Our last blog focused on the difference between setting annual goals and looking at the bigger picture of a five-year plan. I asked you to consider whether or not your current goals will get you where you want to go.
This line of thinking grew out of a coaching session with a salesperson who found that his current goals—and his way of working today—won’t get him where he wants to be in five years.
Today I would like to offer you some of the same specifics I gave him. I’m talking about working in a way that is probably quite different from what you’re doing now. These ideas might take some getting used to, but they can set you on a path to achieving big, long-term goals.
First of all, maybe it’s time to go from a transaction-based way of working to an advisor- and relationship-based way of doing business. That means focusing more on being a consultant, advisor and thought leader. Relationships are still very important, but your value-add can’t be just expensive dinners, holiday gift cards and connecting on LinkedIn.
Are you a generalist? Assess your book of business with that question in mind. A lot of salespeople don’t specialize and target a particular industry. Consider selecting an industry or market segment that you are interested in and that has potential to increase your revenue if you focus on it. Maybe you should spend time on a blog that targets specific clients and new opportunities by focusing on an industry and the particular issues and opportunities affecting that industry. You gotta talk it before you can be it. If you wait until you are comfortable, you’ll never start a blog. Just do it.
To know an industry well enough to target it (and blog about it!), you’ll have to stop messing around with your contact-management system. Focus. Commit to entering, updating and managing the information in your contact-management system. Making a 100% commitment to getting this done allows you time to target certain industries and niches and become a valuable thought leader.
What about social media? Maybe you’re like a lot of business people whose only social media time is spent on Facebook communicating with old high school friends. Today there are lots of ways to use social media in business. Research your options, and begin utilizing vehicles like LinkedIn and Twitter. Start slowly, but commit to a certain amount of quality social media time at least twice a month.
Assess your client base. Do you have a lot of small clients who are consuming a great deal of your focus? Maybe it’s time to let go of clients who are not part of your future; consider giving them to another salesperson to free up your time for bigger things. I told the salesperson in my coaching program that he needed to focus on new, larger clients who could take advantage of his expertise and his knowledge of their industry. These are the kinds of clients who could provide him with the type of fees that he was looking to earn.
This whole conversation came from that one person changing the way he was looking at his goals. I challenge you to think of your own goals in terms of getting from here to there. Of course you should set goals each year, but set goals that will keep you growing and moving toward a more successful future. Don’t settle for just “doing better than last year.”
Now ask yourself if your goals are the right goals. Where will they take you? If you would like some help in setting long-term goals, then give us a call or email us. We’ll set up an initial meeting that can point you in the right direction.
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