In January, ACCION USA featured an article on business goal setting for 2010 (check it out HERE ).  Now that we're halfway through the year, how has it gone?  Now is the time to evaluate the goals you wrote down in January and re-assess, if necessary. 

1. Did you strengthen customer relationships?

The relationship with customers is what business is all about - when they're happy, you're happy (and you're hopefully earning a profit!).  Whether you own a restaurant, a consulting business, a cleaning company, or another type of business, reflect on the clients you have served and consider the following questions:

• Did you meet your January goals for customer service?
• Do you have regular, consistent customers?
• Do customers seem to leave your business satisfied?
• Are you meeting the needs of your customers?     

These questions may be hard to answer without feedback from your customers.  Ask loyal customers or other willing customers to answer a few questions a couples times per week or month to assess your progress toward your goals, and their satisfaction.  This will help you build on your strengths and turn weaknesses into strengths.

 2. Did you get active online?

Social media is all the rage, and an inexpensive way to market your business!  If you have tried marketing and promoting your business online, assess your progress:

• Did you meet your January goals for getting active online?
• Do you have a lower marketing budget but just as many or more customers?
• Do you have new followers and fans every week?
• Do you update your website and other social media tools consistently so customers and fans can rely on your news?

If you haven't created a website or other social media account, it may be worth your time if you can commit to updating these tools regularly, and if your customers are internet-savvy.  There are sites to create free websites for your business (such as yola.com), set up social networking opportunities (such as Facebook or LinkedIn), and keep your clients and followers up-to-date on your latest moves (such as Twitter).  To learn more about these, visit our Small Business Resources page and check out our webinars that feature guest speakers from Yola, a site where you can create and free, professional website for your business!

Check out ACCION USA's social media for examples!

Once you assess your progress for the first half of 2010, write down your goals for the second half.  For a guide to establishing realistic, attainable goals, check out our suggestions HERE!