Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing

As the owner of a business you may have one pretty big blindside and that’s accountability.

Look I know you get up every morning, start the coffee pot, and fire up the big to-do list every single work day, and often on Saturday and Sunday, without anyone making you, but who holds you accountable for success, for achieving your stated goals?

That’s a tough one because the natural structure of business suggests that you’re the boss and nobody’s the boss of you. In my opinion, this is something you have to create and invest in making happen – you need to get a boss to hold you accountable.

Here are a couple suggestions:
• Start a mastermind group – Choose a select group of business owners from your local network of strategic partners or even industry peers and set-up a structure to share objectives and goals, critique marketing plans and materials and suggest ways to get better. Hold quarterly sessions as a group. You can join one too with groups like Vistage
• Track your time – Create time sheets and note how you spend your time each day. Assign a category of work, such as marketing, administrative, or sales. Then spend a minute or two at the end of the day and assign a value to that work – in other words what you would pay someone else to do it. You may be shocked at how unaccountable you are for the way you spend your day.

• Create an internal board - Use your professional network, such as accountant, lawyer, insurance or financial professional to hold you accountable. After all, they may have a vested interest in your success. Share numbers and goals and give them permission to prod you each month for results.
• Hire a coach – All the best athletes do it! A coach can be a great addition to your team and act as someone for you to bounce you ideas off. It can be lonely at the top and getting feedback from an experienced coach is a great way to get around your blind spots and gain the confidence to move boldy in the direction of your goals.

If any of this is resonating with you, I’ve actually created a coaching program that has several of these elements baked right in – have a look – Duct Tape Marketing EXCELerator

Posted by: John Jantsch on Jan 13, 09 | 6:06 am
Category: Marketing EXCELerator, Marketing Strategy | Tags: , Coaching, mastermind groups, vistage