A few months ago, I was throwing a wedding shower for my best friend, Becky, and her fiancé at the time, Sean. A handful of our high school girlfriends were there and were discussing running a 5K in the fall. They asked me to join them. As I was contemplating the idea, one of them piped in and said she has been using the Couch-to-5K running plan and was happy with the program.

Without wanting to commit — as I haven’t ran more than a block since high school — I told her to send me the link and I would check it out. While all this discussion was going on, my husband, Scott, started laughing and said that if I ran the 5K he would run naked through downtown Hastings.

As you can imagine, that image of my husband running naked has been in the back of my mind. Still scared (what will people think if they see me running, can I actually do this, blah, blah, blah), I didn’t commit to the plan. I had looked at it several times but hadn’t actually tried it. There was always something preventing me from doing it (how will I know when 90 seconds is up and I need to run or walk, do I need to buy a sports watch, do I really have time to do this, etc.).

The turning point was last week when I was speaking with my controller, Kristine. She mentioned that she started running using the Couch-to-5K plan and I talked to her about my concerns. She said she has been using some podcasts that she found online and it’s really helped and motivated her to move forward with running. I decided to download them and last night I did my first session. It wasn’t that bad. I actually accomplished the session and was very excited.

I’m proud of myself that I actually did the first one and it wasn’t that difficult. I’m now pretty sure that I can do this. I also determined that if I wrote a blog about the program and my goal that it would hold me accountable to actually finishing the nine weeks of the program.

I would encourage you to set goals even when you aren’t always sure you can accomplish them. Just make sure the following is considered:

1. Determine what you really want to do.
2. Decide how you can accomplish that goal.
3. What is stopping you and how can you move those obstacles?
4. Develop a plan.
5. Keep trying.
6. Tell people so you are accountable to someone other than yourself.

I’ll keep you posted as to how it goes. When the nine weeks are up, I hope to be able to run a 5K. AND…we’ll see if Scott actually runs through downtown Hastings naked without getting arrested.

Question: What has helped you attain your goals?

What role does your website play in marketing a professional service? A good website costs time and money. If you get all your new business from referral sources and satisfied clients, why should you invest in your website?

What a business card was in the 80s, a website is now.
At a minimum, your website establishes that you are a “real” firm with solid expertise and a good team. Without a website, or with an outdated “90s brochure on the Web,” your prospects may mistake your firm for a smaller, weaker organization that does not move with the times. Old or missing information? You give an impression of disorganization and lack of attention to detail. You might even look too busy to take on more clients if you can’t get your website updated.

Our world of multiple referrals.
When a banker, lawyer or CPA gives a referral to another professional, they are more and more likely to refer more than one individual. Guess where the prospect goes when they have more than one referral to choose from? The World Wide Web. For most professional service firms, the website’s primary strategy is to support referrals. The person with the best website — well-written, easy to navigate, bios of leadership, clear strengths and differentiators, client testimonials — gets called first.

Bios are mission critical.
We know that leadership or team bios are the first place people look to learn more about your firm online. Prospects are either searching for a specific person or determining if they might have good rapport with you. If your bio is stiff, full of dull achievements from the 70s and your photo looks like you had it taken at the county license bureau, you will not get the first call. If your bio isn’t even on your firm’s website, you have lost the race.

Your site sets up the prospect’s expectations.
If your website clearly gives your prospect the idea that you are up-to-date, savvy, interesting and have loads of expertise in the area where they need solutions, the expectation becomes that you are the “first choice.” If your website is ugly or even just basic, it sets up the expectation that you are the “B Squad.” My favorite expectation is “first choice — high end but worth it.”

Design and bells and whistles.
While I believe strategy should lead design, ugly design leads people to think your firm is bad. Average design leads to average expectations. Make sure your website looks good, is easy to navigate and a pleasant experience for users – these should be the least of your brand promises – that you are good, easy to work with and pleasant. Add an interesting blog, some podcasts, videos or interactive features and suddenly you are the market leader compared to most professional service firms. Have some outside people tell you about yourself based only on your website. Does anything about your website tell them you are interesting and experienced or do you give a generic impression?

Your website is recruiting central.
Most people in their 20s never go to the want ads. They talk to their friends and look for jobs online. They are interested in your culture and how your website portrays the brand experience of your firm. A careers page that speaks to a youthful audience beyond benefits and job openings and “we’d like to meet you,” but instead portrays your firm as dynamic and interested in developing talent — that’s your goal.