WHY SET GOALS? Setting goals are important ingredients in career satisfaction and success. In recent years, many studies have focused on produc tivity. A repeatedly confirmed finding is th at people who continually pursue and monitor their career goals are more productive than people who ju st “work at a job." Did you know th at Abraham Lincoln failed twice in business ventures? He lost two Senate races, and he was defeated in at tempts a t becoming a legislator, an elector, a member of the House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, and Vice President. He had a nervous breakdown in 1836. Through all of these misfortunes he per severed. One m ust say th a t Lincoln obviously had goals. He m ust have questioned himself at times, but he used his abilities in setting goals because he believed in himself. These same principles apply to success in sales. Road maps m ust be set, goals set and achieved. Goals, when earnestly set and pur sued, keep you “keeping on.” Goals provide the motivation for success and give direction and channel our energies. People who are goal setters are gener ally easy to spot. They have determination, energy and the willingness to put forth extra time and effort into any given task. Being goal oriented helps one become more positive, optimistic, and assertive. In an interesting survey by Time maga zine which was conducted a few years back, found th a t only 3 percent of those surveyed had written personal goals, while 97 percent of the people had no goals a t all, or had only thought about them. The 3 percent who had written goals were found to have accomplish ed much more than any of the 97 percent. Committing your goals to paper is a necessary step in committing yourself to at taining your goals. Our culture has taught us that we judge books by their covers In people terms this means—judging people by their wealth, beauty and their designer jeans. Of course we need values of sensitivity, patience, thoughtfulness, compassion and inner strength. These inner qualities should be possessed by goal setters. All buildings need strong foundations and this is true in this principle as well. Building a successful sales career is like building a house. Where the inner qualities are strong (foundation), you can continue to rise on each completed accomplishment. If your foundation is weak, it could come tumbling down during a slump in sales. When you assume you c a n ’t do some thing you usually prove yourself right. In sales, negative assumptions can be self-ful filling prophecies. Such as, “No one will buy from me,” “They don’t need my product,” “They won’t like me,” “I’m not smart enough,” “The economy is bad, people aren’t buying.” By assuming you cannot sell, you only act in ways th at will guarantee your failure. Awareness begins with evaluating your strengths and weaknesses. A good formula to remember is (Awareness + Beliefs + Goals + Plans + Actions = Achievements.) Positive thinking works. Self-confiden ce is the food that feeds our personal growt h. Don’t compare yourself with others for this comparison can make you feel either pom pous or bitter, and neither trait is desirable. Your belief in yourself can make your goals attainable and can grow like a snowball rolling downhill. Greatness is achieved through small stepping stones. September 9, 1987, JOBS, Pane 1