What Are Your IT Consulting SMART Goals for 2014?

As the year began, IT consulting firms sat down to plan their goals for the year. For most a revenue goal may have been at the top of the list. But in order to reach that revenue goal, you’d generally need to think about adding customers and staff to grow your business.

But how many IT consulting firms will stick to those goals and meet or exceed their expectations by year end? Let’s face it – it’s easy to get off track. Day to day client activities and client emergencies will always take precedence over bringing on new clients and growing your business. And if you’re working by yourself or with one or two partners or employees, it’s not easy to stay on task.

Here at SP Home Run we help our IT consulting clients set SMART goals for the year ahead, as defined by our partner HubSpot.

Setting SMART Goals

• Specific – Your goals should be clear and communicate exactly what’s expected. It should be understood why they are important, who will be involved, where it will happen, and what, if any, constraints exist.

• Measurable – You must be able to track and measure your progress.

• Attainable – Your goals must be realistic and possible.

• Relevant – Your goals should matter to your business and your core initiative.

• Time-Bound – Your goals should have a deadline, not just “someday”

An example of a SMART goal would be to get 5 new customers by June 1, 2014.

Applying SMART Goals

Once you’ve determined what your SMART goals are, it’s time to begin tracking your progress. This is something you can do weekly or monthly. These goals will help keep you on track and measure your results along the way.

If you find your IT consulting company is getting off track at some point during the year, you’ll have the opportunity to adjust your tactics and get your company back on track. What are you doing right? What are you doing wrong? What’s working? What’s not working?

And to learn more about how SMART goals can help your IT consulting business, be sure to download your free copy of the IT Channel Inbound Marketing Planning Guide. 

Creative Commons Image Source: flickr gurdonark