Do you have trouble deciding where to focus your efforts and resources for your company? Plumbing businesses have unique challenges and goals that they must strive to meet.
Having a framework to track those goals can help foster success, and SMART goals are the perfect way to do just that. This post will cover several examples of SMART goals for your plumbing business.
With this goal-setting strategy, you can boost profitability, enhance customer service, and improve employee performance.
What is a SMART Goal?
The SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-based) system will enable plumbing business owners to create practical goals for success.
Need more clarity? Let’s deep dive into each SMART element:
Specific
With so many competitors vying for the same customers, standing out from the crowd is challenging. That’s why having precise goals for your plumbing business is so important. You’ll be more likely to succeed with a clear vision.
Start by identifying what you want to accomplish. Do you want to increase revenue? Expand your service area? Boost customer satisfaction? Once you have an idea of what to achieve, break it into more manageable steps.
Measurable
Measuring progress toward your goals is vital to run a successful plumbing business. That means keeping track of relevant metrics to ensure you’re making strides in the right direction.
The SMART criteria can assist in identifying potential barriers or difficulties that may arise and enable you to learn from them while moving forward.
Attainable
Make sure you set ambitious but realistic goals for yourself. If one has unrealistic expectations, it can result in frustration and lower motivation. That’s why you must assess your abilities and resources when pursuing goals. You will finally do everything necessary to attain greatness.
Relevant
Aligning your goals with your core values can provide inspiration to reach your desired destination. Your personal values will serve as a guiding force, allowing you to persevere through tough times and stay the course.
Time-Based
By having a clear timeline, you can ensure that you remain focused and accomplish your objectives within the set time frame. After all, success can’t be met overnight; it requires dedicated hard work and a nurturing process over time.
13 SMART Goals Examples for Plumbing Businesses
Here are some examples of SMART goals for plumbing businesses:
1. Enhance Customer Satisfaction
“I want to increase customer satisfaction by 10% within 6 months by improving our plumbing services. That includes offering timely and reliable repairs, delivering quality customer service, and having a helpful staff available to answer questions.”
Specific: The goal is explicit as it outlines what needs to be done to achieve a 10% increase in customer satisfaction.
Measurable: You can track customer satisfaction through surveys or customer feedback.
Attainable: With a clear plan and the right resources, it’s possible to see a 10% improvement in customer satisfaction within 6 months.
Relevant: Improving customer satisfaction is crucial for most businesses; this one is no exception.
Time-based: Completion of this goal is expected after 6 whole months.
2. Reduce Operating Costs
“To increase profit margins, I’ll decrease the operating costs of our plumbing business by 15% over the next 7 months. I will implement pricing strategies and review our existing contracts to ensure we get the best deal possible.”
Specific: The SMART goal outlines the cost reduction objective and how it will be reached.
Measurable: You can measure the cost reduction by tracking changes in the operating costs over the 7 months.
Attainable: This goal is feasible as pricing strategies and existing contracts can be reviewed to reduce costs.
Relevant: Reducing operating costs will directly impact the profit margins of the plumbing business.
Time-based: Goal completion is anticipated within 7 months.
3. Expand Plumbing Services
“Within the next year, I want to extend our business offerings to include plumbing services such as pipe replacement, water heater installation, and drain cleaning. I want to ensure we can provide our clients with reliable and comprehensive plumbing solutions.”
Specific: The individual aims to offer more services and provide comprehensive plumbing solutions to their clients.
Measurable: You can track progress by looking at how many new plumbing services you’ve added.
Attainable: This is achievable because the person is taking steps to research and explore different services.
Relevant: The statement is appropriate because it is focused on growing the business.
Time-based: The goal is time-bound because it has a specific end date of one year.
4. Increase Brand Awareness
“My aim is to increase brand awareness of my plumbing business by 10% within four months. I want to use traditional and digital marketing methods, including word of mouth, online ads, and print materials.”
Specific: The SMART goal is well-defined, detailing the objective and how it will be accomplished.
Measurable: Through marketing efforts and tracking online and offline engagement, the business should be able to measure success.
Attainable: This is an achievable goal by utilizing different marketing methods.
Relevant: Increasing brand awareness is an appropriate and necessary goal for any business.
Time-based: The plumbing company has four months to reach goal achievement.
5. Develop an Emergency Plan
“To make sure our business is better prepared for unexceptional situations, I’ll create an emergency plan covering any plumbing-related issues within 5 months. The plan will include strategies to prevent further damage and downtime in an emergency.”
Specific: You will create an emergency plan that covers plumbing-related issues.
Measurable: Keep track of the time you need to complete the task.
Attainable: This particular goal is doable if you put in the necessary research and effort.
Relevant: The emergency plan will ensure the business is better prepared for unforeseen circumstances.
Time-based: You should be able to complete the goal within 5 months.
