What people say

Setting outrageous goals .... and achieving them : A Business Case Study

"I'm delighted with the 2010 results - they really were outrageous goals and to be in the position of having achieved them is fantastic."
Peter Sylvester, Executive Director, Business Network International (BNI) South West Midlands

In March 2010, Peter Sylvester a successful professional speaker, coach and mentor, found himself in the difficult position of having experienced a significant decline in the member numbers within his South West Midlands franchise for BNI.

Alongside other businesses in his portfolio, he'd taken over the franchise in October 2009, and for a variety of reasons, had had to go through a painful process of auditing the membership numbers and applying some quality commitments to the region. This process was essential if he was to have a strong foundation to build on, however it resulted in an 18% drop in members.

The key challenge he was facing in March, was to reverse this decline and ensure that the anticipated growth happened if he was to make a success of the franchise.

At the end of March he attended a Goal Mapping for Success Workshop run by certified Goal Mapping practitioner, Jenny Stewart from One Thought:

"As a coach and mentor I was aware of a lot of the material that sits behind the principles that Jenny works with - however the thing that really struck me was the power behind the personal stories she told - it really made things come to life.

The pictures and drawings in the Goal Mapping itself were also something very new to me and I found it totally absorbing.

The whole day was such a powerful process and it forced me to sit down and really think about what I could achieve. I ended up setting myself outrageous goals to achieve by the end of 2010 and I actually believe you never realise how far you could go unless you go through this sort of experience."

However attending a workshop and doing your first Goal Map is only one part of the success equation.

Goal Mapping works - but you need to work Goal Mapping too.

Turning the LIFT principles into a habit and working with your Goal Map on a daily basis - saying the words out loud, looking at your pictures and imaging the Goal Map already achieved - really supercharges the whole process.

And Peter really lived and breathed the Goal Mapping material following the workshop.

"The Goal Map I did on the workshop has been my main focus throughout the last 9 months. Not only did we have a 15 day ‘One Thought for the Day' follow up programme, but Jenny also sent a card with my Goal Map on the front of it and this has been stuck on my computer monitor. It's been a daily reminder about what I was aiming for, and by being in my eyeline has been both a conscious and sub-conscious motivator for me.

The A5 notepad of Goal Mapping templates she gave us has also been invaluable - I've used them for smaller monthly goal maps for the six different businesses I work with - and have found it really helps embed my Goals into my psyche. I've even bought a set of fancy coloured pens!"

So where has Peter got to 9 months later?

His main goal was to make people happy through building a successful region, with the sub-goals and actions beneath this covering the key areas that would make a successful region.

One of the key area for Peter was member numbers. To reverse the 18% decline he'd seen, Peter set the "outrageous" goal of a 45% growth to 350 members by the end of the year. At the beginning of December he was at 332 - giving a very impressive 37% growth. And he's currently now Goal Mapping another 35% increase to 450 members in 2011!

One of the other key indicators within BNI is something called "Thank you for the Business", which measures the actual invoiced value of business referrals being passed to members. Peter's goal was to have this at £10,000 per member - and in December it hit a record breaking £18,499.

Peter also Goal Mapped a 75% renewal rate (this measures the number of renewing members, as membership runs on an annual basis). At the beginning of December this was at 73.6% and by the end of the month will be over the 75%.

He also wanted to build a strong team working in the region and provide additional support to members outside the regular weekly meetings. So on the Goal Map was the sub-goal to have a team of 5 Directors - all in place - and to hold 2 large regional meetings to encourage and develop members - both events ran and were completed with record attendance.

Then finally - as if all the others weren't enough! - Peter wanted to keep at the forefront of BNI best practice. So imagine his delight when, at the BNI international conference in Los Angeles in November, he was presented with the award for "Best Practice - Best use of Members Traffic Lights" by Ivan Misner, founder and chairman of BNI. Peter is also being approached by various Executive Directors for advice and guidance - all within his first year of business.

However it's not just with the specific measurable areas that Peter has seen success:

"I've even had extra benefits - one of the people I identified to help me has become a mentor and friend.

And for anyone who regards themselves as a business professional, I strongly recommend that you take a look at Goal Mapping with Jenny Stewart. No matter how good you are, it is a great way to help you channel your energies - positively..!"

So now that he's reviewed his phenomenally successful 2010, where is Peter heading in 2011?

"I actually need to go back and look at my Goal Map for 2011 - I am not sure the goals are outrageous enough..!"