Building a Rock-Solid Sales Pipeline: The Roadmap to Consistent Sales Growth

Want to make sure your sales team doesn’t fall flat on their face? The lifeblood of any successful business isn’t just about sealing deals left and right. It’s about building a robust sales pipeline.

That’s right! We’re talking about that one comprehensive system filled with high-quality leads and prospects, pushing your business toward long-term success. So, let’s dive right in, shall we?

What’s This “Sales Pipeline” Talk All About?

In a nutshell, a sales pipeline is your ticket to understanding your sales process. It’s like a roadmap, guiding you through each stage of the buyer’s journey.

From lead generation to closing the deal, it’s all there. Sounds straightforward, doesn’t it? But here’s the catch: building a sales pipeline isn’t a set-and-forget task. It needs regular reviews and updates.

Why Regularly Reviewing and Updating Your Sales Pipeline is Your Secret Weapon?

Okay folks, here’s a hard truth we all need to digest. The business world is ever-changing. It’s like a wild river, always in flux. Customer needs shift, markets fluctuate, and competition gets fiercer by the minute. But you know what? This isn’t a cause for panic. Not if you’ve got a strong, up-to-date sales pipeline by your side.

Now, you might be wondering, “Why all this fuss about regularly reviewing and updating my sales pipeline?” Well, let me spell it out for you.

Your sales pipeline is the heart of your business. It’s what keeps your sales process ticking. But like any healthy heart, it needs regular check-ups. That’s where reviewing and updating come into play. And believe me, the benefits are worth their weight in gold.

  1. Sustainable Business Growth: With an updated sales pipeline, you’re no longer shooting in the dark. You can pinpoint exactly where your opportunities lie and seize them. This doesn’t just fuel your present sales but also paves the way for consistent, long-term growth.
  2. Efficient Team Performance: An organized, clear sales pipeline means your team isn’t wasting time on lukewarm leads. They know who to pursue, how, and when. It’s like having a high-powered GPS for your team, leading them straight to sales success.
  3. Enhanced Customer Experience: When your pipeline is up-to-date, you know what your customers want, and when they want it. You’re not just meeting expectations; you’re exceeding them. Result? Delighted customers who’ll keep coming back for more.
  4. Unbeatable Competitive Edge: With a regularly reviewed sales pipeline, you’re always a step ahead. You can adapt to market changes faster, meet evolving needs better, and outshine your competition every single time.

So, don’t just build a sales pipeline; nurture it, update it, and make it a part of your business’s DNA. Remember, it’s not just about keeping your pipeline current; it’s about ensuring it’s bursting with high-quality leads and prospects – the ones that convert into loyal customers.

Just think of the immense possibilities when every lead in your pipeline has the potential to boost your sales, motivate your team, and wow your customers! That’s the power of a well-maintained sales pipeline.

So, pull up your socks and get down to business. It’s time to make your sales pipeline the ace up your sleeve! In the grand scheme of things, you’ll see that this, my friend, is not just a strategy – it’s the lifeline your business needs for monumental success.

So, How Do We Build This Powerhouse Sales Pipeline?

Glad you asked! It’s not as daunting as it seems, promise. Let’s break it down.

Step 1: Understand Your Buyer’s Journey

Imagine walking a mile in your customer’s shoes. Picture what they’re seeking and why they need it. Are they looking for a solution to a problem or an upgrade to their current situation? Every sale begins with understanding these finer details about the customer.

Here’s how you can do it:

  1. Carry out Customer Surveys: Ask your existing customers about their experiences. What attracted them to your product or service? What factors influenced their decision? Tools such as Google Forms or SurveyMonkey.
  2. Use Customer Analytics: Review your customer data. Look for patterns. Analyze purchasing behavior, interactions with your business, and feedback.
  3. Create Buyer Personas: Develop detailed profiles of your ideal customers. Include demographic info, interests, behaviors, and goals.

Understanding the answers to these queries can help you plot out the buyer’s journey. This journey, my friend, is the backbone of your sales pipeline.

Step 2: Define Your Sales Stages

Once you’ve got the lowdown on your buyer’s journey, it’s time to mirror this understanding into the stages of your sales. These stages act as a reflection of your buyer’s journey.

Here’s how you go about defining them:

  1. Lead Generation: This is where potential customers first interact with your business. How do they find you? Is it through online searches, referrals, or advertisements?
  2. Lead Qualification: Not every lead is a potential sale. How do you distinguish between a cold lead and a hot prospect? Are they a fit for your product or service? Do they have the intent and capacity to buy?
  3. Proposal/Demonstration: This is where you present your solution to the lead. How do you tailor your pitch or demo to fit their needs?
  4. Negotiation/Objections Handling: Not all leads will immediately accept your proposal. How do you handle objections and negotiate terms?
  5. Closure: The final stage is where the lead becomes a customer. What steps do you take to close the sale, and how do you ensure customer satisfaction?

Each stage represents a step in your customer’s journey.

Step 3: Identify Key Actions at Each Stage

Now, this is where the magic happens. Each sales stage calls for specific actions that move leads closer to the sale. Whether it’s making a call, sending an email, or arranging a demo, these actions are your weapons for conquering each stage.

Define these actions clearly. For instance:

  1. Email Templates: Design templates for introductory emails, follow-ups, or responses to queries. Make them personal and engaging.
  2. Call Scripts: Prepare scripts for cold calls or follow-up conversations. Keep them concise and targeted.
  3. Demo Structures: Develop a structured demo or presentation format. Highlight your product’s features and how it meets the customer’s needs.

Step 4: Measure and Monitor

Alright, you’ve built your pipeline. Great job! But remember what we said about regular reviews and updates? Here’s where measurement comes into play.

  1. Track Sales Metrics: Keep an eye on your sales metrics. How many leads are at each stage? What’s the conversion rate? Are there any stages where leads are dropping off?
  2. Identify Bottlenecks: Use these metrics to identify bottlenecks in your sales process. Are there stages that take longer to move through? Are there steps where leads often drop off?
  3. Make Necessary Adjustments: Use these insights to refine your sales pipeline. Maybe you need to improve your call script or demo. Maybe you need to refine your lead qualification process.

Final Thoughts: Embrace Sales Management for Sales Growth

Remember, it’s a never-ending process, but trust me, it’s worth it. Perhaps you’re thinking, “That’s a lot of work!” Well, yes, it can be. But the beauty of this process lies in its flexibility and adaptability.

By consistently measuring and monitoring, you can fine-tune your approach, identify gaps, and resolve issues before they balloon into significant problems.

