Have you achieved what you wanted to recently?
Many people I talk to set themselves targets at the beginning of the year. But when I talk to them they admit that they have made little or no progress to achieving these goals.
There is generally one big problem that they face.
Annual targets are very hard to achieve
When you set yourself a goal for 12 months in the future, there is little incentive to get going on it. After all, you have a whole year to work on it. Right now you have a whole load of immediate problems to manage. But, before you know it, several months have passed and suddenly it looks unlikely that you are going to achieve what you wanted to.
So here’s an alternative approach.
Set yourself a 12-week project
If you want to achieve something in 12 weeks you are going to have to be much more focused. The deadline is much closer. You have much more incentive to get going right now.
From a personal point of view I have certainly achieved a lot more from setting myself 12-week targets. For instance, my current 12-week project is to fill all my mentoring places and have a good pipeline of business. I have been working on this for four weeks. Because I focused on this I now only currently have one mentoring place to fill. I also have a lot of people who are interested in working with me.
Here’s how a 12-week project can work for a sales person
A 12-month sales target can seem daunting. Often sales people are tasked with bringing in a seven-figure sum. Frequently they fail to hit their targets.
Imagine setting yourself a smaller target. For instance, could you bring on board three new clients in the next three months? Or could you focus on creating a certain level of upsells from your existing clients? These sorts of targets can be much easier to achieve. An annual target can lack structure. A 12-week goal can give real focus.
P.S. Find out more ideas on how to increase sales with today’s buyers: download my free e-book “Ten Common Print Selling Errors and What To Do About Them.” You’ll also receive my regular “Views from the print buyer” bulletin, full of ideas on how to sell print effectively.
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- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
Many printing companies are frustrated how hard it is to engage buyers in today’s world. That’s where Matthew Parker can help. He is a gamekeeper turned poacher. Parker has bought print for more than 20 years and received over 1,400 print sales pitches. He now uses his buyer’s point of view to give practical advice to printers. He helps them engage with prospects and customers to create profitable relationships.
Download his free e-book, "Ten Common Print Selling Errors And What To Do About Them" and check out his recently launched book, "How To Succeed At Print Sales: Setting targets, planning the right activities and making sure goals are met."