday of each month and announced here on my blog.

Remember all it takes is a plan and specific daily action steps to move you to your goals!

Here’s to your success!

Written By Doreen Dilger, The Home Based Business Coach

1.       Go outside and enjoy the fresh air.

2.       Surround yourself with colors you love.

3.       Practice gratitude.

4.       Read inspiring stories, quotes and articles.

5.       Bring life indoors – flowers, plants, animals.

6.       Surround yourself with inspiring people.

7.       Clear the clutter of things you don’t use and don’t love.

8.       Exercise.

9.       Create a life plan.

10.   Make a list of 5 things you want to accomplish this week.

11.   Smile.

12.   Say “thank you.”

13.   Play with your dog, cat, horse; whatever!

14.   Forgive.

15.   Donate money or services to a worthy cause.

16.   Laugh really, really hard.

17.   Set meaningful, inspiring goals.

18.   Take action today to get you one step closer to achieving your goals.

19.   Get a massage.

20.   Hang a bulletin board and use it as a place to hand all of your dreams.

21.   Know that everything is as it needs to be.

22.   Trust all things happen for a reason.

23.   Know you are blessed.

Have a question or comment about this blog?  Please post below.  As a way of thanking my audience for participating I am doing a monthly give-a-way for all those who read my blog posts, sign up for my FREE Report or those who participate in any of my seminars.  One lucky winner will be picked on the last Friday of each month and announced here on my blog.

Remember all it takes is a plan and specific daily action steps to move you to your goals!

Here’s to your success!

Written by Doreen Dilger, The Home Based Business Coach

As a home-based entrepreneur, help can come to you in many forms, from the kid’s morning carpool to a personal assistant who can help with errands and organizing. Most of us know we need the help, but we put off making the decision with all types of excuses, like “I can’t afford to hire someone!” or “I don’t need to have someone else do THAT. It’s so easy – I can handle it!”

Contrary to our limiting beliefs, HELP comes in all shapes and sizes. And, you don’t have to be an advances business owner, or spend a ton of money to deserve an extra hand. These days there are independent contractors and affordable hourly workers that can free up HOURS of your time each week…if you just let them.

Here’s how to get started…

1.       Get an idea of your weekly to-dos for your business and your personal life.

Make a general list of projects and tasks you’d like to get done this week. Here’s an example of what this list would look like:

Pick up dry-cleaning

Buy file cabinet

Sell books on Amazon

Book travel for sister’s wedding

Drop cloths off at Goodwill

Clean out pantry

Buy daughter’s birthday present

Write eZine article

Lunch with potential client

Make follow-up calls from networking event

Check status of brochures and business cards at the printer

It’s likely you’ll come up with a mix of personal and work errands and project-related tasks that have to do with your home and your business. Clearly, there will be a few items that you and ONLY you should do. (In our above example, the client lunch and follow-up calls would best be done by you, especially if you’re just starting out and are building a reputation for yourself.)

But, most of the items on your list could easily be delegated to someone else.

2.       Decide WHO’S going to do WHAT.

The above exercise should unveil the TYPES of tasks that make up your life and business. You’ll find that there are housekeeping tasks to keep your home running smoothly, and there are also work-related administrative tasks. You also need to put on your managerial hat on, while keeping your money-making, business owner eyes on the “prize” at all times. Yes, it’s a lot, and that’s why your next step is to start delegating.

Family members – this may sound like an obvious solution, but some women don’t like to recruit their family members to help them in their businesses – and some even have a hard time asking for help with family-related concerns. But asking your family to help out with home matters isn’t just appropriate, it can help to make your loved ones feel like they contributing members of your “tribe,” and empower them to be proactive in the future.

Examples: cooking dinner, giving rides, grocery shopping, booking travel, making purchases, post-office, FedEx runs, etc.

Hourly Assistants – If you’re adamant about keeping your errands out of your family life, then consider hiring an assistant on an hourly basis. A personal assistant can take on a wide variety of home and business-related work – and you can rely on them to manage your tasks professionally (and without any whining – unlike some reluctant family members).

Examples: Personal shopping, booking travel, pet/plant sitting, organizing, rides, etc.

A Virtual Assistant specializes in traditional administrative tasks, and can be a lifesaver when it comes to keeping books and managing vendors. Some are more tech-savvy and can help with the website maintenance, HTML, Word Press, etc. Others are great at proofing and writing. So, think about the main tasks you want to delegate and try to explore the various types of VA out there, so you can find a great fit for your particular business. VA rates range from $15 an hour to $100, depending on their specialties.

3.       Start Small

If you’re feeling cautious about how much you want to let go, start small. Do a trial run with a new VA or get a personal assistant and see how your family members respond to you asking for help. Once you can get an idea of how things are working, you can move things around accordingly. And, if you’re still uncomfortable with hiring a designated assistant, don’t forget about all the low-maintenance forms of help to you these days. A few ideas: have a cleaning lady to come to your house once a week, or find a babysitter to watch the kids two afternoons a week. Call a travel agent to book your next vacation, and explore your options when it comes to a bookkeeper or accountant. They may not be “hire” in the typical sense of the word, but these are other forms of help that will save you time, and free you to focus on the parts of your life and your business that you’re passionate about.

Have a question or comment about this blog?  Please post below.  As a way of thanking my audience for participating I am doing a monthly give-a-way for all those who read my blog posts, sign up for my FREE Report or those who participate in any of my seminars.  One lucky winner will be picked on the last Friday of each month and announced here on my blog.