In this constantly changing business landscape, your pipeline needs to be as agile as your approach. So, embrace the process, roll with the punches, and never stop refining and optimizing your sales pipeline. In the end, this meticulous attention to detail can drive your sales growth and place you a cut above the rest. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t want that?

Happy selling, folks! Keep refining, keep growing, and remember – your sales pipeline is more than just a strategy; it’s the roadmap to your business’s success!

Additional Reading:
Hitting Your Goals with The 5 G’s of Goal Setting

Instagram for Real Estate: 9 Tips to Boost Your Leads and Sales Revenue

Are you a real estate agent tired of making the same silly mistakes on Instagram? Are you ready to step up your game and start crushing it on the ‘gram? Well, you’re in luck because I’m about to share some tips that will help you increase leads and sales revenue – and avoid looking like a total Instagram newbie.

1.) Stop posting terrible photos and start showcasing your properties like a pro.

We get it, you’re not a professional photographer, but that’s no excuse for posting terrible photos of your listings. Blurry, dark, and cluttered images aren’t going to attract potential buyers – they’re going to make them scroll right past your post. Invest in a good camera or hire a professional photographer to help you showcase your properties like a pro.

2.) Quit using lame captions and start writing copy that converts.

Captions can make or break your post, so stop using lame captions like “Check out this amazing property” or “New listing alert.” Instead, write copy that’s creative, informative, and persuasive. Use humor, tell a story, and give potential buyers a reason to reach out to you. And, for the love of all things holy, proofread your captions before you hit “post.”

3.) Ditch the boring property tours and start sharing behind-the-scenes stories.

We’ve all seen those boring property tour videos where the agent walks through the house and tells us what we can already see. Yawn. Instead, use Instagram Stories to share behind-the-scenes stories of your real estate business. Show potential buyers what it’s like to work with you, give them a glimpse into your personality, and build trust with them.

4.) Lose the irrelevant hashtags and start using ones that matter.

Hashtags can help your posts reach a larger audience, but only if you’re using the right ones. Stop using irrelevant hashtags like #forsale or #realtor, and start using ones that are specific to your property, location, or target audience. Do some research and find out which hashtags your potential buyers are using, and use them in your posts.

5.) Say goodbye to cheesy stock photos and start collaborating with local influencers.

We all know that cheesy stock photo of the smiling couple holding hands in front of their new home. It’s time to say goodbye to that and start collaborating with local influencers. Find influencers in your area who align with your brand and target audience, and partner with them to showcase your properties. This will not only help you reach a larger audience, but it will also give you some much-needed street cred.

6.) Stop being boring and start sharing valuable real estate insights.

Nobody wants to follow an Instagram account that’s all business all the time. Start sharing valuable real estate insights that are relevant to your target audience. Share market updates, home buying and selling advice, and decorating tips. This will help you position yourself as an expert in your field and attract potential buyers who trust your expertise.

7.) Don’t be a ghost on Instagram – engage with your followers!

Engaging with your followers is one of the most important things you can do on Instagram. Respond to comments, reply to DMs, and like and comment on other people’s posts. This will help you build relationships with potential buyers and turn your followers into customers.

8.) Quit boosting irrelevant posts and start running targeted ads.

Boosting posts may seem like an easy way to increase your reach, but it’s not always the most effective method. Instead, run targeted Instagram ads that are specific to your target audience. Use eye-catching visuals, compelling copy, and Call-to-Action buttons to encourage potential buyers to contact you.

9.) Stop guessing and start using Instagram Insights to fine-tune your strategy.

Instagram Insights is a powerful tool that can help you fine-tune your Instagram strategy. Use this feature to analyze your audience demographics, track your post and story performance, and identify your top-performing content.

By regularly reviewing your insights, you can identify areas where you need to improve and adjust your strategy accordingly. For example, if you notice that your engagement is low on certain types of posts, you can experiment with different content formats or topics to see if you can increase engagement.

Bringing it all together.

Instagram can be a powerful tool for real estate agents looking to increase leads and sales revenue – as long as you’re doing it right. By avoiding silly mistakes ike posting terrible photos, using lame captions, and being a ghost on Instagram, you can position yourself as a real estate expert and attract potential buyers who trust your expertise.

Remember, building a successful Instagram strategy takes time and effort. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different tactics and always be willing to learn and adjust your approach. With a little bit of humor and a lot of dedication, you can use Instagram to take your real estate business to the next level.

Build Consistency and Accountability into your Morning Routine

If you are here to learn how to build consistency and accountability into your morning routine then READ THIS WHOLE POST!

One of the most common questions people ask is how to build consistency in their morning routine and habits, so I jotted down some things that have worked for me over the course of the last 10 years or so of practice.

1.) Do it every day! Yes even on the weekends. This is probably the number one question I am asked, “So do you practice The Miracle Morning 5 days a week or 7 days a week?”

Easy. 7 days a week. My weekend Miracle Morning Is often longer than my weekday routine because I have more time and flexibility in my schedule since I typically do not work on the weekends.

2.) Imperfect Practice = Consistency

Whether you only have 6 minutes or 60 minutes to practice the routine, do it anyways. Some days will not be perfect. If you have kids (I have 3) anything can go off the rails in the morning. Whether you oversleep, hit the snooze button one too many times, have a busy day at work, etc invest even just a few minutes for yourself to start the day with focus and intention.

3.) Reward yourself – track your days on an app like Streaks ($4.99) and set a reward in place for when you hit 7 days in a row, 30 days in a row, 90 days, etc.

4.) Give yourself some grace. You are human, and therefore likely imperfect like myself. You will miss a day. Rather than beating yourself up over it or becoming frustrated, smile and reaffirm your commitment to never miss two days in a row.

5.) Prepare the night before. Put a glass of water next to the bed. Get out your gym clothes. Write down your intention for the day before bed. The last thought you go to bed with will likely be the one you wake up with so get excited about what you look forward to about your morning routine.

6.) If you are new to the routine start with one of the SAVERS. You don’t need to dive into all of them on day 1. Build one as a habit and then add one more. It’s even better if you add the first one onto a habit you already do everyday like brushing your teeth or making coffee. It’s called habit stacking. Use brushing your teeth as a reminder to meditate or read in the morning.

7.) Find someone to do it with you. Get an accountability partner who is committed to getting up at the same time as you and text each other each morning for accountability and encouragement.

8.) Get clear on why you are committed to making this a habit. Write down the one outcome, that if you knew you would achieve it in the next 30 days by practicing this routine, you would be excited to jump out of bed and start building. Then write it on your bathroom mirror, make it the screensaver on your phone, etc.

9.) Read the book and work through the Companion Guide on Amazon. The exercises will improve your morning routine, help you clarify your goals and vision, improve your productivity, and help you increase your sales. You can find them both on Amazon and I will link to them in the comments.

