Success Strategies of Top Salespeople – Goals and Plans

 BY JOHN AT GOSELLGO

What success strategies do top salespeople use when it comes to goal setting and planning?  How can you implement the same techniques of top achievers to increase your sales?  It’s simple, follow these six basic rules for setting goals and making plans and watch your sales soar.

Set Goals Based on What’s Important in Your Life

Don’t let life just happen.  Ask yourself, what are my life dreams?  Then set goals to make them a reality.  Goals provide focus and direction to ensure you’ll live a life based on what’s important to you.

Set Exciting Goals that Create Passion

Imagine how difficult it would be to be passionate about a goal such as “increase sales by 10 percent”.  Is this goal exciting to you?  Probably not, so let’s try rewriting the goal.  First, think about what inspires you and incorporate it into your goal setting process.  If spending time with your wife is important and you like to travel here’s an example of how you might rewrite the goal: “Increase sales by 10 percent to earn a bonus of $5,000 which will enable me to take a dream trip to Australia with my wife by March 1st”.  Now that’s exciting!

Set Aside Time for Goal Setting and Planning

Set aside time each day to review your goals and write down tasks to help you achieve them.  Early in the morning is an excellent time, when it’s quiet before work day distractions.  Devote time to reading positive, uplifting messages including; books on sales skills, positive thinking and other material geared toward self-improvement.  Then review your goals and write down what needs to be accomplished for the day.  Do this every morning to start your day with the right attitude and moving in the right direction.

Set Specific Goals with a Deadline

Be accountable for your objectives and set specific dates when they’ll be reached.  For larger goals, break them down into smaller tasks with target dates leading up to your end goal.  For example, a daily goal of making five sales calls, or 20 phone calls, may be less overwhelming than selling $1 million.

Review Your Goals When Planning

Keep your list of goals close by and refer to them often.  Top salespeople incorporate tasks into their daily plans that help them reach their objectives.

Prioritize Your Tasks

To be effective in selling, focus on activities with a high return on investment to get a clear idea of what needs to be done on a daily basis.

During you planning session, write down all the tasks you’d like to accomplish.  Next, review each task and decide which is the most important.  Repeat the process and list your six or seven most important tasks in order of their importance.  Work on your highest priority tasks first  and do it on a consistent basis.

Conclusion

Try following these six rules of goal setting and planning.  Set aside time each day to think about how you want to live your life and go to work setting your goals.  Figure out a plan and work it.  When you do, you’ll soon find yourself in the top echelon of salespeople everywhere.

John Sligh is a Salesman and Founder of GoSellGo.com - a blog about everything related to selling for salespeople everywhere.  For free tips on sales, self-improvement and motivation visit John today at http://GoSellGo.com

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Twitter: @GoSellGo

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsligh

Site: www.gosellgo.com

If You Wish To Become An Effective Sales Leader – And We Really Do Need More Effective Sales Leaders …..

by Jonathan Farrington (http://www.thejfblogit.co.uk)

No one has all the skills of sales management or sales leadership (and there is a difference!) to the same degree, any more than they have the personality traits to the same degree. However, it is much easier to learn or acquire skills than it is to develop new personality traits.

There are five basic skills, and the degree to which any individual cultivates those skills, may well determine the degree of their success.

Co-operation:

No one ever got very far completely by their own efforts. It has been said that none of us have ever accomplished anything without the help, or the results of the work of someone else. No one walks alone through life. Enlisting the help of the right people and at the right time is what we call the ability to enlist co-operation.

A genuine leader will understand that co-operation is a two-way thing and that in order to enjoy the co-operation of others; they must in turn be prepared to give co-operation in a like measure. They avoid unnecessary friction with associates in every possible way. They recognize that each person, whether superior or subordinate, has certain responsibilities and makes certain contributions to the group, which are a part of success. They realize that they are all important – and they treat them as such.

The leader must invite suggestions from others and give each suggestion careful and courteous consideration. They see that the originator receives full credit. He/she knows that asking another’s opinion is the sincerest form of praise. They understand that when associates have a part in the formulation of any plan or program or in arriving at a decision which affects them, they will work all the harder to make that plan, or program, or decision, turn out right.

Organizing and Planning:

An effective leader must be an organizer. They must have the ability to see and grasp the whole picture, separate it into its component parts, determine what has to be done and in what sequence.

A true leader knows in advance that all is not going to be smooth sailing. They make advance preparations and plans to meet needed changes and disappointments as they arise. They know that there will always be some conditions arising which will necessitate an alteration or modification of plans so they do not allow themselves to become flustered by such things when they do come up.

Standards of Conduct and Performance:

No measure can be made without some basis from which to start and some sort of yardstick. One of the leader’s greatest opportunities to lead others to high levels of performance is in the standards they set themselves and how well their personal performance squares with them. They must lead by example as well as by inspiration. A person who sets high standards of performance and conduct for themselves and sets an example of enthusiastic performance will be much more able to inspire others to outstanding performance. This means work and a strict adherence to the code of ethics and the rules of conduct required by your associates.

Decisions:

A good leader does not avoid decisions. A procrastinating attitude toward decision-making has ruined more than one otherwise promising career. A good leader makes decisions whenever needed and at the time they are required. They weigh up the implications of their decisions after having carefully examined a number of alternative solutions.

Developing Your People:

Most effective leaders try to make shrewd judgements of character. This does not mean that they are – or pretend to be – “psychologists”. However, just because an individual seems to be a “nice guy” or, on the other hand, seems personally obnoxious to the leader, they do not allow their personal likes and dislikes, or their emotions, to interfere with sound judgement.
Every able leader teaches their associates to learn and to grow. Their proudest moment is when one of their people achieves success!

Do not be afraid of people who may appear to be more competent than you. You must replace yourself before you can move on, so develop your replacement to allow for your own progress.

Finally, What Is A Leader?

The boss knows how things should be done
– But the leader shows how

The boss leans on his authority
– But the leader counts on good will

The boss drives their staff
– But the leader coaches them from the front

The boss always says “I”
– But the leader talks in terms of “We”

The boss tends to shout “Go!”
– But the leader says “Let’s go!”

 

Jonathan Farrington is a globally recognized business coach, mentor, author, consultant, and sales strategist, who has guided hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals around the world towards optimum performance levels.

He is the CEO of Top Sales Associates, Chairman of The jf Corporation and the creator of Top Sales World. Jonathan is based in London and Paris.


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Twitter: @jonofarrington

Linkedin: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/jonathanfarrington

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=915SBJvdh9s

Speaker: http://www.jonathanfarrington.com/

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