Tweet

#1 Strategy to Reach Your Unreachable Goals

Written by: Jill Konrath

Article Overview: Sometimes it's just plain tough to get sales. There could be a hundred valid reasons why it's happening - aggressive competitors, the economy, ornery customers. Or, the problem could be of your own making. It doesn't much matter though when your goals seem unreachable and you don't have a clue how to achieve them. Stuck is stuck. If you knew what to do, you'd have already taken action.

#1 Strategy to Reach Your Unreachable Goals

Sometimes it's just plain tough to get sales. There could be a hundred valid reasons why it's happening - aggressive competitors, the economy, ornery customers. Or, the problem could be of your own making.

It doesn't much matter though when your goals seem unreachable and you don't have a clue how to achieve them. Stuck is stuck. If you knew what to do, you'd have already taken action.

When you're struggling, it doesn't help to have your boss say, "You need more sales." Duh! Comments like that just add additional stress to the difficult situation.

Nor does it help to continually tell yourself, "I have to get more business" or "I must come up with a better plan." All that does is push the panic button.

Did you know these statements actually cause your brain to freeze up?

It's true. They literally immobilize your creative juices, enabling you to see fewer solutions to your dilemma. Plus, the ideas you do come up with are typically stale (e.g., make more calls) and don't give you an edge in today's competitive marketplace.

So, if you're in a rut, what can you do? Or, if you have an audacious goal, how can you get there?

The Answer: Ask, "How Can I …?"

This is the start of a simple, but powerful question that unlocks your thinking and enables you to see fresh perspectives where none existed before.

Look for different ways to finish the "How Can I" question. Play with it. Why? Because when you phrase the question in new ways, you'll come up with different answers. For example, you might ask yourself:

• How can I increase my sales?
• How can I get bigger contracts?
• How can I focus on customers that are more profitable?
• How can I free up time to pursue more business?
• How can I leverage new offerings to get my foot in the door?

As you can see, each of these questions leads your thinking down a whole different pathway. And, instead of feeling like you're carrying an insurmountable burden, suddenly the creative YOU jumps into action, ready to help you out. Your "oomph" returns, along with a whole slew of ideas.

Let me give you a couple ways I've used this "How Can I" strategy in my sales career.

Getting Out of a Slump

Much as I hated slumps, there were times when my pipeline at Xerox was nearly empty and I had no idea how I was going to make my quota. When that happened, I'd go to breakfast alone, carrying only a notebook and pen.

Over a couple hour discussion with myself, I'd pose and answer questions such as:
• How can I get more business from my existing customers?
• How can I find prospects who are ready to buy now?
• How can I leverage my relationships to find more opportunities?

At first, I'd jot down whatever thoughts came to mind. Then, I'd expand on each of the thoughts, adding more detail and flushing out the concept. Before leaving, I'd evaluate & prioritize the ideas and then create an action plan to move forward.

The best part of this process is that it was re-invigorating. Rather than feeling stumped or at the mercy of slow-moving decision makers, I felt empowered again. With a renewed sense of momentum and an action plan, I always got results. Big results.

…And speaking of "big," let me continue on that theme.

Creating an Entirely New Revenue Stream

Several years ago, I lost my two bread-and-butter clients when the investment community demanded better financial results. Both these firms immediately suspended all "extraneous" projects – which included all my work with them.

While in the process of rebuilding my business, I did some free consulting for a small magazine serving the entrepreneurial community. I became enamored with the vitality of these firms as well as their contribution to the economy.

But the failure rate was sky high. Good businesses being run by well-intentioned people were closing down because the founders didn't understand how to sell. It about drove me crazy.

For months, I kept asking myself, "How can I share my expertise with these people and make some money doing it?"
It was a real conundrum. Most entrepreneurs don't want to spend a ton of money on outside consultants. When they do hire one, they want to squeeze as much from this person as they can in the shortest possible time. With budgets a whole lot smaller than big companies, there wasn't a lot of potential for add on work either. In short, despite the apparent need, it didn't look like a good business model for me.