If you would like more tips like these, sign up for hitting your 1-year goals on the home page. I am going to start sending two emails a month with strategies for building habits, strong morning routines, goal setting, measuring sales, lead generation, presenting, negotiating, etc.

7 Strategies for Finding Opportunities during Social Distancing

7 Strategies to improve your business during social distancing.

With an obstacle as large as a pandemic that brings with it tremendous health and financial challenges, we have a couple options. We can get caught up in the panic and hysteria, or we can be responsible while looking for potential opportunities. Those opportunities may be in spending more time with family, providing community support, learning new methods for expanding your business through virtual meetings, etc.  The most important thing is our mindset and the questions we are asking.

I want to be careful here not to sound insensitive. I am not talking about the opportunity to hoard toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and face masks to sell for large profits and exploit people’s fear. I am talking about coming from a place of compassion and creativity. I am talking about looking for ways to add value to our clients, prospects, communities, and families.

Our questions formulate our thoughts by triggering our brain to search for answers. Simply ask yourself, “what is the opportunity here?”, and your brain has to shift gears from fear and anxiety to problem solving and creativity. In asking myself this question I quickly thought of 7 ideas to increase sales and grow my business while forging stronger relationships with clients, prospects, and employees.

1.) Work ON your business instead of IN your business.

For many salespeople, solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, small business owners we get so wrapped up in the day to do of running our business, working IN our business that we rarely designate time to plan and strategize on our longer term plans. If you are limited in your ability to meet with clients, if deals are put on hold, if you save time traveling or commuting right now – it presents an excellent opportunity to set aside an hour or two per day to step back and look at where your business is right now, where you would like it to be, and create a clear path forward to communicate to everyone around you. Clarity, alone, will increase productivity.

If you are looking for a guided reference on developing this level of clarity in your business, Hal Elrod and I developed a workbook designed to help you with this task which you can find on Amazon if you are interested, but please read the rest of this article first! It’s a 120 page workbook to guide you through the process.

The Miracle Morning for Salespeople: Companion Guide

2,) Reconnect with current and past clients.

As salespeople and business owners, we tend to focus most of our energy on finding new clients. It makes sense. In most businesses, as in many areas, if you are not growing you are dying. Many people miss opportunities with current and past clients though when they are so focused on finding new clients. We miss the opportunity to deepen relationships to create repeat business. We miss referral opportunities. And we miss opportunities to fulfill more of our clients needs with other products and services we may offer. You can start by reaching out and just asking people how they are handling the current situation, how is it impacting them, and if there is anything that you can do to help?

3.) Forge stronger relationships with employees.

Please do not mistake my language for sounding cold, but your human capital is one of your greatest investments. Whether we call them human capital, employees, or team members, we must keep in mind that they are all people, and they are all experiencing this current crisis in their own ways with their own attitudes, fears, energy, and emotion.

This provides a tremendous opportunity for us to strengthen our bonds with our employees by showing them that we care about them and their families. Depending on the extent of this health crisis and any financial fallout people are going to be concerned about their health, safety, job security, and financial standing in the coming weeks and months.

The sooner we address these concerns the better. What can we do to help alleviate these fears? Communicating you plans for keeping them safe through deep cleaning of all workspaces, moving to work-from-home where applicable, ensuring them they will have a paycheck. Many will be dealing with children at home with school cancelled and require child care that they either do not have or cannot afford. All of these things will keep people more productive during a crisis. When people are preoccupied with their basic necessity needs it is hard to add much value anywhere else. Let’s work to alleviate those concerns where possible.

4.) Trim the fat in your budget and reallocate funds.

In my line of work, coaching and training salespeople and entrepreneurs, we spend a lot of time finding answers for how to grow their businesses or increase sales. Sometimes this involves testing new methods of advertising, marketing, and lead generation. On occasion these plans are strategically determined, but in most cases, when left to their own devices, I find people looking for the next shiny object. It only costs $X a month. If it even generates one more sale it will be worth it.

The main issue here is that many salespeople, entrepreneurs, and small business owners do not do a great job keeping track of these expenses and they add up over time. There  could be several reasons for this. We don’t have time. We aren’t naturally good at it. It’s easier to focus on earning more than saving more. All of these may be true, but if we let them get out of control we can quickly spend a bunch of our profit margins.

When the economy is booming these expenses may seem trivial, but when we need to get lean, it starts with trimming fat.

What could you cut from your budget today without impacting your business negatively?

5.) Build a stronger online and social presence.

With people spending additional time at home and following the news for updates on what is happening with the virus and the economy, social media will be an even more important platform to be in front of your clients. Now is a great time to create your YouTube channel or add a bunch of content to the empty one you may have created months ago. You could create a Pinterest account that creates followers and sends them to your website or already established Business Facebook page.

You could plan a reorganization, a redesign, or add content to your website that will drive additional traffic. Maybe you build out some blog posts as I am doing, or potentially you add some product pages, success stories, or a store that you have been meaning to build online. Maybe now is the time to take a course on Facebook advertising or interview people who could do it for you. If your business does go on hold with clients for a week or two, there are lots of ways to make productive use of the time.

6.) Document systems and processes.

McDonald’s is the commonly used example of how a duplicatable business model can be so successful. No matter where you go the experience is basically the same at any McDonald’s. While your business likely has nothing to do with fast food chains, what we can learn is that expansion and growth comes from being able to duplicate your efforts through leverage. Leverage becomes infinitely easier to implement when your systems and processes are documented for other people to follow.

A perfect example of this happened for me this year. One of my roles is acting as a sales manager for a team of buyer agents within a real estate brokerage. I spend a few hours a week training them and a few hours a week ensuring that we generate leads for them. One of the processes involved advertising coming soon properties with a series of steps to posting the ads to drive traffic. The whole process took about one to two hours per property and often disrupted other things that were higher dollar earning activities that I should have been focused on. By documenting each step of posting the properties in the different locations and creating the ads I now have an admin on my team who handles all of those steps and simply send me the link of the post to boost in Facebook. It now takes me 30-45 seconds to complete what used to take me almost two hours and likely takes my admin less than an hour because it is her focus.

One of my coaches is Eric Crews, who coaches on the Entrepreneurial Operating System, found in Gino Wickman’s book Traction: Get A Grip on Your Business. One of the key steps is documenting the key processes that drive your business. I have personally found that this system creates clarity, makes for a better and more consistent customer experience, and makes leverage and training remarkably easier.

7.) Build your pipeline through compassion and care.

