Sales and Sales Management Blog

February 26, 2011

Guest Article: “How to Set Goals That Will Excite You,” by Daniel M Wood

Filed under: goals,success — Paul McCord @ 10:10 am
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How to Set Goals That Will Excite You
by Daniel M Wood 

Anyone will tell you that setting goals is required for success.

“If you do not know what you want, you won’t have a reason to go after it.”
Your motivation stands in direct relation to your goals.  If you do not know why you are working, there is no reason to work hard.

This is the first thing I teach new employees at our company.
To set meaningful goals that motivates them to work hard and achieve results.
They do not have to share their goals with me, the important thing is that they set them and use them.

The below method of setting goals has helped many improve their results, their motivation and to find a better balance in their lives.
What is difficult is knowing if the goal is one you feel is worthwhile or if it is one someone else thinks is worthwhile. 

A goal someone else thinks you should set, won’t help you

Listen to yourself
If a goal you set for yourself in the future makes you feel happy and motivated now, it is a good goal. If it doesn’t do anything for you or if it makes you feel stressed and anxious, you are aiming for failure. The goal isn’t one you really want and care about and therefore you won’t be able to complete it. 

A fatal mistake
I set a goal for myself when I was 14 years old to be financially independent and play baseball all day long. This goal worked for me for a long time, it was a source of motivation. 

But one day I started noticing that I wanted something else, I updated my goal to fit my new reality, I still have a goal of being financially independent, but I do not want to only play baseball. I will now be helping people, making a difference, with the freedoms financial independence gives me.

Set goals that empower you
The whole point of goal setting is to become more motivated. To want to do more to accomplish your goals, to try and find opportunities that you otherwise wouldn’t. If you don’t care about the goal, you won’t lift a finger to complete it.

4 Steps of goal setting
1.    Think about what you want in the major areas of your life. Family, Health, Career and Finance.

2.    Write down your goals on a piece of paper in the positive present tense, as if you already have completed them.

3.    Set a deadline for each goal

4.    Read your goals, listen to yourself, what do you feel? Do you feel motivated to start working on your goals at once? Are you motivated to take action?
If not the goal isn’t worth your time. Go back and set one you really want.

Conclusion
If you want to succeed, in any aspect of your life, you need to set goals.
You need to give yourself reasons to go the extra mile.

Start today by setting goals that motivate and inspire you to perform.

Daniel M. Wood writes the Lookingtobusiness.com blog.  He writes about Sales Technique, Motivation and Success

 

December 22, 2008

Top 12 Sales Articles of the Year–June, “Set Your Goals, Change Your Life & Celebrate!,” by Zig Ziglar

Filed under: attitude,goals,sales,selling,success — Paul McCord @ 5:54 am
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The June monthly winner at Top 10 Sales Articles was Zig Ziglar’s ”Set Your Goals, Change Your Life & Celebrate!,” originally published at Salesopedia.  Zig’s article is one of 12 monthly winners vying for Sales Article of the Year.

Top 10 Sales Articles selected the 10 best out of the thousands of articles published each week.  The weekly winners then went to head to head competition with each other, the best being named the Article of the Month.  Now, out of the over 500 articles nominated, the 12 monthly winners are now competing for Article of the Year honors.

Each day I’ll be posting one of the monthly winners.  Read them and then head over to Top 10 Sales Articles and vote for your favorite.  Better yet-go there now, read all 12 and cast your vote (for my article, of course).

Set Your Goals, Change Your Life & Celebrate!
Written by Zig Ziglar

Studies tell us that only 3% of people in the USA set goals, and they are among the wealthiest people in the nation! Worldwide the percentage is probably lower. Why so low? There are several reasons, but the one that concerns me the most is lack of know-how. When we ask people why they don’t set goals they often say, “I don’t know how.

“Isn’t that remarkable? We send children to school for 12 years in America before they graduate from high school. Many of them go on to trade schools, colleges and universities. We teach them many important disciplines including history, economics, literature, science, and so forth, but we miss one critically important skill: goal setting. We award them their degrees, pat them on their backs, and send them into the world full of wisdom, but ill-prepared, almost always, to design and pursue the lives they really want.

And all that’s required to change this deficiency is a single semester, even half a semester, devoted to teaching goal setting. It doesn’t seem likely that we’re going to change the American educational system any time soon, or the world’s educational system, but that’s not going to stop me from teaching you how to set goals.The letters and phone calls that I receive are social proof that our goal setting programs work. I know that goal setting will help you change your life for the better, it will help you get what you really want from life. And when you do, that’s reason for all of us to celebrate! Whether you’re already a goal setter, you used to set goals and quit, or you’ve never set goals, this lesson will help you build a better life.

Step 1. Dream! Let your imagination run wild while you fill up a blank sheet of paper with everything you want to be, do or have. Many adults have lost their ability to dream and that’s unfortunate. By dreaming you instill hope for your future, and with hope there’s possibility. So your assignment this week is to dream. During this next week devote at least two private sessions to dreaming. I want you to create a Dream List filled with ideas. Your list should include at least 25 dreams about what you want to be, do or have.