But I kept the question open, choosing not to say 'no' yet. Instead, I kept researching and asking the question repeatedly – in multiple variations.

One day, the answer came to me: I'd create a website called Selling to Big Companies where I could give away lots of good sales advice for free. Plus, I could offer some premium content such as ebooks, emanuals and teleseminars. While doing this, I could still serve my corporate clients.

I knew I'd finally hit on a viable business model, and, as they say, the rest is history.

Trust the Questions

Over the years, I've come to trust this "How can I" strategy implicitly. Whenever I pose these questions to myself, the answers always come.

They're better ideas than I could have ever thought of myself. That sounds strange to say, but it's true.

Right now, I trust the question again with the Sales SheBang – my online resource, conference and community for women in sales. I'm asking myself questions such as:

• How can I attract savvy saleswomen to 2008 Sales Shebang Conference?
• How can I fund this project so that I can make it bigger & better?
• How can I make it an incredible value for the women who come?

The good news is that the ideas are already streaming in. The bad news is that I appear to be a bottleneck in my own system. Too much is on my plate right now, so I'm adding resources to help me out. In truth, it's really not a bad problem to have.

But it all starts with that "How Can I…?" question. Without a doubt, it's the best strategy in the whole world for reaching your unreachable goals.

Invite others to help you answer your questions. Track down a top salesperson and ask for their insights: How can I be more successful? How can I close more business?

Ask an entrepreneur: How can I create the company of my dreams? How can I get more done in the same amount of time?

The answers are already out there. You just need to ask the questions!

Related Articles
  Reaching the unreachable
  Set Realistic Goals In Building Your Network Marketing Business
  5 Ways to Stay Focused on Your Goals As an Entrepreneur
  Execution - The Power of Getting Things Done.
  Now is the Time to Plan for 2010!

Article Tags: aggressive competitors, audacious goal, boss, brain, clue, competitive marketplace, contracts, creative juices, different ways, dilemma, economy, new ways, offerings, panic button, pathway, perspectives, phrase, stress



Related Forum Posts
Book: Secrets of Six Figure Women - Secrets of Six Figure Women: Surprising Strategies to up your earning and change your life Barbara Stanny, 2002 Jacket: Maybe you've noticed - a subtle trend is gathering steam. Quietly and steadily, the number of women making six figures or more is increasing, and it continues to rise at a rate faster than for men. From entrepreneurs to corporate executives, from white collar executives to free lancers and part timers, women are forging careers with considerable financial success. Through extensive research and hundreds of interviews, including dialogs with more than 150 high earners whose annual incomes range from $100,000 to 7 million, Stanny discovered that ...they all had certain traits in common: 1) a profit motive 2) Audacity 3) REslience 4) Encouragement 5) Self-awareness 6) Non-attachment 7) Financial knowhow She amplifies on these in the book itself. Table of Contents Intro: Welcome to the era of the six-figure woman 1. The Queen in the Countinghouse 2. The Lowdown on low earners 3. Raising the bar 4. Strategy 1: The Declaration of Intention 5. Strategy 2: Letting go of the ledge 6. Strategy 3: Get in the Game 7. Strategy 4: Speak Up 8. Strategy 5: The Stretch 9. Strategy 6: Seek Support 10. Strategy 7: Obey the rules of money 11. Claiming our power Appendces: Resources and websites Tips for getting out of dent Investing Basics: Wealthbuilding 101
Re: Random Acts of Kindness - Pass it on! - Reach and touch somebody's hand. I love this site, it will make this world a better place
Re: Ryerson Angel Network Expands its Reach to Help Young Ent... - thanks for sharing very good information on Ryerson Angel Network Expands its Reach to Help Young Ent...........that will be so helpful......
Re: What can you do if your franchise is hit by a scandal? - GT - Brilliant Strategy... What can I add? I'm at a loss for words...so I'll shut up now...
Re: Alexa Ranking Goals - Thanks GT! This is still the right post for Alexa Goals but everything else can go to Kevin's Mastermind post! Cheers!


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Are You Listening?

What is an Adaptive Organization

Working Across Borders

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.