Sales comes down to relationships. Those relationships are based on trust. People want to buy from people that they know, like, and trust. Every conversation that you have to grow a relationship during this current crisis needs to start with compassion. People will be impacted in different ways by their experience during this pandemic. Your ability to exhibit compassion and come from a place of curiosity about how to help people will be the key to relationship building right now. This is always the best strategy for building strong, long-lasting relationships, but this may be one of the only workable solutions right now.

Especially in times of fear, concern, stress, and unknown many decisions may be put on hold right now. However, I believe the people that spend the next few weeks and months building relationships through curiosity and compassion will generate trust that allows them the opportunity to consult for clients in the future in a way that helps move the right prospects towards a buying decision that adds value for them or their company.

Any steps forward are a step forward…

There will be people who freeze in fear during this time. There will be people who will quit sales and search for a job. There will be people who will close businesses. There will also be people who take some of these steps, seize the opportunities before them, gain new future clients, cement relationships with current clients through compassion, and move their business to a new heightened level on the other side of this obstacle. This too shall pass. You decide how to spend the time.

I wish all of you the best in the coming weeks and months. I feel for all of you that may be struggling right now. I celebrate all of you that are finding the opportunity. And I hope that we can all band together and treat each other with respect and dignity by being kind to mankind!

I would love to hear any additional suggestions or strategies you are implementing in the comments below.

Remember to check out the 120 page workbook if you are interested in guidance to help you develop a clear plan to grow your business.

The Miracle Morning for Salespeople: Companion Guide

4 Simple Tips for Converting Open House Leads

Open Houses have long been a lead generation opportunity in real estate. Agents often tell me that they are better at having conversations in person than on the phone when we discuss prospecting during workshops and training calls. Open Houses are a great opportunity to build relationships quickly since you have a face-to-face interaction.

Prospects attending Open Houses also tend to be further along in the process than an online lead. They are already making the effort to get out there and see properties. You could be writing an offer for them today. That’s the type of immediate business we love to find in real estate. Think about how much time you would save if you din’t have to nurture a lead for six months or a year before they buy something.

However, I hear agents complain all the time that they aren’t getting any leads from their Open Houses that don’t already have agents or they just aren’t getting enough traffic. Below are four tips to improve the results from your Open Houses.

1.) Choose the Right Open Houses

If the Open House is for one of your listings, then hopefully you have executed a pricing strategy and Open House schedule that will attract potential buyers and sellers. You may also be running Open Houses for other agents.

  • Consider the following in your Open House strategy.
  • Is the listing new or newly priced?
  • Was it recently staged or has new photos?
  • Is it in a common price point where lots of people will be looking?
  • Would you want to work with buyers and sellers in this location?
  • Is it in your farm area or where your ideal clients live?
  • Will the agent let you promote the Open House on your site?
  • Can you use your own Open House signs around the neighborhood with your name on them?

2.) Market to People Outside MLS

I mentioned earlier that a primary complaint from agents is that everyone who attends their Open Houses already has an agent. I always follow-up with this question: “How are you promoting your Open Houses?”

The most common response: “I post it in MLS and send reverse prospecting emails.”

No wonder everyone has an agent when your primary mode of promoting the Open House is through a system that can only be accessed by prospects through another agent.

Try these marketing methods to drive unrepresented traffic to the Open House:

  • Post on your personal social media accounts for people to come visit you during your Open House.
  • Knock on doors or call the neighborhood to personally invite people to the Open House.
  • Run a Facebook Ad with a landing page collecting email addresses for Open House info.
  • Place directional signs all over the neighborhood with your name and number.

3.) Don’t Wait till Monday to Follow-Up

This doesn’t mean sign a buyer agreement during the Open House. You may be representing the seller. However, letting a potential buyer walk out the door doesn’t serve them, your client, or you whether they are interested in this particular home or not. Make sure to follow the local real estate laws during your Open House conversations, but I would start building a relationship with prospects while they are in front of you.

Monday follow-up calls will be no more effective than cold calls if you aren’t building relationships during the Open House. Building relationships starts with finding out what is most important to the prospect in their next home. Ask powerful questions that will allow the prospect to comfortably share with you. Questions will keep you in control of the conversation and will help you to gain valuable insight for your follow-up.

4.) Know the Local Market and Follow a Script to Provide Value

If the client loves the house you are standing in then I would use a script to help them move to an offer. However since only one person will be buying this particular home, it is far more likely that you will have some standing in front of you that will be looking for something slightly different in a home. When you know the local listings that are similar to the home you are standing in then you will have an opportunity to add value for this prospect right now.

As people are finishing up walking through the home, run through the following script.

Agent: “I would love to offer some feedback to the sellers. Could you tell me what you liked best about the home?”
Buyers: “We like the layout and the size. We really like the kitchen.”
Agent: “If you could change one thing about the house, what would it be?”
Buyers: “The busy street. It is a lot busier than we expected.”
Agent: “Anything else?”
Buyers: “We would like a flat backyard as well. We want to be able to entertain outdoors.”
Agent: “Have you guys happened to see 123 XYZ Street yet? It has a lot of the same features, only it’s in a quiet little neighborhood and has a nice patio and yard.”
Buyers: “No, we haven’t seen it yet.”

Again be sure to follow the agency laws in your state around Open House rules, but there is no sense trying to sell someone on a home they do not want to buy. People hate to be sold. They love to buy. Help them find the home of their dreams, and they will love you for it.

To register for our full Open House Script and our Open House Door-Knocking Script click here.

For all the scripts and eleven methods of lead generation, get your copy of Explosive Sales Growth in Real Estate on Amazon!

Is Your Compensation Plan Driving Sales Results?

When building a winning sales team and strategy there are a few principles that are sometimes overlooked. Let’s take a look at five questions that when answered properly should help youth build a compensation plan that inspires your sales team to thrive and keeps your company on track for revenue and profit goals.

1.) What will it take for my salespeople to survive on their income based on our cost-of-living?

While it is true that salespeople should be paid for their performance and that the top salespeople will earn the highest income, you do not want your salespeople worrying about how they will pay their basic expenditures. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs makes it pretty clear the physiological and safety needs are requirements for people to perform at a basic level. Fearing how you will pay rent or buy food is not likely motivating your salespeople to sell more. It is likely hurting them and causing them to question their abilities, lowering their confidence, and may be impeding their ability to close.

A base salary should allow someone to at least survive their basic expenses during a difficult month or quarter. If performance issues last longer than a quarter and are not team wide, then we should be working on coaching to a standard or coaching to a new opportunity.

While I suggest a base salary that allows for survival, be careful that the base is not so large that it impedes the company from offering a strong compensation plan for outstanding results while maintaining a comfortable profit margin.

