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    Process vs Outcome (Focus on actual tasks…not the outcome)

    Process Vs Outcome Goals

    Whenever I make an "Outcome" goal, I usually fail.

    Whenever I make a "Process" goal, I usually succeed.

    It's because a "Process" goal prescribes a set of things to do, that will help you reach your goal. An "Outcome" goal tends to rely on hope and bravado which is only marginally helpful.

     

    "Outcome" Goal 

    Hoping and praying something happensOutcome Goals

     

    "Process" Goal 

    Taking specific steps that will hit the goal

    process-goals.png

     

    Here's 5 quickie examples:

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Hope this helps you make better goals :)

    Sincerely,

    Neville Medhora

    triple-threat-neville.png

     

    P.S. If you post your goal in the comments, we will try to make you a "Process" goal out of it :)


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    Guest Elle

    Posted

    My goal is to get 10 clients for my editing business every month and also to practice on my copywriting skill for one hour everyday.

    Can you help "process" this Nev?

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    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Hey Chintan, glad this is a good reminder for you.

    I can see how 100,000 visitors/month as a goal would fail.

    You should probably commit to just 2 articles a MONTH.

    Maybe:

    "I will write 2 amazing articles per month for 2 years. These will not be copycat articles, but actual experiments and data people can learn from.

    Link to comment
    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    You're welcome Shreya, having focusing on the "process" over the "outcome" is definitely a solid way to go.

    Cool portfolio btw!

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    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Hey Debora,

    Maybe you should put in some process around that then? Perhaps something like:

    For the next 12 months I will:

    1.) Post a new YouTube tutorial every Monday.

    2.) Promote the new YouTube video with 7 Instagram posts.

    By focusing on the process you are more likely to generate interest in your product.

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    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Hey Rohan, does having 100 posts actually have anything to do with income? Most likely not.

    Maybe you should make something like:

    "For the next 12 months I will put out 4 podcasts notes per month (1 per week). I will also contact the host of each podcast notes episode and ask if they would like me to write notes for them."

    I think this would more likely result in some good freelancing work worth over $100 rather than just writing 100 posts (which seems to not currently be tied to revenue).

    Link to comment

    I love the article (as always). Here are my outcome goals that I struggle with turning into good process goals.

    Outcome goal 1: To create a business that pays me $200,000 a year.

    Outcome goal 2: Sell 10,000 copies of my book: Thinker vs Doer - over the next year.

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    Love your sh!t...read every email even though I am not a copywriter/marketer. Love it when you and Hebro Noah podcast together!
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    Guest Darko Kolev

    Posted

    Awesome straight forward advice. The only issue is at the beginning, we need to close our eyes to the outcome and focus on the process.

    We need to write those two awesome articles per month and not worry about analytics and visits for about two years. That's the bigger struggle, putting things into the unknown and not expecting anything in return for a while.

    But luckily people like Neville who've already done it are here to reassure us that it's nothing magical, just put in the work.

    And I really like the advice about putting out 2 AWESOME articles per month rather than 200 word scraps twice per week or every day. Although there is some magic in there also, like Seth Godin has been doing for years.

    I actually developed LifeHQ to improve my daily process of doing the work and focusing on the process completely. I know once I finish all my tasks from my master list, the day has been won, I don't care about the outcome, the daily part of the process has been finished.

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    Guest Sally

    Posted

    My goal is to get my products into 6 stores locally.  To get my online store out there.  To create my social media network. First year to make $100,000.  Great newsletter!!!
    Link to comment
    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Oh nice Sally! It might be helpful to make a "Process" goal instead....maybe something alone the lines of:

    "I will go to 5 local stores per week and pitch the owner my project. I will try to form relationships with these people more than just pitch them. I will hit up a total of 50 stores in 2 months"

    Something like that would define a PROCESS for you, rather than just a hopeful goal!

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    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Yeah Darko, it really helps to just trust in the process more than hoping & praying for some random outcome with no steps to get there.

    Bet of luck on LifeHQ, looks cool!!

    Link to comment
    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Thanks Ksee, I think a lot of this stuff can also apply to people who are not in the copywriting field, glad you like our stuff!
    Link to comment
    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Hey JP, you might wanna JUST focus on selling a ton of copies of your book, which in turn would make you that $200,000.

    Also for the $200,000 goal....it's so vague, you might wanna work backwards. For example you can use this Product Pricing Calculator to see what it'll take to make $200,000 in a year. Here's some sample output:

    If you sell a product, to make $200,000:

    You need 5,000 people to buy a $40 product.

    You need 2,000 people to buy a $100 product.

    You need 1,000 people to buy a $200 product.

    You need 500 people to buy a $400 product.

    You need 300 people to buy a $667 product.

    You need 200 people to buy a $1,000 product.

    You need 100 people to buy a $2,000 product.

    You need 50 people to buy a $4,000 product.

    You need 25 people to buy a $8,000 product.

    You need 5 people to buy a $40,000 product.

    Maybe you could make a "Process" goal for steps you can take to sell more copies of your book!

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    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Hey Elle, you might need to make a process with "action steps" such as:

    "I will contact 7 new businesses a week to ask if they need editing services. I will also output 2 AMAZING articles on Medium every month about a topic of my choice, and tell all my social media friends about the articles."

    This is more of an action-oriented goal!

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    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Hey Elizabeth, instead of trying to get 10 clients, why don't you make a process goal more like:

    "I will approach 7 new non-profits per week to see if they need help for their grant writing. I will also publish 2 AMAZING case studies per month on Facebook/Medium/LinkedIn about how I have got grants for clients."

    By following a similar procedure, you're likely to get more exposure for your services and get clients!

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    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Thank you for the kind works Ezebra!

    Well maybe you need to complete little baby steps first.

    Perhaps your FIRST order of business could be:

    "By the end of July I will have my online store setup with 200 products and ready to take orders."

    You can make that your very first goal. Then your next one could be:

    "In August I will tell my social media friends I just created a store, and would love some feedback. Then I will create 2 AMAZING articles per month about the product line and promote them on social media."

    At least this way using these baby steps you will focus on one thing at a time!

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    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    That's awesome Tom!

    Fitness goals are DEFINITELY benefited by being process driven rather than goal driven. It's almost impossible to lose 10lbs if you're hoping & praying....but it's easy if you have a daily process you can follow.

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    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Perhaps you should make a process style goal outlining how you will promote your karate books, maybe something like:

    "I will approach 7 new sites a week asking them to sell my karate books. I will also create 2 AMAZING pieces of content about karate either on a blog or on YouTube."

    Having a process you can follow each day/week is far more important than hoping to make a living off something, you need to take baby steps to get there!

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    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Good goal, but you need a process. How about:

    I will do an Amish Hour every school night where I read/study ahead of the class.

    Something simple as this can prepare you more than other students in your class and help you pass all the classes!

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    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Hey Vrushal, maybe you can make a process-driven goal like:

    "I will call or email 7 different SaaS companies per week. Once a week I will post to my Facebook and LinkedIn friends saying that I am highly interested in working for a SaaS startup in _____ city, and would highly appreciate any leads or recommendations."

    In a few weeks or less you'll likely hit this goal!

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    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Hey Ifeoma, if that is the goal, then get an article out by the end of the week...SOLVED! Reply to this comment with your finished post.
    Link to comment
    Guest Neville Medhora

    Posted

    Awesome, then make a process-driven goal like:

    "I will approach 7 new possible clients per week letting them know about my services. I will also post once per week on social media asking my friends if they know any people/companies that are interested in these services."

    This is more likely to get you there :)

    Link to comment



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