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