Goals v Activities

The new year is nearly here so I guess that means I should write something about goal-setting.

Welp, I’m sorry but that’s not gonna happen today.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good target to shoot for. Here’s the thing, though:

It’s what you do to reach a goal that’s more important than setting them.

For example, I’d like to lose 25 pounds in 2020. To do that I’ll need to consume fewer calories than I burn. To do that I’ll have to eat healthier and exercise more. To do that I’ll need to stop snacking after dinner (my downfall) and do more cardio (hard to do with a phone glued to my ear on client calls all day).

The scale simply measures how well I’ve been doing with all the things related to losing weight.

Price isn’t the answer

Many pros come to me asking about raising rates. You all think that higher prices is the key to making more money. 

Sort of.

Just like the scale reflects how well I’ve eaten and how much I’ve exercised, your price is but a reflection of how well you’ve conveyed value and how much trust you’ve built during the sales process.

If you want to make more money in 2020 you have to get better at building value and trust with your buyers. Pure and simple.

Go ahead and set a big, hairy, audacious sales goal for 2020. I’m good with that. But best of luck if that’s where you put your focus…

Instead, try this

Work backwards from a high sales goal. What do you need to do to make that happen? (Hint: I’ve already mentioned the whole value and trust thing) Put your attention on what you’ve got to do to make it happen. Ask yourself:

• What can I do to connect more with my buyers?
• How can I differentiate my services from others in my comp set?
• How do I get the right kind of buyers in the first place? 
• Where are the biggest holes in my sales process? And how do I fix them?
• What can I do to create an extraordinary buying experience?

The formula for more sales is almost as simple as losing weight. The people who’ll get the best results in 2020 are the ones focused on the process, not the outcome – and the activities, not the goal.