2.) What is most important to my people? What drives the people on my sales team?

This has nothing to do with your compensation plan, but it is the most important question in determining how the compensation plan is promoted to your sales team on an individual basis.

Most people are not driven only by money. People are driven by security, travel, ability to provide for their family, and freedom. These are often afforded through income. The income alone though is not usually the driving factor.

It’s important to spend the time to get to know the driving factor for your sales team. When you are promoting the compensation plan structure and how it will impact their lives, they will be more likely to hit higher goals that will keep your company on track for your revenue and profit goals. Keep your team in mind and ask from their perspective, “What’s in it for me?”.

If I sell $4 Million in product a year, and I earn $X. Pushing me to sell $5 Million to earn $Y will require an understanding of what I would have to give up in order to hit that higher number – training, travel, hours worked, more calls and rejection and comparing that to what I will gain in return – income, freedom, recognition, promotion, significance, etc. If I, as a member of the team, believe the trade-off is worthwhile I will hit the higher goal. If I don’t, why would I put in the extra effort.

When building your compensation plan, consider whether or not you know enough about the people on your sales team to understand what drives them. Then coach them consistently on how to take advantage of the compensation plan to help them achieve their dreams. You will have happy salespeople which will consequently increase your results.

One of my favorite books on this topic is The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly. If you are looking for a new level of connecting with your team by helping them achieve what is important to them then you should grab a copy of this book right now.

Hitting Your Goals with The 5 G’s of Goal Setting

As a sales manager, team leader, coach, sales consultant, and even as a teacher the majority of my career has been spent in conversations with people around goal achievement. There are lots of different ideas about how to be an effective goal-setter and goal-achiever, and these are the 5 concepts that I share in helping people to develop and achieve their goals. I have found that when one of these ingredients are missing then people are far more likely to fall short of their goals, yet when they have all five of them, you may not want to stand in their way.

 Listen to the Achieve Your Goals Podcast – The 5G’s of Goal-Setting

1.) Grand Vision –

Sort of like Simon Sinek’s Start With Why, grand vision has more to do with the underlying theme of what is most important in your life and your business than it does with the actual goals. When we talk about grand vision, I am talking about giving yourself permission to dream as big as you possibly can. In all likelihood if you knew exactly how you were going to achieve your grand vision at this point then you probably are not thinking big enough.

The is an exercise we teach in our 1-Day Workshop for The Miracle Morning for Salespeople called Your Greatest Potential which asks the participants to write down what their life and business would look like if everything unfolded perfectly over the next five years. We then ask them to expand on that to determine their greatest potential in the next ten years. The idea behind the exercise is that it gets people to expand their thinking and not be limited by the thought that they have to have everything mapped out as to exactly how it will all unfold. We want to commit to a grand vision that excites us, and we need to leave enough time to let that vision come true.

You would be amazed at how difficult this exercise is for most people. It usually takes a long time for most participants to write down anything of substance. We always have a small percentage in the room who have thought this answer through prior to the workshop, but for most we will get one or two lines that lack clarity in the vision. We hear lots of generalized goals like being a millionaire, being retired on a beach with a frozen drink, or having $X in the bank, but I am looking for people to dig deeper in their grand vision.

  • What do they want?
  • How will they spend their time?
  • What will their relationships look like?
  • Where will they live?
  • What will their finances look like?
  • What will their business look like?
  • Who’s on their team?
  • What impact will they make?
  • How will they give back?

 

We are looking for this grand vision to provide the energy, passion, enthusiasm and drive to make the outcomes come true. Clarity is a must. The clearer the vision the greater the chance of success.

In his book The Road Ahead, Bill Gates says “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.”

He is speaking to the idea of grand vision. When we leave ourselves five or ten years of growth to build towards our greatest potential we are capable of far more than we can even imagine. If you were to look back five or ten years ago, could you even imagine how you got to be where you are right now? Did you ever think you would be doing what your doing? Did you think you would be this successful? Did you think you would have travelled all the places you have been? Met all the people you have met? And achieved all that you have achieved? For most people the answer is no.

The reason is that it’s hard for us to fathom how much we will change, learn, and grow over the course of the next two, three, five, and ten years. We only see what we are capable of based on who we are today, not who we are going to become. If you are focused on personal and professional growth, then you will likely grow exponentially over the next five or ten years. Most people when laying out short-term goals will fall short when they challenge themselves, yet they will often surpass their five-year vision by year three.

2.) Goals (Annual and Quarterly) –

Having a grand vision and having shorter-term goals are not mutually exclusive. We must have both. Most of the people that I work with have goals. They have written down things that they would like to achieve in the next week, month, quarter, or year. The shorter-term goals are important because this is where we can break down the steps to achieve the goal. Knowing the end destination allows us to reverse engineer the plan to move from where we are currently to where we would like to be. I think this is where most people’s strength lies in writing down the goals. There are a couple key weaknesses though that stop people from achieving these goals.

Arbitrary Goals

Most of the short-term business, financial, and health goals I have heard from people appear to be solely based on what they think they should do rather than what is important to them. If they spent a little more time on their grand visions they could build goals that would help them take the next step this year towards achieving their greatest potential. Often people look at goal achievement as though it were linear, but when people achieve at the highest levels the exponential growth pattern is more like that of a hockey stick. The majority of the growth happens at the end because of consistent and disciplined action over time.

The Need for Immediate Results

Because people in our society want everything yesterday, we fall into the trap of overestimating what we can achieve in one month or one year. With a little patience and some focus on the key tasks to achieving our goals over the next three to five years instead of all at once we may experience more success, have higher confidence, and live with a stronger sense of fulfillment. The process and the journey should be enjoyable, not just the results.

Too Many Goals

Having too many goals dilutes the priority placed on the most important items. The dog that chases two foxes catches neither. The book The ONE Thing is probably one of the best resources on this topic. You can have more than one goal in the different areas of your life, but there has to be ONE thing at any given time that ‘makes everything else easier or unnecessary.’ When you have too many priorities, then nothing is a priority.

3.) Game Plan –

This is the reverse engineering of the shorter-term goals. The reason for the game plan is to take larger goals that may seem daunting at first glance and break them into a list of smaller, more manageable tasks that can be done each day or week in order to stay on track for achieving your goal.

There are three keys to a game plan will work.

1.) Priorities must be scheduled as daily, weekly, and monthly activities that will be completed consistently to stay on track for the goal. The activities should also be assigned, so that one person is responsible for ensuring that the task is completed.

