SMART New Year's ReZZZolutions!
It's the end of the year, and that means it's time to start thinking about those New Year's Resolutions (or, as we like to say, reZZZolutions!). Even if you haven't considered area in your life you'd like to grow in, here is an acronym I've found useful when I've been trying to set goals, objectives, or yes, reZZZolutions!
Specific-
Goals need to be specific. It isn't enough to just put out a blanket statement like "I want to clean more carpet this year." Hopefully that isn't something you would say anyway, otherwise, I'd be out of a job! Instead, the resolution should be very specific, answering as many of the W questions as possible- who, what, when, where, and why. For example, we at Zerorez Carpet Cleaning Boise want to provide services and products to double the number of customers we served in 2014. We have Zerorez The Right Way to Clean®, the best way to help keep our families and community healthy, and our objective is to help as many Boiseans as we can!
Measurable-
Resolutions need to be measurable. We cleaned almost 2500 customers in 2014, and in 2015, we want to clean for about 5000 customers, or 400 a month. In short, we want to be busy! In 2014, we also had an average net promoter score of 90% with those 2500 customers. (Apple and CostCo had a score of 71, so we are doing really well!). Our goal is to beat that this year and increase our score to 92%, which brings us to our next letter:
Attainable-
A resolution of 92% customer satisfaction is absolutely attainable. As we expand, there will be more opportunities for us to make mistakes, but we've found that some of our most raving "raving fans" are those that we've let down in some way. We are human, and as such aren't perfect. We really appreciate the opportunity, however, to make things right. With our Gotta-Love-It-Guarantee, we strive to make things right for you! Obviously, we strive for 100%, but that isn't always:
Realistic-
100% is a great number to shoot for, but unfortunately, it isn't realistic, at least not over the course of a year. We have had stretches of several weeks and months without a complaint, but not a whole year. We like what Google has to say about mistakes: mistakes are just an opportunity to learn. Fortunately, there is an infinite number of ways carpets and couches can get dirty, so we have an infinite number of opportunities to learn and get better. One of the best things about Zerorez® is our constant commitment to improve our products and services to our customers!
Time-bound-
Resolutions also need to be time-bound. Our goal of serving 5000 Treasure Valley residents and businesses with 92% customer satisfaction doesn't mean much if we forget to include the time constraints of the year 2015. We have found that sometimes looking at the big picture can be a bit overwhelming. It's often easier to break things down into smaller, more easily obtainable goals. 5000 customers seems like a lot, but if we break it down, on average, monthly, it is only 400 customers per month. Still a lot, but much easier to swallow than 5000!
With these 5 traits of a goal, be sure to write your goals down, and put them somewhere you can see them often. Find a friend or coach to keep you accountable to your goals. Returning and reporting your progress to a friend is one of the best ways to keep you focused and make sure that by January 20th, you still are on your way to your goal!
I hope this post had been helpful to you as you look to make your own reZZZolutions this New Year! I've found that following the SMART principles have helped me create much more meaningful resolutions throughout the year, and that my ability to achieve those resolutions is far greater when I remember to make my goals Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. And remember, write them down and find a trusted friend to report your progress to!
