Have you ever heard someone use the phrase, “Are you tracking with me?”

Over the years, from time to time, I’ve heard public speakers use this phrase. It was a way for the speaker to take a pulse and see if their listeners were engaged in what they were saying.

But, then one day I got to thinking, “How many people are tracking?”

I wondered how many people actual track what they are doing in their businesses. How many home business owners take a pulse to see what is going on in their business?

I started asking my clients. Most of them responded, “What do you mean?”

So, if you’re thinking, “What the heck is she talking about - tracking my business?” You’re not alone. Many people do not track what they are doing in their business because they simply do not know how. They’ve never been taught.

Tracking what you’re doing in your business means counting, on a daily basis, the following activities:

The prospects you approach about your business
The follow-up calls you make
Appointments you set
Presentations you give - if you’re in a business where you give presentations
Sales you make
People you recruit - if you’re in a business where you recruit people

As you can see, depending upon the type of business you have, some of the above items may not apply to you.

Why tracking these activities? There are many benefits. Here are three:

1. On a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis you can see what amount of activity you put into your business.

2. When you’re tracking what you’re doing, you tend to do more. Why? Because you are holding yourself accountable - when you see a day on your tracking worksheet that’s blank - well, it’s procrastination staring you right in the face.

3. You can see what is working and what is not. When you track your business activity and sales increase, you can see what level of activity was needed to generate that increase.

Once you start tracking your business, you may find additional benefits.

I’ll leave you with an assignment: For the next four weeks track what you’re doing to create sales or recruit people into your business. At the end of the four weeks, look at your numbers and see what kind of results you’ve achieved in 4 short weeks.

Happy tracking!

Kimberly Anne is a seasoned businessperson with over 20 years of marketing experience. With a BA and a MBA, she has helped thousands of people start home businesses and achieve success. For more home business advice visit Kimberly’s site www.all-about-home-businesses.com.

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