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Goal Setting

Written by: Charles Kettner

Article Overview: Instead of being overwhelmed by the enormity of his goal he just did 10% at a time and not only did he achieve his goal but after reaching his goal he took the next step and reevaluated his goals and set new ones.

Goal Setting

Goal setting is one of the most important things, not just in sales but in life! Imagine playing darts at your favorite neighborhood bar but you have to play blindfolded! How could you possibly hit your goal? The sales profession is exactly the same. You have to have something you can shoot for.

It is imperative that you write your goals down so you can see them daily. I kept impeccable records during my 39 year sales career. I have ledgers of every person I sold since 1972. It is very difficult to plan where you want to go if you don’t know where you have been. So you say, I set goals and after a few weeks of not hitting them I throw the paper away or conveniently misplace it so I don’t have to see it. I understand. You have to set goals that are obtainable. For example, lets say you wanted to lose 100 lbs. in 3 months. What is easier…lose 100 lbs. in 3 months or lose only 33 lbs. a month? Or better yet loose 8 lbs. a week? Or better yet, how about only 1 lb. a day? Anybody can do that! The secret of successful goal setting is taking your big goal and breaking it down into a bunch of little obtainable goals.

I once knew a man that religiously saved 10% of every dollar that ever came into his hands, even birthday money he received from his relatives. By age 45 he had amassed over $500,000 in cash! His big goal was to have over $100,000 in his savings account by a certain age. Instead of being overwhelmed by the enormity of his goal he just did 10% at a time and not only did he achieve his goal but after reaching his goal he took the next step and reevaluated his goals and set new ones.

With sales I did the exact same thing. I didn’t get overwhelmed by the enormity of what it would take to win my 1st “man of the year” award. Instead, I took it month by month and was the best salesperson in the company, one month at a time. That year I only won 11 of the 12 months but no one else was even close. Result…I reached my goal and became “man of the year”.

Whether it be sales, finances, management goals or something else, there are a few basics that will ensure that you reach your goals. One is, write your goals down and post them somewhere where you will see them everyday. Second, break the ultimate goal into a bunch of little goals that are in your reach. Finally, set a deadline for your goal. If you say you want to lose 100 lbs. but don’t put a deadline on it, you have given yourself a way out. No good! You must have a deadline.

“The Specialist”

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Article Tags: 12 months, birthday money, certain age, darts, enormity, exact same thing, goal setting, important things, ledgers, man of the year, neighborhood bar, profession, relatives, sales career, salesperson



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