Goals

Here we are rapidly approaching the end of the first quarter of the new year and spring is here officially, as well. How the time flies! In January, you probably set your goals for this year. How are you progressing toward attainment of those goals? Are you on schedule for their fulfillment? My guess is, that a lot of people get busy early in the year and the goals, even those “S.M.A.R.T.” ones, get lost in the flurry of activity that we call sales.

Those in personal production, have sales goals, which are closely related to prospecting goals. Prospecting is the key activity in reaching sales goals. Many salespeople, perhaps you, have said, at one time or another,  “You put me in front of a qualified prospect and I’ll make the sale!” Yet when asked, how many such appointments they have for the week, they usually indicate, “Only a few this week.” It seems that sales ability and sales skills are generally quite good, but prospecting ability is lacking.

Perhaps it isn’t a lack of prospecting ability or skill, but rather a lack of consistency. Prospecting consistently means on an every day basis. It is also known that prospecting is a numbers game; the more people contacted, the more qualified prospects will be obtained.

That’s it then. The secret to effective prospecting is to do it consistently every day . . . even on those days when you have a backlog of appointments, even on days when you don’t feel up to the challenge.

If you are serious about achieving those goals you set for yourself, you must take action every day to move toward them. Ask yourself what one thing you can do each day that will move you closer to your objective. Develop the daily habit of prospecting. Play the game of numbers every day. As a true professional, you are in the game. Now play to win!