Bob Beck Sales Trainer Asks: Have You Set Your Goals

During Quid Pro Quo Sales Training we talk about one of the hardest parts of goal setting and that is determining what you want. At this point there are no limits; nothing is out of the question or out of bounds. Go for it, whatever "it" is.

Goal-setting does require some effort on your part so be prepared to do some work. Your first assignment is to grab a piece of paper and a pencil. Okay, now that you have your tools, start writing. Make a list of everything you would like to have happen, everything you would like to acquire, every possible thing you can think of.

After you have exhausted your "Want List," organize them by priority from those that are most important to you to those that are the least important.

Review your list to be sure everything you have written on your list is your desire, your goals. Make sure that no one on your bus is whispering things in your ear. Ensure that their goals are not added to your list.

It is easy to let people influence you on what you think you want. Don't let society, your parents, your spouse, your friends, or anyone else set the bar of success for you. It will absolutely be either too high or too low.

You are the only one that can set the bar just where it needs to be.

Details count and there are three ingredients in goal setting.

"Specific" means defining what you want to have.

Include all the steps you have to do in order to get what you want. Then, set the time targets you'll need in order to complete each step. When are you going to achieve your goals? There are no unrealistic goals, just unrealistic time frames. Keep that thought in mind as you develop your plan.

If you say your goal is to earn $150,000 in one year sometime after getting out of school, that would be almost pointless. It might have taken you thirty years if there was no time frame associated with the goal.

So would it be worth claiming victory if thirty years before, you had set the bar so low that an ant could have jumped over it? What would have been the point?

Your goals should be worthwhile and big. If they aren't, again, what's the point?

If your goal is to get out of bed every morning and you attain that by getting up every morning, don't waste your time setting goals. Extend your reach and try to achieve just a little more than you might think you may be capable of. You might surprise yourself and a whole lot of other people.

Just like everything worthwhile, you have to push yourself. If you make sure your goals are far-reaching and challenging enough, it will be a lot harder for you to become complacent and satisfied with your current situation. You should never be satisfied with anything less than achieving 100 percent of your goals. But don't always set your goals so low that you always achieve them.

Think big, think often, and think about your goals all the time. Then you will see how far you can really stretch.

What I'm about to say now might seem to be a little bit of a mixed message: And that is, be realistic.

Although nothing is out of bounds in setting your goals, you will still need to apply common sense to the process. If you are five-foot two-inches and 125 pounds and never played football in your life, a goal of being starting linebacker for an NFL team in the Super Bowl is probably not in the cards.

A little dose of reality can go a long way in getting better results. "Realistic" is one of those misunderstood words. What is realistic to you and what is realistic to someone else can be very different. When you set a goal, just remember that you are going to need a time-frame and a well thought-out plan on how to achieve it.

Put your plan together, acquire the skills and talent needed to achieve your goal as a trusted advisor. Make sure your goals are obtainable. Sometimes people do achieve seemingly impossible goals. But, are you being realistic?

Whatever your goals are - just like a good football player - they need to have balance. Your overall goals and plans must have several different parts to make them work. It can't be just about the pursuit of material objects or career objectives. You have to take into account your health, your leisure time, family time, time for your friends and associates, your community, your church, and the world you live in.

You will never go to the graveyard and see a headstone that says, "If I only had spent more time at the office."

For you to achieve your goals you have to achieve a balance in your life.