It’s too easy to sit back, dream up a goal, and allow yourself to believe it will happen. You compound the belief by carrying on with your life, doing nothing different, and still expecting the goal you dreamed up to be fulfilled.
As a kid I remember thinking I would become an astronaut. Gee, it’s easy to see how that goal was never achieved, but then why should it, as it was merely a dream. We might laugh at that, but it’s no different than as an adult coming up with a goal, but failing to put a plan together to achieve it.
We have to stop merely setting goals and shift our focus to spending far more time developing a plan to achieve them. I find it amazing how many salespeople are totally demotivated by the time the 2nd qtr arrives, because achieving their annual goal is simply not going to happen.
Right now is when we have to spend all of the time necessary to develop the plan. That means doing a lot more than merely dividing the annual number by 12 to achieve a monthly goal. Anybody can do that, but “anybody” isn’t tasked with making the goal — that’s your job.
Rather than dig into the trenches of building a plan, I’m just going to mention two words — “focus” and “discipline.” Think about what those two words mean and then think about the role they play in achieving goals. I bring this up for one simple reason. It’s what I find lacking too many times when I probe into why somebody is not achieving their goals.
When I’m speaking with salespeople or managers about how they’re doing against their goals, I hear any number of excuses if they’re falling short. Once I cut through the excuses and begin challenging their efforts, the lack of focus and discipline almost always comes into play.
Telling somebody they’re falling short because of a lack of discipline or focus can be challenging, but that’s exactly why I’m writing about it now.
2018 starts in a couple of days, and in my book that makes the need to be focused and disciplined even more important. If you can get January off to a fast start, it’s amazing how smooth things can go for the rest of they year. We’ve all seen the chaos that ensues when January falls flat.
This is the year we don’t just set goals. It’s the year we achieve them, and it starts with being 100% focused and disciplined from Jan. 1 right through to Dec. 31.
To help you in these efforts and to build your momentum, be sure to sign up for the free video webinar I am doing Friday, January 5. It’s a perfect way to jump start your year. Here’s the link to sign up.
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Copyright 2017, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Res
