Why you don’t need to be scared of the numbers in your business.
“What gets measured gets managed.”
— Peter Drucker
This is my favourite part of The Daily Rituals.
Right now, I have a sidebar open showing how many words I’ve written today and it gets addictive to see the word count increase word after word.
The other numbers I record are how many people are in my sales funnel, at what stage and the sales I’ve made.
Knowing your numbers means you know whether the effort you’re putting in is working or whether you need to tweak your approach. Did that action you took make a difference? We need to quit wondering and start knowing your numbers.
Plus, without knowing your numbers, you’re not highlighting all the hard work you’ve put in.
My numbers may be different to yours but record something.
It may be your social media followers, it could be sales for that day, it could be money flying into your bank account… whatever you choose, record them.
Not only do you record your numbers for measurement, but you’re also doing something else… Noticing.
For example, if you want to increase your money/sales then noticing how much money is flowing to you (or not) will highlight if action needs to be taken. Having awareness around something puts it front and centre in your mind and you can begin to focus on it.
Where focus goes, money grows.
Same with your email list numbers, products sold, your weight, your social media followers… everything. Focus gives you direction.
THE NUMBERS — THE HOW
- Decide what is important for you to focus on.
- Decide which numbers to track.
- Track the numbers daily/weekly.
- Compare your numbers on a regular basis. Maybe once a week.
- Adjust your performance to increase (or decrease) your numbers.
Some ideas for numbers to track.
Take a moment to figure out which are the true measurements and not just vanity numbers.
- Daily word count
- Followers
- Email Subscribers
- Sales
- Money
- Facebook Group Members
A word on numbers and value.
Don’t get too hung up on what the numbers mean. They’re just an indicator, not the value of you or your work. It’s easy to get caught up on how many of this or that we have but it’s just a number.
Originally published at https://www.carolynne.me on February 12, 2020.
