SOLUTION 58
REVISIT YOUR GOALS
As seen in Solution 18, goal setting can help you to achieve your priorities in life. However, life changes on a daily basis and some of those changes can impact your goals. Those who are able to adapt to changed circumstances have the greatest opportunities to succeed.
Priorities require adjustment based on feedback – employers and family will thrust some goals and priorities upon you, and a staff cutback at work or a medical emergency at home can shuffle your priorities in a moment. Therefore, it is important to see your goals as guidelines for planning your days – consider them as aspirations, not requirements. Be ready to adjust smaller goals to meet larger ones as situations change.
Imagine a rugby or football match where no one kept score. What’s the point? What would motivate the players and the fans? How would everyone know who won? The same is true in sales. Keeping score helps you measure progress towards your goals. How you keep score depends on the specifics of the goals: prospects, customers, orders, territory, sales amount, and so on. For example, if your goal is to increase the number of new prospects you see each month, then your score card will measure prospects. If the goal is a level of income, progress will be counted in pounds.
STAYING MOTIVATED
It can be hard to keep motivated on a daily basis, but here are a few ideas to help you maintain your focus:
• List your reasons for selling and keep them where you can easily refer to them
• Review your referral references to reinforce how your efforts have helped others
• Recognize your successes on reaching short-term goals rather than repeatedly looking forwards to the long-term ones
• Live in the now – enjoy what you are doing today
• Reward yourself for success – make time for a fulfilling social life, and relaxing and stimulating holidays
• Turn to your career mentors for help and advice – at best, they have the experience to guide you, at worst they can offer a sympathetic ear for the problems you face
keep a balance between your job and your personal life
QUICK FIX: VISUALIZE SUCCESS
One motivator for helping you to keep committed to your sales goals is to visualize the results of doing so. For example, if your goal is to increase your sales income this year by 25 per cent over last year, imagine the benefits of achieving this. Picture yourself being able to take more or better holidays, providing your family with the things they want, or purchasing something you’ve always desired.