Sunday, April 09, 2006
What gets measured, gets improved.
What gets measured, gets improved.
I read a blog post yesterday that I couldn't forget... now that's weird.
I read a lot of blogs and websites. Like most people, I skim through as fast as I can so I can make the best of my surf time. Like most people, I miss a good amount of the content on a page because I am skimming as well. What's worse, I quickly forget what I have recently skimmed because I've moved on and it all becomes a blur.
Yesterday however, I read a blog that kept coming back to mind. I don't know if it was the use of a weightlifting analogy, or the simple writing style, or the perfect choice of topics, but for some reason it haunted me to the point that I tabbed through my internet history just to find it.
The post was about measuring different aspects of your business and made the point so clearly that I've been thinking of ways to measure my own business. Ways to improve become more clear if there is a method in place to measure performance.
I've read countless articles about business measurement, use of metrics and standards, database, software and CRM. In the end, the idea of creating processes and programs to measure different aspects of my business becomes intimidating, complicated and feels like it's just not worth it. It's just seems hard.
Then along comes this guy on the internet and made is so simple that it hit me in the head. Michael Cage writes:
How many clients do you have today?
How many do you want to have 30 days from now?
Now track what you do ... every day ... to get it.
Why didn't I think of that? That really is as simple as it gets.
Admittedly, I've written and not even published some critical reviews of articles that over simplify the business plan model, or marketing strategies, or even process management, but this really is the simple, down and dirty end goal I think. So, using this simple "How many do you want to have 30 days from now?" challenge, I'll go about my daily routine with the goal in mind and the result in focus.
We humans have an amazing ability to tell ourselves stories about why we aren’t progressing the way we’d like. It’s the boss/parent/spouse/kid/landlord/employee and on. Fact is, when we *want* to believe the responsibility for less than stellar results rests somewhere else, our minds will latch onto damn near any explanation no matter how silly. Tracking what’s happening ... on paper ... brings a bright light into that shady corner of the mind.
http://www.entrepreneurslife.com/
What gets measured, gets improved. What should I be measuring? How should I measure? Are there tools I can use to measure more effectively? What do I do with the data? So many questions but the answer seems to be, just start measuring. Just like the E-Myth model, analyze, innovate and implement. I'm on it.
I think I will... more to come.
