If you want to maximize your results and your sales motivation, you probably need to minimize your goals.
I’ve watched far too many salespeople become so fixated on trying to make their goals that they fail to see opportunities when they appear.
It’s as if they’ve got “goal paralysis” — a disease where the salesperson is so consumed thinking about their goal that they lose focus on everything, including new opportunities.
I’ve always said my best ideas are when I’ve taken a step back from the problem and suddenly am able to see things clearly.
One of the best ways for a salesperson to do this is to spend time in an informal manner with a few key customers.
Spend time in one of the companies you call upon meeting people you have never met before.
Most of all, spend a little time looking at your business differently. When you do so, it is amazing what you will begin to see.
Today’s economy is strange — no doubt about it. And it requires all of us to look at the things we’ve done in the past and find ways to do them differently. We need to challenge our thinking and we need to challenge our customers. The way we do it is by taking a few minutes to step back.
I’m not saying blow off your goals. I’m simply saying that achieving your best numbers sometimes requires you to look at things differently than you have up to that point.
When you do this, you are doing what I call “thinking beyond” by asking yourself several “what if” and “why” questions. (That’s what little kids do and they have boundless imaginations).
You can maximize your results and your sales motivation if you don’t get so tightly focused on your goals that you miss opportunities that are waiting for you to notice.
Copyright 2011, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.
