What is your Sales Goal for 2013? As we begin the first quarter of 2013, we certainly hope this question is a top priority. If you are like most, your answer is some dollar amount that represents a percentage increase over your sales volume total for 2012. It may make you feel good to say what you want to achieve, but are you committed to achieving it, and willing to work a plan that will make it happen? The first step is to visualize the end result as if it is already here. Once you own your objective, you are ready to map out the plan to achieve it. Don’t underestimate the power of visualization!
Everyone makes New Year’s Resolutions, and sets new Goals, but unfortunately very few people actually commit to, or visualize, the goals they want to accomplish. It is critical to have a destination in mind, but you also need the road map with directions to get there!
We have a better way to think about your New Year’s Resolutions for 2013, and would like to share our thoughts on this subject.
Stop setting Goals and start developing Proper Goal Plans!
Goal Plans can be broken down into eight steps as listed below:
- Write out the Goal or Objective you wish to accomplish.
- Determine the Rewards you will get after the goal is achieved.
- Determine the Consequences of not achieving each goal.
- List possible Obstacles that could keep you from achieving your goal.
- List possible Solutions to each obstacle that may come up.
- Determine what Action Steps you will take to achieve each goal.
- Set a date to monitor the progress of each action taken.
- Set the Target Date for each milestone, and the completion of each goal.
Steps 4 and 5 are the secrets to doing Proper Goal Plans, and are critical to your success. Don’t skip over these important steps.
We have found that doing a Proper Goal Plan for each Goal or Objective that you plan to accomplish is more effective than just setting goals and hoping things will work out.
Following this simple proven process will insure your success in 2013.
Goal-setting is a popular topic this time of year and receives a lot of lip service from a lot of sales people but does anyone really know how to set Proper Goals?
We feel too many people set goals for things that are out of their control and then are often disappointed when they fail to accomplish the goal.
Try setting Activity Goals instead of Dollar Amount Goals. An Activity Goal is something you can measure and control.
Examples are: The number of sales calls you make, the number of cold calls you make to prospects, the number of spec samples you send out, etc.
Make a list of everything you want to accomplish in 2013, prioritize your list, take the top three goals, and commit to creating a Proper Goal Plan for these three goals.
Remember… it is okay to set goals throughout the year too, not just at the beginning of the year.
The best advice we can offer is to say: Only set goals for things you really want to make happen, and are willing to commit to by developing a proper goal plan.
If 2009 taught us anything, it is that proactive planning measures are imperative in a less than friendly economic environment. Make sure you are not caught off guard heading into 2013!
Best of success!
Dale Limes, MAS, is Senior Vice President of Sales for HALO Branded Solutions. He is an industry veteran of 27 years, a frequent trainer at industry events, and consults with distributors at every level to help increase sales and efficiency.