Remember all it takes is a plan and specific daily action steps to move you to your goals!

Here’s to your success!

Written By: Doreen Dilger, The Home Based Business Coach

Converting Hobbies and Skills into a Home-Based Business

Everyone is good at something.  What if that “something” could make you money?  If you have a hobby with that potential, you could be making more money.

You might wonder how people come up with some of the ideas they have for businesses.  Mostly, it comes from a love of a certain hobby or a skill that a person possesses.  There are several hobbies that can be turned into money generators – just look at eBay.

If you have been looking to start a home-based business, consider your skills and any hobbies that keep you busy on a regular basis.  Here are a few questions to ask when considering a hobby for your business enterprise:

1.  Is my product unique?  New products peak people’s interests.

2.  Is there a market for my product?  Some markets are saturated with certain items so it’s important to do some market research to see if your idea is viable.

3.  Do I have the time to devote to the business?  Since you already do what you do as a hobby, the answer to this question is usually going to be “yes.”

4.  Can I meet the demand?  Making crafts, if that’s your hobby, takes time.  It is possible to get a large demand and go out of business because you can’t fill your orders in a reasonable amount of time.

Now that the wheels have started turning in your brain, you are probably wondering what types of hobbies or skills make good home-based business ideas.  Here is a short list of some common ones:

* Crafts

* Tax preparer

* Consultants

* Selling surplus items (on eBay)

* Sewing (clothing, wedding dresses)

* Writing

* Health products

These are just a few.  Service businesses do well if you have a space in your home to conduct business.  Other businesses can be run from home with customer contact done through telephone, email, or fax.

If you want to turn your hobby into a home-based business, here are a couple of more things to work out before you get started.  These pertain to running the business.

1.  Register your business.  Choose a business name and register it with the city or town where you live.

2.  Create a business plan.  This is just a road map to get you started in the direction that you want to go with the business.

3.  Check out the tax implications of a home-business.  The IRS website has tons of information about tax requirements and deductions for the small business owner and the freelancer.

4.  Work out your method of product delivery.  With crafts that are delicate, you don’t want anything to get broken in shipment.  You can package the items yourself or pay a shipping company to do it.

Hobbies are good ways to start a business at home.  You have the advantage of being familiar with the product and in control of advertising, with low overhead.

If you feel you need an accountability partner then ask a friend or spouse to keep you accountable for the things you need to complete.   Hiring a business coach is one way to truly maximize your planning efforts.  I would be happy to do a free consultation with you to help you with your business at this moment. You will walk away with 3 tips you can implement immediately.  You can schedule that free 20 minute phone call today.

Have a question or comment about this blog?  Please post below.  As a way of thanking my audience for participating I am doing a monthly give-a-way for all those who read my blog posts, sign up for my FREE Report or those who participate in any of my seminars.  One lucky winner will be picked on the last Friday of each month and announced here on my blog.

Remember all it takes is a plan and specific daily action steps to move you to your goals!

Here’s to your success!

Written By: Doreen Dilger, The Home Based Business Coach

Be Honest About Deadlines

We all know what it’s like to have a deadline looming over our heads.  We spend most of our time feeling like we’re being pushed, often unwillingly, toward the goal line of one project or another.  We also all know what it’s like to miss a deadline.  However, with time and effort you can reduce your stress and meet deadlines more efficiently.

The first part of meeting goals is setting them.  This part is far more important than it seems.  When setting goals, you need to be realistic.  Not only with whether or not you can meet a timeline, but also with whether or not you have the ability to get the job done - period.  Once you have an overall goal, set smaller goals and a calendar for achieving them.  Assign specific goals and duties and make sure everyone not only knows their part, but everyone else’s as well. 

Even if you’re setting realistic goals and deadlines, that doesn’t mean you’ll always meet them.  When setting up your plan of attack, it is important to realize that sometimes things go wrong.  You or your child may be sick that day, the copier might break down in the middle of a large print job, or you had to bring your dog to the vet unexpectedly.

You can’t prepare for every eventuality, but you can set up a Plan B in case of common problems.  This is often as simple as having your Policies and Procedures Manual completed so someone else knows how to do a task.  Occasionally, something is going to happen and you won’t meet a deadline, but if you can prepare the likelihood of you missing more in the future will not happen.

When managing a person or team, always set their deadlines well before the deadline for the final project.  Even if someone does exceptional work, you may end up with a bad final product because you were in a rush to get everything together.  If the people you work with spend a lot of time procrastinating, you may just want to set a deadline they need to have it done by and leave it at that.  If they don’t know the final project deadline, it may get their part to you sooner. 

For a team to meet a deadline, the leader needs to be involved in the entire process.  No, they don’t need to check up on everyone every step of the way, but they do need to see if everyone is on schedule and if they have any problems.  Often people will try to handle it themselves when they hit a snag, delaying their part and possibly the whole project.

When you’ve met a big deadline, reward yourself and your team with some kind of treat.  Depending on your options and on the importance of the deadline, it could be something big, like a group outing, or something small liking bringing in bagels one morning.  If you have something to look forward to, you’ll be more likely to get things done on time.  Plus, this will give everyone the energy boost to get started on your next big project.

Have a question or comment about this blog?  Please post below.  As a way of thanking my audience for participating I am doing a monthly give-a-way for all those who read my blog posts, sign up for my FREE Report or those who participate in any of my seminars.  One lucky winner will be picked on the last Friday of each month and announced here on my blog.

Remember all it takes is a plan and specific daily action steps to move you to your goals!

Here’s to your success!