Do You Have What It Takes to Achieve Your Goals?

For the New Year, many people make New Year’s resolutions. Business owners are more likely to reflect over the past year and set business goals for the coming year. Setting goals is one thing. Achieving them is quite another. There’s more to setting goals than making a list. Here’s a question to ask, “Am I setting goals without the skills to achieve them?” Let’s say you set a goal for your business to sell more this year. Better yet, you set a goal to increase sales by 50% or by $50K. Establishing a number is a good idea. However, what does a good sales person need for achieving sales goals? The first items that might come to mind are KSAs or the knowledge, skills, and attributes for selling. Let’s look at these and then look at some secret ingredients that might be missing from the what it takes formula. Read More

A good sales person needs to have the ability to prospect, make a good first (and lasting) impression on potential clients, qualify prospects, demonstrate the product or service being sold, influence the prospect to purchase, and close the sale. Are you good at all of these? Most of them? A few of them? None of them? If the last two most describe you, how will you be able to acquire these skills in order to meet your goals? Another question to ask is, “Am I motivated by money?” Just because someone has decided to hang out a business shingle does not mean that money is a driving force for that individual.

Many people are motivated to help others. Some people are motivated by finding knowledge and truth. Others are motivated by the drive to achieve form and harmony meaning, these people are more interested in the artistic episodes of life. Others are motivated to obtain power. Still others are motivated by living a life as defined by rules, regulations, and principles for living. However, there are others who are driven by receiving a return on their investment of time, resources, or emotion. This means that an individual wants the security that money brings not only for themselves, but also for their present and future family. This value includes the practical affairs of the business world – the production, marketing, and consumption of goods, the use of credit, and the accumulation of tangible wealth. This type of individual is thoroughly practical and conforms well to the stereotype of the average American businessperson. This is the individual who wants to surpass others in wealth. Which of the above motivators describes you? Your motivators can make a difference in helping you achieve your goals. Regardless of your KSAs or your motivators, do you have the ability to view the external world and the internal self rationally? Do you have the ability to make good decisions, especially when under pressure?

In other words, do you know if you have what it takes to increase your sales for the coming year? If not, what will you do? Will you hire a sales team? Will you improve your marketing strategies? Will you ramp up your networking endeavors? Are your networking skills good enough to propel you toward your business goals? Think about the goals you want, then think about the KSAs you possess, and what drives you. Whatever you lack, think about how you will either develop that missing part, hire someone to do it for you, or find some other way to achieve your goals without that piece.

None of us enjoy every KSA, motivator, or competency needed to operate a successful business. However, taking the time to know and understand what you do have and what you might require assistance with will help propel you to your goals faster.

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Have a powerful, productive, and profitable year!
Diane Bogino