6. Invest in Technology
“I want to invest in the latest technology for our plumbing business by the end of the year. This will allow us to provide services faster, more efficiently, and with less waste. I believe this will create a competitive edge for our business and help us stand out in the industry.”
Specific: This goal states the kind of technology you wish to invest in and when it should be done.
Measurable: You should be able to track investments and evaluate technology upgrades.
Attainable: This goal is achievable if you plan accordingly and set aside the necessary budget.
Relevant: Upgrading technology applies to business growth, productivity, and achieving a competitive edge.
Time-based: The statement should be achieved by the end of the year.
7. Optimize Your Scheduling
“I’ll implement an efficient scheduling system by the end of this week that optimizes my time and resources while avoiding customer delays. I want to ensure all customers are served on time, and this efficient scheduling system will help me do that.”
Specific: The aim is to create an efficient scheduling system that helps with time management and delays.
Measurable: You could measure the success of the new scheduling system by tracking customer delays.
Attainable: Creating a more efficient scheduling system is achievable in a week.
Relevant: Optimizing your scheduling system is essential to ensuring customer satisfaction.
Time-based: You want to implement the system in a week.
8. Network With Other Businesses
“I will prioritize networking with other local businesses, such as plumbers and electricians, to create new business opportunities. I’ll build strong, professional relationships with at least 5 other businesses in the area to explore potential partnerships within 8 months.”
Specific: You will network with 5 other local businesses to explore potential partnerships.
Measurable: You need to establish relationships with at least 5 businesses.
Attainable: Networking is a process that takes time, but 8 months gives you enough time to research and make connections with the right people.
Relevant: A plumbing business will likely gain more clients and customers by networking with local businesses.
Time-based: Eight months are required to accomplish success.
9. Upgrade Equipment and Tools
“I plan to save up and invest in new equipment and tools to ensure our team has all the resources they need to complete projects quickly and efficiently. By the end of this year, our team will be equipped with the latest tools to provide the best service possible.”
Specific: The SMART goal is explicit because it outlines the plan to upgrade equipment and tools.
Measurable: You can track progress on the money saved to invest in new equipment and tools.
Attainable: It’s likely possible to save up enough money to purchase new equipment and tools.
Relevant: Upgrading equipment and tools allows the team to provide better plumbing services.
Time-based: Goal attainment is expected by the end of this year.
10. Hire Qualified Staff
“I will hire two experienced and qualified plumbers by the end of the year. I’ll take the time to carefully review all potential candidates and make sure they have the right credentials and experience to handle our plumbing needs.”
Specific: The goal is concise and clear, stating the objective and how it will be met.
Measurable: The company can count the number of qualified staff members hired.
Attainable: Hiring qualified staff is achievable by following the right recruitment process.
Relevant: This is relevant to the plumbing business, requiring competent and experienced staff.
Time-based: There is a timeline of one year to complete this particular goal.
11. Streamline Plumbing Processes
“I aim to reduce the steps our team takes to complete a plumbing job. In three months, I want to achieve a 25% reduction in steps taken to complete every job. This aligns with our efficiency efforts and will ultimately benefit the company as a whole.”
Specific: This is specific because it identifies a particular metric—reducing the number of steps taken to complete a job—and a timeline for completion.
Measurable: Assess progress by counting the steps taken before and after implementing changes.
Attainable: This statement can be achieved in three months with proper planning and execution.
Relevant: Streamlining processes can help increase efficiency, benefiting the company.
Time-based: There is a three-month end date to reach success.
12. Develop Marketing Strategy
“I’ll develop a comprehensive marketing strategy and plan to increase our customer base within three months and target the right audience better. This includes researching trends and analyzing competitors to better understand our market.”
Specific: The goal states the objective, what will be done to achieve it, and the timeline.
Measurable: You could count the number of customers gained and look at trends in customer engagement.
Attainable: This is possible because it involves researching and analyzing the target audience.
Relevant: This goal is relevant to the business’ success as it will help increase customer base and engagement.
Time-based: There is a three-month window for meeting this goal.
13. Become a Local Expert
“We’ll become the go-to plumbing business in our local area by marketing our services and increasing public awareness of who we are and what we do. We will aim to become the most trusted and knowledgeable plumbing company in our area within 10 months.”
Specific: This outlines a plan to become the most trusted and knowledgeable local plumbing company.
Measurable: Track advertising and marketing efforts and customer feedback to check progress.
Attainable: This goal is realistic, provided enough resources are dedicated to marketing and advertising.
Relevant: Becoming a local expert is highly relevant to the success of any plumbing business.
Time-based: The statement should be accomplished after 10 whole months.
Final Thoughts
SMART goals are an invaluable tool for plumbing businesses. By setting well-defined goals, plumbers can set themselves up for success and stay laser-focused on the tasks at hand.
With these goals, you can see tangible progress toward ideal outcomes. It’s time to get creative and start creating SMART goals. Get out there and go for it—you never know what great opportunities await you.
