Tag Archives: great living

Goals — Are yours written? Are you working them daily?

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After much reading, discussing and watching I am convinced that over 95% of people going into a new year don't have written measurable goals for the year.  Many or probably most have heard this and know the importance of goal setting goals, still not written down.

If you are a sales person and say “Wow! I need more sales to make my year!” — You may be out of luck. If your sales cycle takes longer than 10 weeks from start to close to shipment, you are running out of time.

Now is the time to begin looking toward the New Year 2019. Begin by setting an appointment with yourself for 30 – 60 minutes. Get blank paper or a blank computer screen and begin writing your thoughts and ideas for accomplishment next year. This first cut at goal setting doesn't have to be neat — just take time to think about and write your ideas and thoughts down. My beginning session is usually quite messy and unorganized.

Put this information away in a place you absolutely won't forget where it is so that you can retrieve it, early December.  Then set an appointment with yourself for 30 – 60 minutes early December and get your list out.

In December you will be amazed at the progress you will have already made toward thinking about and planning your goals for next year. Your fist list may be messy, but you will be ready to define and refine the list. You will be subtracting, adding and modifying the original set of goals. Make the list a little neater and resolve to begin your goals and measure your goals.

Why do I believe in doing this? It's because I use this method every year and then I set a tracking system and measure progress. This works!

Try for yourself and get into the 5% group of people who actually write and strive to achieve their goals. Remember a lot of “Luck” goes along with a lot of preparation.  

While continuing to build my own goal system I have found and in process of reviewing a software program that looks very promising — Click and have a look 

I'll comment further as I look at this software — Let me know your thoughts.

Make 2019 your best year yet!

Sales planning — Visualization?

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Sales planning — Visualization?

I am a salesperson. I have been associated with selling most of my life. My dad was a commission man. I was intrigued with what he did. I traveled with him and observed the ups and downs of selling.

When time to choose a career, I rejected sales. I decided to go to engineering school and get my BSME – Bachelor of science mechanical engineering. Then figuring I didn't have enough business education from engineering I went after and received an MBA.

I went through several engineering jobs and finally ended up in inside sales, quotations, warranty — sales support but not direct selling.

One day in the early 80's business was slowing down and my boss came in and said he wanted me to go on the road and sell and bring in business. I told him emphatically I did not want to be a direct salesperson. He told me to go home and tell my wife I no longer had a job. I decided right then and there that selling was exactly the career path I wanted to be in.

I asked for sales training and was told no. I bought and read every book and article on selling I could find. I was successful (The definition of success at that time was selling enough product to fill the plant and I was asked in September to stop until next year.)

So even though I have had many roles in business, I have stayed the course as sales and selling my real career path. I have hired and trained many sales people over the years. I subscribe to the “Sandler Selling System” and work with Acuity Systems Inc. here in Dallas.

I have a proven system for tracking behaviors and a cookbook for tracking. Over the years I have always wanted a good visual program to look at and review my sales year. I'm about to come out with an excel spreadsheet and white paper, that outlines an entire year. I will be able to plan each month, day and week for the year, look at and review it everyday.

The problem with this for typical sales people will be discipline of doing the daily behaviors and committing to the grind.

Thoughts and comments welcome.

Make 2018 your best year yet!

Sales planning — Visualization?

 

What role are you in?

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As a sales person or actually anyone for that matter, do you know what role you are in?

Good sales training teaches that you are you first. There are many, many “roles” other than just sales, of who and what you are in your life.

As an example, I have many roles that I need participate in to be successful in my life. I am husband, father, grandfather, wanna-be-golfer, company owner, sales person, and on and on. There are many roles I am in my life. Not one role defines me, but they all collectively define who I am.

Too many times I see sales people not performing in the proper role. Selling is difficult! You need be in the proper role to make it work. Good sales training combined with on-going sales training helps to understand the process of roles in all aspects of life, especially in selling.

So. what does it mean to not be in proper role for sales — here are three there are many more:

  1. Sales people in sales role, must learn not to take rejection personally.
  2. Sales people in sales role, must stay motivated to do daily behaviors that bring success.
  3. Sales people in sales role, must create a self-worth high enough to achieve success they want.

Think about the roles in your life. Are you able to get into the role of the moment. It took many years of study and sales training for me to get the concept of being in the proper role as the moment requires.

Think about your roles and where you are or will be. Can you get into the role of the moment and be the best you can be in that role.

Heavy thoughts — but — with proper application you can create the success you want and deserve, in all areas of your life.

Make 2018 your best year yet!

Build a profitable business / make it grow!

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A business must be profitable and must grow!

Do the following and build a profitable company:

  1. Have a clear vision for your business.
  2. Decide exactly what business you are in.
  3. Decide exactly who the customers are.
  4. Find a competitive advantage.
  5. Take a long term view.
  6. Focus on key profit areas.
  7. Set and monitor clear performance targets.
  8. Develop an obsession with customer service.
  9. Teach, train and develop your people.
  10. Provide outstanding quality, performance and service.

What else would you add to the list?  Let me know — Comments welcome.

Make 2018 your best year yet!

Mentors!

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A mentor is an experienced and trusted advisor. Sometimes we have face-to-face mentors and mentoring. Sometimes we have indirect mentoring through reading books, watching videos, on-line, and possibly in passing with family and friends.

Not knowing it at the time, my dad was my first mentor in sales training. This is one of those things I realized later in life that the mentoring I received was tremendous. My sales career, once started, was greatly influenced by his methods and persistence in sales.

