I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying, “Success is a journey, not a destination.” Old clichés like this stand the test of time is because they are true. Knowing what you want is not enough because the path you take to get there is what will ultimately define your success.

The key to creating a proper strategy is setting short-term goals that will lead you to your ultimate destination. You can’t say, “I want to be a millionaire in seven years” and not think about some of the steps you need to take to achieve that level of success.

Many people don’t set goals because they can’t see themselves actually attaining them. Their excuse is: “I can’t see myself as the vice president of sales.” That’s okay! Can you see yourself as a regional head of sales? If not, can you see yourself as the leader of your sales team? Or,if you didn’t make your quota last quarter, can you see yourself making quota next quarter and exceeding it next year?

After you achieve those baby steps, you’ll see farther, and you can start achieving larger and larger goals.

Whats Your Strategy? Let me know in your comments below:

There’s power in dreams. From all that I have seen time and time again, 90% of success derives from having a dream. Dreams are what will drive you to the next level. They are the targets you are striving for that move you in the direction of your ultimate destination.

Goals are dreams with deadlines. Goals are a means of measuring results and keeping score. Most people don’t know what they really want so they wander around with no clarity about what they want to do or have in life. They have no purpose and, therefore, they have no passion.

The top salespeople know what they want. They have specific goals and dreams that they are shooting for and they stay clearly focused on their target until they hit them.

I have found that the biggest mistake people make is not writing down what they want. You may have thought a lot about your goals and dreams, but if they aren’t written down, I’ll be willing to bet you aren’t getting the results you desire. If you truly want results, you must get them on paper.

So, do this: Make a list of 5 things you want to accomplish personally and 5 things you want to accomplish professionally in the next year.

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I learned years ago to use the power of visualization in my sales career, and then I started teaching others to do the same. For 12 years I managed a sales office and our team ever had fewer than five of the top 20 salespeople in the company. The secret to our success was that each salesperson developed goals and then regularly visualized hitting the target.

Using visualization techniques enhanced my team’s beliefs, attitudes, and expectations. Visualizing their success improved my team’s behavior and instantly elevated their
performance. When their performance soared upward, so did their sales and our business. It is a small difference that gave them an edge.

Top-notch businesspeople routinely rehearse their presentations in their minds. Legendary motivational speaker Zig Ziglar said he usually spent two to three hours mentally preparing before he gave a speech, even though he may have given it many times before. His goal? Give a fantastic speech that exceeds expectations, and he knew mental preparation — including visualizing himself performing the speech — improved his results.

The key to visualization is to not merely think about your dreams and goals, but also to see, feel, and touch them in your mind’s eye. Feel the success of completing your goals with strong emotions. Find a quiet place, close your eyes, and mentally picture what you want to happen as if it were real and actually occurring in the present.

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