Step 2. After you complete your list, wait 24 to 48 hours and read each item on your list and answer the question: Why? If you can’t verbalize in one sentence why you want to be, do or have this dream, then it’s not a dream and it won’ become a goal. Cross it off your list.

Step 3: Ask the following five questions of every dream on the Dream List you created last week.

1. Is it really MY goal?

2. Is it morally right and fair to everyone concerned?

3. Is it consistent with my other goals?

4. Can I emotionally commit myself to finish this goal?

5. Can I “see” myself reaching this goal?

You must answer “yes” to all five questions for each goal, or cross that goal off your list.

Here are some points to ponder: Is it really MY goal or is it a goal someone else wants me to pursue? Is it the right thing to do? Will achieving this goal distract from achieving other goals? Goals are often difficult to achieve. Are you sure you can make the commitment to pursue this goal and see it through? If you can’t “see” yourself reaching this goal, you probably won’t.

Take time during this week to think about the questions above and answer them. Once you’re finished, your Dream List will probably be a bit shorter than when you started out. That’s okay because you’re now closer to identifying the goals that you really will pursue and can achieve.

Step 4: Ask the following seven questions of every dream that remains on your Dream List (or goals list).

Will reaching this goal . . .

1. make me happier?

2. make me healthier?

3. make me more prosperous?

4. win me more friends?

5. give me peace of mind?

6. make me more secure?

7. improve my relationships with others?

If you can’t answer “Yes” to at least one of these questions for each goal, eliminate that goal from your list. Be sure to consider your family when you answer these questions. And do not confuse pleasure with happiness!

Here we go with Step 5: After asking the questions posted in Step 4 you will have eliminated some of your goals. Actually, they were not goals, just thoughts or desires at this point, so you’re better off without them.

Separate your remaining list of goals into one of three categories: Short-range (one month or less to achieve this goal), Intermediate (one month to one year to achieve this goal), or Long-range (one year or more to achieve this goal).

This step will help you quickly determine whether or not you have a balanced perspective between what needs to be done now, versus your dreams for the future.

Remember: Some goals must be BIG to make you stretch and grow to your full potential. Some goals must be long-range to keep you on track and greatly reduce the possibility of short-range frustrations. Some goals must be small and daily to keep you disciplined. Some goals must be ongoing. Some goals (i.e., weight loss, sales success, education, etc.) may require analysis and consultation to determine where you are before you can set the goals. Most goals should be specific. A “nice home” is not as good as a “3,000 square-foot, Tudor- style home with four bedrooms, three full baths, and two living spaces.”

Here we go with the final step: After specifically identifying your goals, write them down! It is important that you have a written list of your specific goals. Then you will begin to do the daily, weekly action steps that will take you closer to achieving that goal. Be selective. You may not be able to work on all of your goals at one time! Don,t over do it. If you only have time to complete one or two goals for the remainder of this year, don’t apologize. Do a little bit more than you think you can, but do not overextend your time to the point that you don’t complete any of your goals. Do not get frustrated by the process! Work the system and it will work for you. I can fill a book with the number of letters that I receive about the effectiveness of this simple goal-setting program. Trust the system.

Once you have identified your goals and plotted the activities that you intend to do to fulfill your goals, pat yourself on the back! You have just spent more time planning your future than most of your friends, relatives or associates will ever invest! Good for you.

December 2, 2008

Guest Article: “Top 5% Achievers Expect to be Successful Because They Plan for It,” by Jonathan Farrington

Filed under: career development,goals,sales,selling,success — Paul McCord @ 9:25 am
Tags: , , , ,

Top 5% Achievers Expect To Be Successful Because They Plan For It
by Jonathan Farrington

Success should be something you don’t just ‘Kinda Sorta’ want to achieve but something you must achieve.

Generally top achievers expect to be successful and as a consequence they usually are.

They are driven by a ‘have to’ attitude not a ‘want to’ attitude.

If you have no concrete goals and you have been succeeding in spite of yourself, just think how much more success you could enjoy if you set your sights on a definite path and had a specific time-frame in which you expect to reach your destination.

Setting Goals Keeps You Focussed:

What you should know is that goals give you three distinct advantages, which help you succeed:

  • Goals keep you on track
  • Goals let you know when and what to celebrate
  • Goals give you a focussed plan to work with

If nothing else, goals let others know what they have to aim for to keep up with your standards.

Effective Goal Setting:

Take the time to think about what would make you happy, contented and satisfied and about what would motivate you to become a Top 5% Player.

It’s important to remember that goals are maps; they will guide you towards your success – the more detailed your goal setting the easier it will be for you to reach your destination.

When you are in the first stage of goal setting you also need to remember two important factors – i.e.

  • The goal must be better than your best yet – but it must be achievable.
  • Goals should be based on productivity not production.

Keeping these two rules of goal setting firmly in your mind will help you to form and stay committed to what is really important to you.

