We’ve all heard how important it is to have goals, yet 97% of the population doesn’t have them. If you are part of the 97%, you may want to consider becoming part of the 3% with goals because the reality is: the 3% of the population with written goals is worth more in financial terms, than the rest of the 97% combined. For the most part, they are also a lot happier, healthier, and all around better off than the rest of the population too. The bottom line is: having goals is one of the best things you can do for your sales career and your life.
So if there is something that’s holding you back from the success enjoyed by the 3%, you’ll hopefully find that the following steps on goal setting will finally get you to do what you know you should have done long ago.
3 Steps to goal setting:
1) Keep it simple.
Where most people get caught up is in assuming that you need lots of goals in each area of your life along with a big, long, drawn-out plan for their achievement. They picture this huge, monumental task which will take days, perhaps even weeks or months to complete, and they are overwhelmed and stop before they even get started.
Goal setting does not have to be a long complicated process. As opposed to a complex list of daily, weekly, monthly, and annual goals in all the major areas of your life, you can simply set one or two major goals at a time in one or two areas of your life. For example, your goals can be as simple as doing 120 percent of quota and losing 20 pounds. If even that becomes too much, pick one of the two and focus all of your energy on that one.
2) Follow these rules for your goal(s):
- Make sure your goals inspire and motivate you.
- Your goals must be clear, measurable, and believable. “More cold calls” isn’t measurable. “Ten percent more cold calls” is.
- Break each goal down into small pieces. Break a goal down into monthly, weekly, and daily goals.
- Don’t just list the goal, list its ultimate benefits to you. Who will you become and how will your life change?
- The most important factor is why you are striving to achieve a goal. Come up with many strong reasons why this goal must happen.
- Take some action on your major goal(s) every day.
- Have a timeline and deadline for your goal(s).
- Envision yourself already there. “Fake it until you make it,” and imagine yourself as the person who has already achieved your goal.
- Keep your goals in front of you. Put reminders on the bathroom mirror, bedroom mirror, refrigerator door, and other places where you will see them every day.
- Be flexible in your approach. Things won’t always go exactly as you plan. Manage roadblocks and other obstacles with optimism and an open mind. Make it a habit to turn problems into solutions.
- Reward yourself. You can reward yourself not only for reaching your goal but also for reaching milestones on the way to your goal.
3) Ask the following questions regarding your goal(s):
- What do you want for all areas of your life five years from now? Ten years?
- What do you want for your family and those closest to you?
- What kind of person do you want to be?
The point to remember from all we’ve discussed here is that you need to keep growing as a person and continually work on yourself and your attitude. Once you have a strong foundation in place, you’ll notice your sales ability will increase tremendously. You will also see a boost in your self-esteem and self-confidence. This is a positive Catch 22: As your attitude about yourself improves, your sales ability will increase; and as you get better at selling, your attitude about yourself will improve. Here’s to being in the top 3%.
John Chapin is an award winning speaker, sales trainer, coach, and co-author of the gold-medal winning "Sales Encyclopedia" a comprehensive how-to guide on selling. "Sales Encyclopedia" is written for sales professionals in any industry at any level of experience. Utilizing more than 21 years of sales experience and as a number one salesperson in three industries, John co-founded Complete Selling Incorporated, a company helping salespeople significantly increase their results.
If you would like free access to John's free white paper on what it takes to be successful in sales along with a monthly newsletter, you can visit John's website at http://www.completeselling.com. For permission to reprint, or to reach John, email him at johnchapin@completeselling.com.
Last Updated: November 27, 2013