by Hans Johnson

Have you set your New Year’s goals yet? If not, it’s not too late to write down some New Year’s resolutions for 2008. And if you’re the kind of person I think you are, you’re not going to want to let another day of this new year pass by without getting this done ASAP!

You’ve heard Dani say, “Nothing becomes dynamic until it first becomes specific”. This couldn’t be more true than when it comes to making this year, 2008, better than last year.

And I would say that strategic goal setting can make a 200% to 1000% difference in your outcome this year! Of all the simple things you could do to start your year off, DON’T overlook this! It may be simple, or even common knowledge (goal setting may be, but strategic goal setting is not common knowledge) but it is NOT common practice!

Below, I’ve written down a few things that have my personal attention for 2008. Maybe they’ll help you come up with your goals too. I’ve also put these ideas and questions into a PDF worksheet you can download FREE here (Which I HIGHLY suggest you do ASAP before its removed from our site!)

Okay, here we go. This list is not all inclusive or in any particular order. Like I said, these are just some of the questions I quickly wrote down for myself and thought I would share with you. This type of strategic goal setting and planning has helped Dani and I build more than one multi-million dollar business; I’m sure it will help you too!

Business Growth
What are you going to do to grow your business, sales and profits in 2008? Looking back at 2007, what activity or activities did you do in 2007 that yielded the largest revenue and profit? How can you do more of this in 2008? What type of clients in 2007 were most profitable, brought you other great clients and grew your business? How can you attract and find more of these kinds of clients in 2008? What clients, relationships, and/or activities cost you time and money in 2007 that you should eliminate in 2008? What new markets can you tap into the fastest in 2008 that can bring you the most exposure and return on investment (ROI) the quickest? Is the market sentiment shifting? Are there new concerns, fears and desires that your market has in 2008 that should be given special attention? What are the areas of inefficiency in your organization that should be improved or eliminated in 2008? What are the distractions, time vampires and “ADD” impulses that should be eliminated in 2008? Can your sales process, message or presentation be improved? If so, what area, if improved, will make the biggest, most immediate impact in your sales? Do you have an already existing successful sales message that can be replicated and/or duplicated into other mediums, formats and markets to create more exposure and sales in 2008? What can you do in 2008 to strategically reinvest back into your business either through advertising, product development or other resource acquisition to grow your brand and capture new clients? What can you do in 2008 to increase your influence with your market place, clients, employees, business associates, and other relationships?

Skill Sets
What are the new skills you should be learning and mastering in 2008 to keep your competitive edge in the market place? What skill sets did you start learning in 2007 that generated results that need continued development? What about your team; what skill sets should they be acquiring in 2008 to keep them at top performance and how will they develop them? What are the top 3 skills you have that bring you the most results and ROI on your time? How can you improve these even further in 2008? What if all you did in 2008 was spend 80% of your time executing these 3 high value skill sets, how would that impact your growth in 2008? Are you a “jack of all trades, but master of none”? Is 2008 the year to become a master, a specialist of a particular high leverage skill? If so, which one and how will you do it?

Financial, Wealth, Investments
How much do you want to increase your net worth in 2008? Do you have debt you want to eliminate in 2008? How much? How much debt will you pay off each month and what is your plan to do this? What kind of investments do you want to make in 2008? Should you be preparing for “hard times” that may be coming soon? If so, how and what is your plan? What if these hard times arrive sooner than you think? (The “party” (especially in America) of economic growth and prosperity by debt and consumption cannot go on forever – it must come to an end and when it does, there will be one heck of a hangover that will be felt around the world). Are there steps you can take right now to insulate or prepare for these hard times while still growing your business, and wealth? Is this the year to look at setting up any special entity(s) that may provide business, tax, estate, wealth protection benefits (LLC, Corporation, Trust, etc.)? Have you recruited a top notch accounting, financial and legal team yet and are they ready and committed to growth in 2008? What negative financial habit should you personally eliminate in 2008?

Family, Personal
What will you do in 2008 to love and cherish your spouse more each day? What changes can you make personally to become a better person and treat those most important in your life with more respect, honor and gratitude? How can you show your appreciation for your spouse and kids daily in a special way that lets them know they are most important in your life? What skills can you begin teaching your kids (or grand kids) that will give them a head start in life while also spending quality time with them? What unproductive habit or unconscious part of your daily/weekly routine should be eliminated or stopped in 2008? How can you “steal time” away from your daily life, business, etc. and invest it into those closest to you in 2008? Is 2008 the year to get control of the “urgent” things that just keep popping up and robbing you of time with your family? If so, how? Are you going to start dating your spouse in 2008 and treating her/him like the rock star he or she is?

Spiritual
Where will God be in your life in 2008? Do you want to get to know Him and hear His voice more in your daily life? If so, how is this going to happen? What will you do to invest in your relationship with the Lord in 2008, or is it just a 1 way street where you call on Him whenever you “need” Him? What can you do in your daily work life to honor and glorify Him? Will 2008 be the year that you let Him be king in your life and what does that really mean anyway? Will you include Him in your personal and business decisions both big and small? Will 2008 be the year that you “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path”? How will you use money as a spiritual weapon this year? What will you sow and give into in 2008? Will this be the year that the walls of separation between work and spiritual life come down and you allow God to invade the market place with you, as your business partner? What is it you fear or avoid most that you know you should be doing, that you will overcome by walking in faith with God’s help in 2008? How will you stretch your faith this year?

TOP 3
After reviewing the above, list the top 3 goals you have for 2008. These should be the 3 things that you feel will have the biggest impact in your life and in the life of those around you. They are the top 3 things you should be focused on for 80% of the year. What are they? Write them down and post them somewhere you will read them daily.

Well, that should give you a good start. Feel free to ad some of your own thoughts and questions too. Again, you can download the worksheet I created to help you work through these questions here. Some will be easy to answer, others not. But if you take the time to do this, and immediately begin walking in faith towards your goals, I promise that 2008 will be a much more fulfilling year of growth for you! Just a little bit of time invested right now can have a dramatic affect on your results by the end of the year.

Also, Dani and I would like to hear from you! Give us your comments, feedback and testimonials and tell us what you thought of this post. We want to know what your biggest goal is for 2008! Do it now by posting your comment below!

May God bless and prosper you and your business!

Hans Johnson
CEO, DaniJohnson.com

P.S.
I can’t urge you enough to stop whatever you are doing right now and answer these questions. Taking just a little bit of time now can mean the difference of 200%, 300%, 400% or more increase in 2008! Do it now. Download the worksheet here.

Dani Johnson is a relationship marketing expert, author, speaker, trainer and founder of Call to Freedom Int’l. She went from living out of her car with $2.03 to her name to earning her first million in two short years by the age of 23. Dani regularly consults, mentors, and coaches successful home business owners and entrepreneurs on marketing and lead generation solutions, prospecting, closing, business building strategies, leadership development and personal achievement, insider profit strategies, organizational and team development and more.

Gain control now of your financial future with free training by Dani Johnson. Check out RiseToSuccess.com for more free articles and business training and remove all barriers to your financial future now!

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