Words of wisdom for this week.
“In a world that is constantly changing, there are two subjects that will serve you for the foreseeable future, let alone for the rest of your life. The most important skills to acquire now are learning how to learn and learning how to set and move towards your goals.” John Naisbitt
For years I have set specific goals every year and every year I either exceed them or fall short of them so I am beginning to wonder why should I bother taking the time to set these goals in the first place? And, believe me for a person that teaches goal setting as one of my more popular seminar presentations this can create just a bit of a problem.
Let me explain.
For years I have been working toward goals that I have yet to reach. But, I must also add that during my life I have also achieved goals that I never set, some I never even thought about. If you think about it, I’ll bet that this is just as true in your life. You have achieved plateaus and objectives that were never on your radar screen and you still are trying to achieve some goals that are important to you. So what’s the point in setting goals in the first place? Why not just show up and sing, “whatever will be will be?”
The answer is that goals are not set to achieve them. Whoa there, don’t get yourself all in a twit if you’ve ever read a book that touted setting goals as the critical step toward success. I can hear some of you avid goal setters now, “Every self-help and sales book I have ever read espoused the importance of setting goals.” Or you may be a manager in the middle of cardiac arrest right now thinking, “Tim have you lost your mind, how could we grow without goals?” Please let me explain.
I believe the purpose of setting goals is that they give you and your life and career direction. Direction is everything. Head in the wrong direction on vacation and I’ll bet you spend it somewhere else than you wanted. Travel in the wrong direction in other areas in your life and I’ll guarantee you will end up where you are heading rather than where you wanted to be. The purpose of setting goals is that they help you determine – are you heading in the right direction. You see, it doesn’t matter where you are or where you are starting – you can get anywhere you want if you travel in the right direction. Had enough yet?
So, what does all this have to do with improving your sales?
Let me ask you;
- Are you traveling in the right direction in your self-improvement?
- Are you traveling in the right direction in your prospecting?
- Are you traveling in the right direction in your attitudes?
- Are you traveling in the right direction in your time management?
- Are you traveling in the right direction in your product knowledge?
- Are you traveling in the right direction in your knowledge of your customers?
These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself as you move from one year to the next in your sales career.
So, if you want to achieve or exceed your 2010 sales goals all you need to do is make sure you are traveling in the right direction and not month by month but day by day.
Let me close with a simple concept that many salespeople fail to comprehend or embrace. Results are the outcome of activity. The wrong activity will not give you correct or desired results. The right activity will move you in the right direction and ensure that you will end up where you want to. I can’t tell you in this short article what those activities should be, (read one of my best selling sales books or attend my sales boot camps where I give you everything you need to ensure you are traveling in the right direction.)
Too many people worry about outcomes or the time it takes to reach certain outcomes. Outcomes are the natural result of a combination of life activities. They don’t always come when we want them, simply because we can’t control the uncontrolables. So focus on what you can control and move in the right direction and let the outcomes take care of themselves.
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Copyright: 12/2009 Tim Connor, CSP – Connor Resource Group
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