Time Yourself – By Months, Years & Decades:

  • Always begin with long-term goals and work backwards. Your long-term goals are probably the most difficult to set anyway, so if you set those first, you accomplish the tough stuff right up-front.
  • Long-term goals should be five-year projections and three areas you may want to consider when you set them are personal accomplishments, status symbols and net worth.
  • Medium-term goals are usually three year projections and the same criteria can be used – but again think productivity not production and consider the activity that will be necessary to achieve success.
  • Short-term goals will demand most of your attention and these are usually a twelve-month projection although you can set ‘immediate goals’ which have a 90-day projection.

You must believe you can achieve all of your goals – otherwise you will not
achieve them.

Setting a Well Balanced Diet of Goals:

It is essential to set personal as well as career goals to keep your life well balanced. If all your goals are connected to your commercial life, you will have trouble taking time out for family and friends because you will always be pushing towards the next career goal.

Remember:

Work smarter not harder. Setting personal goals gives you a life after business.

Put Your Goals in Writing:

Once you have formulated your goals it is time to make your final commitment to them by putting them down in writing. This is undoubtedly the single most important step in goal setting because until they are inscribed somewhere they are merely wishes and dreams.

After you have written them down, your mind will start seeking out whatever it will take to make them a reality.

Remember:

The moment you start moving forward towards a goal is the moment you start to succeed.

In Summary:

Even though you do not need to set goals in order to reach some level of success, most professionals who fail to set goals reach a plateau and lack either the motivation or the direction to go beyond it. They are unable to move upwards to a higher achievement status.

 

Jonathan Farrington is a globally recognized business coach, mentor, author, and consultant, who has guided hundreds of companies and tens of thousands of individuals around the world towards optimum performance levels.  He has authored in excess of three hundred skills development programmes, designed a range of unique and innovative process tools and has been published extensively on a wide range of business topics including organizational and sales team development, leadership and the customer imperative.  Jonathan’s first book, “Tougher At The Top” will be published early in 2009.  Visit his website at www.jonathanfarrington.com

March 22, 2008

Goals, Planning, and Real Change

Filed under: career development,goals,motivation,sales,selling — Paul McCord @ 6:18 am
Tags: , , , , , ,

How often have you been exhorted to set your goals down in writing? How often have you done it? How often have you immediately forgotten about them once you’ve completed the writing exercise?

Most of us have experienced the frustration of setting goals only see them fade away into nothingness. We never reach them. More than likely, we never think seriously about them after we’ve ‘established’ them. They make us feel good for a while but they’re really not something ‘that’s going to happen.’

That experience naturally leads us to ask whether goal setting is even an exercise worth our time and effort. Research by Dr. Peter Gollwitzer, Professor of Psychology at New York University, indicates that the answer is a resounding, “yes it is”—and an equally resounding, “no, it’s not.”

Setting goals in and of themselves will lead nowhere but to frustration and feeling guilt for not reaching them. Simply setting goals is fruitless because by themselves they result in no positive action. They simply state a wish, not a concrete objective.

In order for goals to be met, they must be accompanied by a definite, realistic action plan to reach them. In other words, knowing what your goal is will get you nowhere if you don’t know how you’re going to make it happen. Furthermore, according to Dr. Gollwitzer’s research, the very act of creating a detailed plan of action helps bring about the realization of the goal.

Allow me to quote a relatively lengthy summary passage of his research as presented in an article of his, “Metacognition in Action: the Importance of Implementation Intentions,” as published in Personality and Social Psychology Review. (emphasis added)

“When people furnish their goal intentions (“I intend to attain the goal X”) with implementation intentions
(“I will initiate the goal-directed response y when situation z arises”), the initiation of goal-directed
responses becomes automated. As this type of automaticity stems from a single act of will, it is referred
to as strategic automaticity. We report various studies demonstrating that the strategic automaticity leads
to immediate and efficient responding, which does not need a conscious intent. In addition, the situational
cues specified in implementation intentions seem to be easily detected and readily attended to. Further
research indicates that the strategic automaticity induced by implementation intentions also helps resist
temptation and fight bad habits.”

In other words, the act of creating a detailed, step-by-step action plan generates “immediate and effective responding” to the situation to implement the plan without the need of “conscious intent.” If your plan is well thought-out, detailed and actionable (that is not vague or theoretical, but concrete), your mind will initiate the next steps necessary to work toward attaining your goal.

Other research by Dr. Gollwitzer indicates actionable goal planning is the primary differentiator between top producers and average and below average salespeople and managers. There is no magic to becoming a top producer or a top manager. The key is knowing where you want to go and how you’re going to get there—in detail, in realistic actionable steps.

Paul McCord is the author of SuperStar Selling: 12 Keys to Becoming a Sales SuperStar, a detailed guide to creating a real, workable, actionable sales and marketing plan and Creating a Million Dollar a Year Sales Income: Sales Success through Client Referrals. Paul’s work has appeared in such business and industry publications as Forbes, Business Week, Selling Power, Fox Business News, and other leading business and industry publications. Visit his website at http://www.mccordandassociates.com or his highly popular blog at http://salesandmanagementblog.com. He may be reached at pmccord@mccordandassociates.com.

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