Unless you happen to find yourself in a nice cozy niche, most business owners I talk to have been rather disappointed in the profit numbers of late. While they've done the job they've needed to do to become as efficient as possible, I still find areas of improvement, particularly in the area of marketing.

Business owners' efficiency tends to include cutting back on marketing off the top as an unnecessary expense. It's my believe, however, that marketing is an area that can never be ignored. More specifically, I believe that marketing can become as efficient as others areas of the business. This can be done through target marketing and can mean the difference between you hitting your goals in 2010 or not.

This is a great time to reevaluate the way your business operates. The old model where we wait for business to come in will just disappoint. Conversely, marketing to the masses may be inefficient. Perhaps it's time to start new habits.

Is the business everything you had hoped it would be when you started it? Sure, economic times may have put obstacles in your way. But think back to the vision you had when you began. Do you have the market share you really could have or are you settling for what you now have?  Do you have the brand recognition you need to be the dominant player in your segment or would that require extending yourself further?  Do you produce the highest quality product or service possible or are you settling for “pretty good”?  Are you the 'Nordstrom's' of your niche – delighting customers so they tell others to buy from you, or are you the comfortable, yet unexciting solution?

Here’s how you can re-inspire yourself, and subsequently your staff, to grow the business, expand your reputation in the market, and come closer to making your business dreams and goals come true.

1.    Advise yourmanagement team of your dreams and goals

Get the management team together and advise them or your vision, even if you feel as though they're already on board. And don't water the dream down.  If you started your business with the dream of becoming the very best, them tell them. And use visual language that people can relate to.

2.    Ask the team to help you achieve your goal
 
Going it alone just doesn't work. You need people to help you with your goals. So it's important that you ask nicely.  

People want to be a part of a team, but don't want to be forced on a dream. They would rather join in and become a part of it rather than being told what to do. If it's possible, share with them the role each would need to play in order for the dream to be complete. That way, they can feel as though they're part of the vision and want to contribute to it. 

3.    Share your dream with the entire organization

The management team is important to share with first, but the legions (your staff) are just as important as they'll be doing the day-to-day work. If you have an event coming up, what would be a better way to introduce your vision? Also, I recommend that you're online presence have similar presentations to generate and maintain enthusiasm.

Why does sharing the dream with others help us achieve it?  The obvious answer is we can’t reach the ultimate goal without them.  The other big issue is we find it very easy to make excuses to ourselves about why we can’t achieve something; but we find it almost impossible to disappoint someone else or let someone else down.  Once the dream is out of your heart and into the hearts and minds of your team, it becomes that big goal that can pull your team together and grow the business to the heights you first dreamt about.

Your next step:  Translate the dream into numbers that you can work with.  Once you put time frames on them, they'll become your new goals.