2.) The activities must be measurable. For instance, when training for a half marathon the game plan for this week can not be running. The game plan should be run 3 miles on Monday, run 4 miles on Thursday, and complete a long run of 8 miles on Saturday. There is no question as to whether or not I fully completed those actions. I either did them or I did not.

3.) We must have faith that plan works. If we have no evidence or no belief that the plan will work, then we will likely not follow through with the activities over the long haul. Why would we commit to a plan if we did not really believe that it would help us to achieve our goal. We would not. This is similar to the idea of Hal Elrod’s Miracle Equation at the end of our book The Miracle Morning for Salespeople. You must have the faith to conjure the energy to complete the tasks.

I am believer in making sure that when you break down the goals into a plan that you must ask yourself three questions to ensure you will follow through. Does it align with my grand vision? Do the activities fit in my calendar? Do the activities fit in my budget?

Just as when we discussed goals a few paragraphs ago, if your game plan is not in alignment with your grand vision and the things that you have deemed as your top priorities then it will be difficult to find the energy, capacity, enthusiasm, passion, or willpower to complete them. If you add up all the hours to complete the tasks in your schedule on a daily or weekly basis, and they are not physically possible then we are setting ourselves up for failure. If we consistently over-schedule ourselves to hit our business goals or health goals, to the point where we neglect our relationship with our  spouse or time with our family, then we may find ourselves burnt out on the journey. We must either find leverage or lengthen the timeline. Lastly, if we have leveraged tasks then they often come at a price and we must ensure that they fit in our budget over the long-haul so we can maintain consistency in those tasks as well. This leverage may come in the form of vendors, coaches, or employees, and if we suddenly cannot afford them in our budget then it will leave us short of our goal and our previous spending may be for nothing.

I wrote about an example of this with real estate agents in my newest book, Explosive Sales Growth in Real Estate, and this could be related to anyone using direct mail. Farming is a long-term direct mail strategy targeting specific people. A common mistake agents make is that they choose a larger farm than they can afford to sustain. Since it’s a long-term strategy they should be planning to follow through with the activities consistently for at least a year or two before expecting typical results. Most agents do not take this into consideration, so they burn their budget in six months and decide that farming is not working for them, so they either decrease the farm, decrease the frequency of direct mail, or they stop altogether. By not reverse engineering the budget for the plan, they set themselves up for failure or at least a lesser return on investment. If they slowly built the farm as they began to see the results, the results would fund the continued activity.

4.) Guidance –

We can either learn from the successes and mistakes of others or from our own. I have found that learning from my own mistakes is a lot more costly than learning from the mistakes of others. Guidance could come from any number of resources: a book, a webinar, a workshop, a training, an online course, a mentor, or a coach. Some offer a higher level of learning than others because of their on-going nature and your ability to interact and ask questions to get help specified to your own goals and obstacles.

You can certainly accomplish just about any goal on your own. After all someone had to be the first person to do everything the first time it was done. However, in most cases the goals we seek to achieve have already been accomplished by someone else. Their success leaves clues for us along the way. The easiest way to achieve any goal is to find out exactly how someone else already accomplished what you have set out to do. You may have your own little nuances, personality, and strengths that impact your final plan on achieving your goal, but having an understanding of how others have already achieved your goal will substantially shorten the learning curve.

Accountability is the second component one should look from coaches, mentors, or accountability partners when setting out to accomplish significant goals. There are bound to be obstacles along the way. There will likely be times when we need to be reminded of why we have set out on the journey in the first place. And there will be times when we need someone to remind us of our small wins along the way, so we remain committed even in the face of adversity. It’s far easier to be accountable to someone else than to ourselves. It is far too easy to let ourselves off the hook and tell ourselves stories about why it’s okay that we didn’t achieve the goal.

5.) Get It Done –

We can do all the planning and goal-setting in the world, but in the end it comes down to taking action. If we do not follow through with our commitments through disciplined and consistent action then we will always fall short of our goals. In coaching salespeople I will often work through prospecting plans that involve a certain number of calls or handwritten notes that need to be completed per day or per week. The easiest way to tell if someone is going to succeed at hitting their goal is whether or not they know exactly how many they completed and that they are consistently hitting their activity goal. While measuring results is important, sometimes results lie. The person with consistent action according to their plan will continue to improve over time and hard work will beat out talent most of the time, unless the talent is also working hard. The difference between goals and achievement is discipline and consistency.

Visit our homepage to download the FREE 15-Page Guide: Hitting Your 1-Year Goals

How Exercise Helps You Hit Your Business Goals

I am not a fan of going to the gym. I mean, I love the feeling afterwards. I love the way I look when I do it regularly. I love the burst of energy. It’s just the physical act of working out that I could do without. In fact, I know that even if I joined a gym I wouldn’t actually go. I know because I have had countless gym memberships. I may have had more gym memberships than consecutive days working out in the past. The problem is that even though I hate going to the gym, my health is important to me. I have exercise and health goals. Being around for my kids is important. Having the energy to take them on adventures is important. Being alive and full of energy is important to me.

As important as those things are, I knew that they still wouldn’t inspire me. They still were not going to make me wake up and want to get to the gym. I knew that I needed to do something drastic.

Inspiration vs Desperation

I had a conversation in an interview with one of my mentors, Rock Thomas, the other day. Rock is the author of Your Epic Life Blueprint: Quit the Rat Race and Create a Happier Life! We were discussing that there are really two opportunities for motivation, and they are desperation and inspiration. Typically I find that I have the ability to get inspired by setting goals in alignment with my values and beliefs. I can find outside inspiration through other leaders who have gone before me. I can set a reward that inspires me. However, when it comes to the gym, inspiration does not quite seem to work for me. I need desperation.

So, I had to ask myself what level of desperation would make me get to the gym? I came up with different answers. Like if I knew I was going to die in 6 months if I didn’t lose 25 pounds that would probably work. Or if I was not going to be able to walk again if I didn’t get in better shape, I would likely value my mobility enough to make the decision to exercise. As I thought about it though, thankfully these dire situations do not exist for me and hopefully never will. Instead I needed something that would pull desperation close. What could I do to put my back against the wall?

So, here it is. On May 20, I will be running a half-marathon, 13.1 miles. The event pulls the deadline close enough to inspire action. The real kicker though would be my next step. I registered for the event and then invited some friends to run with me. Those friends are in far better shape than me. I knew that once I made the commitment to someone else, I would not allow myself to fail. I would not let them down. Often I find that people are better at having integrity for the things they promise others than they are for commitments they make to themselves. I put myself in a position of desperation to inspire action in a positive way.

For some of my friends who have done Ultra-Marathons and Ironman Competitions, a half-marathon may seem like a small feat. However, I am not them, and I only need to compare myself to me. In order to become healthier, I simply need to get a little better each day. Committing to this training will get me there.

