In Multiples of Three

With the start of 2013 just around the corner, you’ve probably thought about what you’ll do to make 2013 the best year your business has had – what needs to change, where you need to improve, and what has proven to be successful (and profitable!). Within the next few weeks, take an hour to meet with your team. Ask them to help you set some business priorities for 2013. If you’re a team of ‘one’, then find an hour to go through this exercise on your own.

This exercise is meant to be simple. You should, in a relatively short period of time, be able to draw up some realistic goals that can be achieved in a reasonable amount of time (i.e., one year). This exercise works with multiples of three… and poses simple questions for you to answer. A word of caution, your answers may require homework and innovative thinking!

What 3 things x 10 questions

Q1: What 3 things does my business need to immediately improve or change in order to meet our strategic goals?

Q2: What 3 things can we improve or implement to advance how our brand is thought of in the minds of our customers?

Q3: What 3 things can we do to improve our customer service experience?

Q4: What 3 things can we do to help our employees reach their personal growth goals?

Q5: What 3 new products or services need to be added to our business in order for us to continue to meet our customers’ needs? Alternatively, what 3 products or services should be changed or eliminated?

Q6: What 3 things will we commit to doing in 2013 to communicate better with our customers, other stakeholders and employees?

Q7: What 3 things can we introduce that will make our product or service more price competitive?

Q8: What 3 things can we do to save on expenses?

Q9: What 3 things can we change within our business processes to become more efficient or effective?

Q10: Are we aware of what 3 things our competitors do better than us? How do we address the differences? Do the differences matter to us?

If you need some help answering these questions and setting 2013 priorities for your business, you may benefit from the help of a business coach. Our programs create clear goals and objectives, generate referrals, and allow you to work ‘on’ your business instead of ‘in’ it.