I read all kinds of books. Some novels for enjoyment. Self help books and many books related to sales, selling, running and operating a business.

However, I knew that there was a lot more to learn about sales and business operations. I studied and read many mentors. Zig Ziglar, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Jim Rohn, Earl Nightingale. Dr. Robert Schuller to name a just few. There are countless others in my library. I have had privilege to meet some of these people and have enjoyed reading and learning about their thoughts and ideas on life and business.

Do you have a mentoring program on-going for daily learning. There is so much material available today, it can be mind-boggling.

Start or really get going on a self-education program of your personal interests. I have created daily routines, daily rituals that ensure pathways for me to progress forward. I set goals and measure daily. You can too.  Find a mentor and never stop learning.

Let me know your thoughts.

Make 2018 your best year yet!

 

AS9100d / Lean Manufacturing / Efficiency / Bottom Line!

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AS9100d / Lean Manufacturing / Efficiency / Bottom Line!

I was introduced to one of the latest quality systems of the time in 1997. The Boeing quality system. We passed in December 1997 and never looked back.

I have always embraced the latest quality system available for the company.

Last month our company passed and moved from AS9100c to AS9100d quality system.

10 years ago I was introduced to “Lean Manufacturing” and after a bit of non-belief from employees, I made “Lean Manufacturing” a permanent part of my organization. Now in a new company I plan to again go completely into “Lean Manufacturing”. It can be done in a job shop. It definitely worked in my last company.

Couple the efficiency gains of “Lean Manufacturing” with the really good principles of the quality system AS9100d and really good things happen to the organization and the bottom line.

You can end up doing a whole lot more with a whole lot less. Our previous company went from $4 million in yearly sales with 90 employees to producing $15 million in yearly sales with 91 employees.

This stuff works — But — only if top management believes and works through the processes of quality and “Lean Manufacturing”.

Sounds almost too good to be true. I lived it. It works. Let me know your thoughts, and/or, contact me with questions.

Remember it is time to get ready for 2018. Get ready to make 2018 your best year yet!

 

Make an appointment and get ready for 2018!

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Make an appointment and get ready for 2018!

I think about doing things and “sometimes” don't get around to doing them. Actually, I have had to-do items on my list for years that I want to-do but never seem to complete, or get to.

Over the past years I finally found a way to get to those things that I feel are important. Make an appointment with myself. Write down a date and time and be ready to do nothing for that time period except work on the project or goal.

With the Holidays coming I am looking at and writing down time to think and work on “What 2018 will look like!”. I am making an appointment, actually several appointments with myself to dedicate time on working and setting my 2018 goals. I try to set these times at about 1-1/2 hours maximum.

Set your time and don't miss it.

Try to think about and write down all things pertinent to having a successful 2018 year. YES, the first session will be messy. You will have random thoughts and non-organized thoughts.

BUT — you will have them written down. That’s way more than half the battle. You will be light-years ahead of others.

Then set your second session to go over and really think about the important items and organize these thoughts and have them ready to review as the year begins and moves forward.

Let me know your thoughts and how this works for you.

Good Luck!      Make 2018 your best year yet!

A good week!

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I have been learning the profession of selling for many years.  I have read and studied many books and articles, and attended quite a few courses and seminars on selling.  For many years, I had a company on retainer to provide continuous sales training for my sales staff.  I have continued using a sales “Cook Book” — a behavioral measurement system for staying in the selling game and meeting goals.

Last week was a good week, making sales goals for the company and continuing with behaviors to get future results.  

Earlier this month I was asked to form a weekly Accountability Group for several sales people.  We have had three sessions and already each of us, including myself, see better sales results.  Our objective is to make sure we are all following the behaviors needed for making sales goals weekly, monthly and for the year.  By leading the group I find myself becoming better focused on making my goals happen. I'll describe more about our group and results in the future.

Are you measuring your daily behaviors to get desired results?  

If you have thoughts on this — Let me know.  If you would like a sample of our measurement planning “Cook Book” — Let me know.

Make 2017 your best year yet!

Give up? – Never!

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“Never, Never, Never, Never — Give up!” –  Winston Churchill

So drive by gyms on the way to work — What do you see? Parking lots with fewer and fewer cars.

Tiresome to write about goals when inside you know that you won't or can't keep them going.

End of first quarter is near. Are you feeling good about the accomplishments so far this year? Will you feel good about completing the first three months.

Interesting question — especially for me. I am pretty much meeting or exceeding my goals set for Q1 of 2017. I always look back and see that I could have done things differently, or better. However, I do feel good with progress made so.

Comments?

Make 2017 your best year yet!

Last month of 1st quarter 2017!

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What is your attitude toward the first quarter of the year?

  1. Are you ahead and going to finish the first quarter of the year with sales, personal, family, financial, etc. goals on-track or ahead of schedule?
  2. OR— Are you the person who says “I did Ok this quarter, just a little or just a lot behind — Not to worry! — I have three more quarters to catch up!”

Like most people I have talked with, we all seem to fall into one of the above categories.

In my career I was the person always going to have plenty of time in the last three quarters to catch-up. Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't.

Several years ago I read a great article and when I find it again I will most likely publish it and recognize the author. The gist of the article was to get the feeling of success as soon as possible with new a new year and new goals. Try really hard to get goals accomplished monthly. But — Be extremely diligent in getting the goals completed and even get ahead for the quarter. The feeling of knowing that you are there or ahead is mesmerizing. It can literally fuel you to do better the next month and quarters ahead.

You owe it to yourself and the “Stakeholders” / “Stockholders” around you to be the best you can be.

Make 2017 your best year yet!