My Last Half-Marathon

Ten years ago, I ran a half-marathon, and it changed everything. I could barely run a mile when I started. I remember that first run all too well. I decided to lace up my sneakers and run as far as I could and then walk back to my house. After what seemed like an eternity I remember gasping for air, trying not to vomit, hunched over on the sidewalk. With each shallow breath in an attempt to quickly fill my lungs as sweat poured off my face I began to gain a little composure. After a few minutes of recovery I started the walk back home. By the time I reached my house I was excited to drive the route and find out just how far I had made it on my first attempt. As I rounded the final corner in the last stretch of my route I looked down at the trip odometer in shocking disbelief. More like astonishing disappointment. .9 miles (yep, not a typo, less than 1 mile). I was partying too much with friends, and I was not a runner. I am still not a runner. I doubted whether I could actually complete the race. However, I had already committed in front of other people. I couldn’t back down now.

After 13 weeks of training, I was in the best shape of my life. I followed a training program that had worked for thousands of other runners to prepare, and it’s no real surprise that it worked for me as well. I completed 13 straight 10-minute miles and ran the half-marathon in a little over 2 hours and 10 minutes. That single accomplishment created all sorts of momentum in other areas of my life. I met my wife a few months later. I started looking for ways to build on my career. I kicked my personal development journey into high gear. I worked closely with Hal Elrod, with whom I would later co-author the best-seller, The Miracle Morning for Salespeople: The Fastest Way to Take Your SELF and Your SALES to the Next Level.

Why am I telling you all this? How will this help your business? Stick with me. I am getting there.

This year I quit my job as the Team Leader of a large real estate brokerage. The job paid well, but it didn’t support my long-term goals of freedom and the ability to travel in order to speak and train salespeople. In order to turn 2018 into the launching pad for reaching my personal and business goals, I knew that I needed to start with something tangible that would create a ripple affect in all areas of my life. Therefore, I decided it was time to run the half-marathon again. And, I wanted to share the 5 ways I believe this will carry over into my business goals as well.

5 Ways Hitting this One Goal Will Impact My Business Goals

1.) Goal Achievement Creates the Pattern for Hitting Other Goals

Goal-Setting and Goal Achievement doesn’t change much across all arenas. It works much like a GPS which most of us have all come to know and love. We love the GPS because we know that with just a couple pieces of information  and by following the directions (the plan) it will take us exactly where we want to go, and it will typically even be able to tell us when we will get there. In order to move from couch to half-marathon, marathon to ironman, or five-figure earner to six or seven-figure earner we need the same pieces of information.

A.) We need a very clear picture of where we currently stand. We must be honest with ourselves.

B.) We need a clear destination that is measurable and has a timeline.

C.) We need a plan that is proven to work, and that we believe in.

Learning to find these three pieces of information and follow the plan will create the belief and discipline required to achieve any of these goals. Here is the link to the half-marathon plan I will follow for my training.

https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Half-Marathon-Training-Schedule-Beginners-2845222

D.) The last and most vital component of the GPS is that it lets us know as soon as we go off track. One wrong turn and you will inevitably see the word ‘Recalculating’. We must constantly measure our progress and determine the next step to get back on track as soon as we fall behind. The more frequently we measure, the easier it is to get back on track.

2.) Positive Daily Habits Will Form

By training for this half-marathon I will be doing some form of training 5-6 days a week. That level of commitment creates a habit. After a few weeks, I barely even need to think about my training calendar. About six weeks in, and I know I will be craving the exercise. The endorphins released will far outweigh the pain of the exercise when will-power is no longer required.

Consider how many areas where this applies in your business. How many times have you been held back because you did not consistently do the things you knew you needed to do to hit your goals? How many calls didn’t you make? How many times did you drop the ball on follow-up? What would happen if you had a consistent system and set of habits to ensure these behaviors happened regularly?

Imagine the energy and momentum that would be created through those consistent actions. That positive energy will attract things into your life. It will attract clients, mentors, capital etc. We attract what we become.

To learn more about forming habits and focusing on the activities that knock down the first domino, I highly recommend checking out The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papason.

3.) Physical Energy Increases

The last time I trained for a half-marathon I finished at a weight of around 155 lbs. I currently weigh in at 185 lbs. While I may never hit 155 lbs again (I have little desire to), I will likely lose 10-15 lbs during my training. Shedding this unneeded weight will likely lower my blood pressure, increase my oxygen levels, and create several other physical changes that will impact my overall level of physical energy. Strengthening my core through the training improves posture. All of these combined will allow me to apply more energy and focused effort to my business goals.

Since many of my readers and followers either fall into some sales role, small business, or entrepreneurship we know that our physical energy shows up in our interactions with team members, prospects, and clients alike. Positive energy creates attraction and ‘Yes’ responses. People want to work with people they like, and people tend to like positive people who raise their vibration not people who bring them down whenever they talk.

4.) Improved Mental Fortitude

This is the one area that I wonder if it will have the same effect on the second time around. The first time I trained for this run, I remember thinking that there was nothing I was incapable of conquering. No goal I couldn’t accomplish. Remember that I started by barely completing a one mile run on my first attempt. Then, over only a few months, I completed 13 ten-minute miles. I learned that my body was seldom what was holding me back. It was almost always my mind telling me that I was tired, or that I can’t do it, or I’m not in good enough shape, or I am not strong enough.

These limiting beliefs creep up in our businesses all the time and stop us from achieving our goals. By training our minds to overcome adversity in one area it overflows into other areas where the subconscious mind has roamed free and thwarted our plans to achieve great things. Once we change the pattern, those subconscious thoughts start to shift. It’s hard to believe you can’t do something, when you’re sub-conscious is shouting, “You can do anything you set your mind to. You just ran 13 miles. You didn’t think you could run a mile, and you ran 13. What else can you do that you don’t think you can?” Affirmations can help you reprogram this subconscious thought as well.

5.) Unintentional Overlap

For some reason when I make good decisions about exercise, I automatically make better decisions in other areas of my life as well. Maybe I don’t want to sabotage my efforts. Maybe it’s just the endorphins from the exercise, but I notice that I eat better, drink less, sleep better, and a whole list of other things that are impacted by my training. All of these decisions build on one another. They create a domino effect. Each of them has a bigger and bigger impact as they all start to work together.

In business, when we make a commitment to improve in one area, it will often impact other areas as well. For instance, when we commit to a plan of lead generation, adding new clients, and growing revenue we cannot help but affect other areas. When done well the new business growth will force us to make our systems more efficient, hire quality people or add technology that creates leverage. Each new positive habit we build creates an avalanche effect.

