At the first of every year, I encourage all of our clients and prospects to address their brand goals and objectives for the coming year and set out a plan to obtain them.  This year is no different; it is time to look back at what was accomplished, both positively and negatively, in regards to your brand for this past year. Did you make the advances you had hoped to get accomplished?<br /> <br />It is also the time of year when I ask another question: “Are you really committed to addressing your barriers to growth from a holistic perspective in order to reach these goals and objectives?”  To answer “yes” means looking and improving sales, marketing and operations in your company.<br /><br />My experience is that most companies say they want to get to the next level, but very few can actually (1) develop the strategy, (2) understand the activity level necessary to make those become a reality and (3) apply themselves to make it happen. <br /><br />So, I suggest making that commitment to yourself and your company by laying out where you want your brand to be a year from now.  Here are some tips to get you there:<br /><br />First, address all of the items that need to be accomplished, in order for you to advance your brand from the inside out.  Plan out the brand strategy, making sure everyone within the company knows what it is going to take to get there.<br /> <br />Next, delegate who is responsible for sales, marketing and the operations brand initiatives. Establish a timeline with milestones and some sort of reward for obtaining your goals.<br /><br />And last but not least, execute by holding yourself and everyone else accountable for getting your brand to the next level. A year from now, you can say, “man we kicked some ass towards our brand goals and objectives this year and can’t wait to make even more progress this year.”<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">written by Michael Doyle, President & CEO of Brand Iron</span>