As we start another year, everyone who reads THE PROSALESGUY BLOG wants to set goals to achieve success. Ambitious people set goals. Disciplined people reach them. This requires some careful thought with a written plan to help you get there. One of the best ways to do this is through the S.M.A.R.T. Goals process. Before you start 2015, read this for some inspiration.
First, we would like to thank our sales training clients in Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray, Jasper, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Vancouver for a very successful year. With your support, we continue to focus on the direct connection between sales training and long-term revenue growth. We wish you the best in 2015.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
This acronym has been around for 35 years. It has seen a lot of variation with different words representing the letters spelling the word SMART. I have chosen the words that are the most practical for its many uses. This strategy helped me accomplish a major goal in 2014 – write the book I had always wanted to complete – SHUT UP! Stop Talking and Start Making Money. I will provide examples to provide further insight. Make sure you document your goals and review them throughout the year. Self-discipline will give you the confidence required to make your goal a reality.
S – Specific
Ensure that your goal is well defined, focused and very clear to you. For me it was simple –
Goal: write a practical easy-to-read book for Professional Salespeople, Sales Managers and Business Owners to help them become successful at increasing their revenues. I wanted it to be self-published, yet look as professional as any book that came from a major publishing house.
M – Measurable
If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. This inevitably involves numbers to help you quantify your goal and give it further meaning and definition. Ensure your goal has great detail.
Goal: The book should be about 250 pages, detailed with over 40 chapters that are short, meaningful and purposeful. The book should be something that Salespeople use many times throughout the year based on their current situation. It must be relatable based on my own experiences as a Salesperson, Sales Manager and Sales Trainer. I wanted people to read the book and have the confidence to take action to improve their careers.
A – Attainable
There is no purpose in setting goals that are totally unreasonable. They must be attainable with hard work, diligence and perseverance. The late Casey Kasem said it best “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.” Ask yourself the question “Can I actually do this?”
Goal: I knew I had the capability to do this based on my career experience in the sales industry. It was all in my head. I just needed to put it to paper. Chapter by chapter, one at a time, I knew I could write the book.
R – Realistic
Based on your current environment, conditions and realities, are you setting a realistic goal? Can you actually pull this off while keeping other important factors and needs in mind?
Goal: I would expand upon the many PROSALESGUY BLOGS I’ve written. I had spent many hours writing them and they would be great material for a book. I would also include many of the observations I’ve made and witnessed over my career. Many would be teachings from the great Mentors I’ve had. I also needed to be able to operate my company PROSALESGUY TRAINING at the same time. After two years in operation as a start-up, the business continues to expand and needed my greatest attention. I could balance both based on proper priorities and organization. The book would provide training content and the training would give the experiences to write about in the book.
T – Time-based
This is where most goal setting unfortunately fails. Without a specific time frame and a series of deadlines in place, you will give yourself the opportunity for procrastination.
Goal: I wanted this book to be completed in one year from its start date. That meant I needed to write 40 chapters and find the professional resources in editing, production, graphic design and cover photography. I needed to write at least two chapters a week starting in November 2013. That would take about 10 months. This would give me the remaining two months to source out the right people and do the proper planning.
Did it happen?
In early October 2014, SHUT UP! Stop Talking and Start Making Money was released on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com. as a paperback and on Kindle. It was one month early, as I started writing it in early November 2013. Without S.M.A.R.T Goals, it would not have happened.
So, what are your S.M.A.R.T. Goals in 2015? I would love to hear them.
Author of Shut Up! Stop Talking and Start Making Money – Now available in paperback and Kindle!
PROSALESGUY TRAINING offers Group Sales Training, Individual Sales Training, Sales Management Mentoring and Consultation, and Business Consulting Services in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. Training can be done on site or via web conferencing.
Dave, I really love your blog posts. Always very insightful and pointed. Well done. Happy New Year!
Thanks for taking the time to offer your opinion, Tracy. I very much appreciate it. Happy New Year to you as well!