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Results

HOW do I reach my goals?

Now that your goals are written, we move to creating a strategy for achievement.

This is kind of fun because you can focus on HOW you will achieve this. During your evaluation and assessment of the year, you might have noticed that you like doing some strategies more than others, or you were better at some than others, or some strategies were more effective than others.  You may have found that the market or buying habits of your customers/clients has changed and you need to adjust your appro…

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What exactly are goals?

Consider WHAT you WANT to create and achieve next year. What matters to you so much that you are going to “make it happen,” as my father used to say by setting a strategy. Those are your goals.

Goals should always be written as RESULTS. Articulation is important. I like the S-M-A-R-T process because it’s clear and simple.

               Specific                             Clear, not ambiguous or vague.
               Measurable                    It can be counted. Numbers or percentages…

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Goals Again

Yes. Goals again!

In most showrooms, December is rather quiet, with customers, clients and designers preparing for and celebrating the holidays. Prior to setting goals for the new year, December is a good month for evaluation and analysis if you didn’t do so in November. If not, see my November blogs for assistance.

Are you noticing any resistance to writing goals for next year? Do you have any sense that you don’t really need to do write goals? Perhaps you feel that you have figured out a p…

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Differently

Differently? What?

We have looked at what to do more of, less of…and now differently.

Doing things differently is just that. If you have been ‘white-knuckle attached’ to using a paper
calendar and absolutely resisting using technology…it might finally be time to do things
differently.

Or you don’t want to make appointments with prospects you haven’t closed, preferring to follow
up in 2 days, because you think appointments are too pushy. Look at what it cost you in time and effectiveness.

C…

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Less of...

Yes, it is possible to do LESS of something!

It seems counter-intuitive to look at what we might do less of following a blog that focused on
MORE!

Maybe we could have talked less or talked less about things that were unimportant to the buyer
and only important to us. Or have spent less time on an interaction that was ineffective
(combine that with talking too much – ouch). Or we might have spent less time on non-sales
actions that kept sales actions from happening.

Or brought less resista…

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Don’t Let Up Until You Finish

You are almost there. It’s almost over. 

Stay with the process and keep at it until you have crossed the finish line…and resist the temptation to lighten up as the end nears.

This is when others will give up…they will say ‘it’s close enough’…or that making goal is overrated…or some other disempowering belief that makes giving up seem reasonable. You might have done that in the past, too. But this is a new reality, and you are building a new set of skills that will serve you to consistently…

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Bear Down

The strategy for coming from behind has MORE actions than the strategy for making goal when you are on track to do so. 
That means elevating expectations and perspective of what it will take…to aim higher and be prepared to do what you need to do to achieve the goal.

That also means MORE outreach calls. Making more appointments. Closing more appointments and more sales…and doing more with the time you have or maybe extending the time needed to each segment of the period. 

Notice your reac…

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DISC – Dominant Style

If we have worked together in the past, then you know that I consider the behavioral preference model DISC as a core competence for sales professionals in every sales role: seller, sales support, manager, leader. 

This month we are going to focus on the four DISC styles in their most classic embodiment: To identify them by audio visual clues and to adapt to them so that you can create the experience THEY want… and to practice EMOTIONAL OBJECTIVITY and BEHAVIORAL FLEXIBILITY in the process. 

Do…

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Observe the Calendars of Your Sales Team Members

Now that your calendar is set with recurring actions and appointments, you can start connecting the dots (for yourself) of how that level of organization is contributing to the results you are achieving. 

And you can be the example for your team to follow.
Your example and expertise will allow you to coach your team on HOW to organize their time and HOW to plan for appointments so that they can begin to experience that level of organization for themselves and connect their own dots of struct…

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Take the Actions That Create Appointments

Actions are the only things that produce results. When appointments are the target, there are specific actions to take, in a sequence, that will get them on the calendar, get them accepted via invitation, and get the result intended – namely, the sale.  Here they are in chronological order:

  • Organize your calendar to schedule 8-10 appointments per week – at times YOU set.
  • Enter EACH customer interaction INTENDING to accomplish a sale or an appointment. 
  • Recognize when an appointment WILL be …

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