So for 2018, I have committed to my training calendar, knowing that it will infuse my body, mind, and spirit with the mental, physical, and emotional energy I need to crush my business and personal goals this year. It may not be a Half-Marathon for you, but consider what one thing you could commit to that will create tremendous momentum for the rest of your life this year. Here’s to building off that momentum.

Improve Productivity and Focus with these 3 Lists

Does it ever seem like no matter how much you accomplish in a day, a week, or a month that your business always seems to require more of your time? Productivity and focus are the key to success when the list gets unbearably long.
In our current age of endless information and access we have reached a point where it is quite possible to never be done. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I went to bed with nothing left on the to-do list. As an entrepreneur and salesperson who thrives on getting things done this created a huge hurdle for me. Just being able to accept the fact that there will always be something left to do allowed me to start sleeping again.
Beyond just letting go of some of the tasks, however, there are some exercises we can use to focus our energy on the things that matter most. Creating the following three lists will make it easier to focus on the key areas that grow your business and increase productivity. Crushing these key areas, or top dollar producing activities, should create opportunities to hire leverage to complete more menial tasks that may be equally as important but not quite as significant.
3 lists to improve focus and productivity

Things to Keep Doing

The first list stems from celebrating our victories and rewarding the actions that we would like to see repeated. This list is a list of things to keep doing. The questions to answer here include things like: What am I currently doing that is driving the most new clients to my business? What am I doing that is moving my clients to refer me to their friends, family, or business associates? If I had to account for each dollar of revenue for the last 6 months, where did they come from and what did I do to help drive them?
Whatever you come up with for actions on this list you should take steps to ensure that there is enough time in your calendar for these activities on a daily or weekly basis. Remember, we just determined that these are currently the highest and best use of your time. Do not fill the whole calendar as we will have more to add in a moment. Also, set some measurable goals around these activities each day or week and create a reward system each time you hit your activity goal. This will solidify the habit by rewarding the proper activity.

Things to Start Doing

Lack of knowledge or education is not typically the issue for most people. Most people have attended training seminars, read books, listened to podcasts, paid for coaching, etc. All of these educational pieces play a critical role in one’s success. I urge you to ask yourself whether you have actually implemented the things you have learned. Many of us have extremely intelligent book shelves. We may have even read the books, but I find in most cases our level of implementation leaves something to be desired.
I have read countless books with great ideas or exercises that I couldn’t wait to try, but then life and business go in the way. Fires started popping up, and I ran to put them out. Maybe when I have a little more time I will implement some new strategies. Here’s the deal. You make the time. This list is a list of things you know you should be doing. You have heard experts talk about how this key step helped their business explode. You have read books on the topic. You know what to do or who to call. You just need to start. This list is about what you know you need to start doing, but just haven’t yet.

Things to Stop Doing

This is often the toughest. The final list should create the time for us to start implementing the new activities that we know we are supposed to be doing, but haven’t started. Often times we didn’t start because we just didn’t have the time. Well, I am calling BS. I know because I would make the same excuses in the past. I have 3 kids, coach Little League, a wife, a job, a business, and side hustle or two as well as friends and extended family. Even with all these areas vying for my attention, I still had opportunities to eliminate things from my calendar that were decreasing productivity.
For some this is as simple as not checking email or Facebook posts first thing in the morning. Imagine those first couple hours spent on something more productive, like writing this blog post, organizing your list of contacts for the day, practicing your scripts or presentation. It may be that going out for a beer to unwind with some friends on a Friday is perfectly acceptable and a reward for hitting your goals for the week. At the same time, closing the bar at 1 am is probably not increasing productivity for the week. Maybe it’s just getting sucked into the television that’s slowing you down. Whatever your vice, this is an area to find some much needed time to implement new high level activities to drive your business.

Keys to Productivity – Putting It All Together

These lists work together to create a road map to success in your business. Use the results of this exercise to develop a foundational calendar for a productive week. This time-blocking should incorporate all the success habits that are currently allowing your business to flourish as well as time to implement the new activities that are sure to take your business to the next level.
Review these lists quarterly as you may find that your activities need to change as your business increases. You may need to find ways to leverage some of the key activities as you further narrow your focus. This is a sure sign of success as you can begin to hire people who are even better than you in these certain areas. It may even be that you hire someone to implement the things you should start doing, essentially doubling productivity.
The key is spending a little time to assess what activities are the lifeblood of your business and ask yourself whether you are spending enough time on them. I challenge you to stop an complete this exercise right now before it just becomes another thing you know you should do, but you just didn’t implement.
For more exercises to create explosive sales results get your copy of The Miracle Morning for Salespeople Companion Guide on Amazon.

Are Your Sales Goals Big Enough? How to Create Results through Goal-Setting

Long-Term Goals Allow You to Dream

Most people are simply not thinking big enough when setting goals. Let’s see if I can walk you through what I mean. Take a moment now to think back to what your life was like ten years ago. Really STOP! Think back. How different is your life now? How many amazing things have you accomplished in the past ten years? Think of all the obstacles you have overcome. Review all the new things you have learned. Think of all the trips you have been on. Consider all the people you have met. Imagine all the new clients. If you were asked ten years ago if you would be where you are today, would you have even thought most of those things possible or even imaginable at this point in your life?

The thing is that, in sales, we focus so much on the short-term goals. What’s our goal for the year? Are we hitting our quarterly numbers? Did we do enough top dollar producing activities this week? All of these are extremely important to us growing our business, and I am not saying that we should stop doing any of them.

In fact, we offer a free report specifically for Hitting Your One Year Goals.

The Problem With Short Term Goals

There is, however, a problem with only thinking about our growth in the short-term. It can be hugely discouraging, and it can literally stop us from taking the required action to grow. When we fall behind on our short-term goals it is very easy to lose the commitment to the very activities that create results. Often our short-term goals are extremely high, yet our long-term vision lacks clarity and focus.

“We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.”

–Bill Gates- Author of The Road Ahead

Having taught this as part of our Miracle Morning for Salespeople Live Seminar, I have watched a great number of people struggle to articulate their five-year and ten-year dreams and goals. This exercise and several others will provide fuel for your mind and spirit when you are falling short on this week’s goal and need some additional willpower. Often the one-year goal does not muster enough excitement to pull us back into action.

You can find several of these activities on Amazon in The Miracle Morning for Salespeople Companion Guide.

It will be much harder to give up on your five-year and ten-year dreams. After all, who can tell you that you cannot accomplish something in ten years? Look what you have already done in the last ten.

Click here to download 2 Free Chapters or purchase the book, The Miracle Morning for Salespeople.