Don’t Reach Your Printing Industry Sales Goals Without This

One of the biggest mistakes I made in my nearly 40 years in sales was to set and reach my sales goal. What came next was catastrophic and nearly fatal (from a career standpoint, that is).

At the time, I was brokering forms (continuous invoices, statements, checks), print, labels, packaging, and promotional. My office was in the chilly basement of my home (I’d love to look back on that and think about how far I’ve come, but my office is still in the basement. The only difference is, it’s a much nicer home and I’ve got heat this time).

As business grew, I thought to myself, "I wonder if I can build this to $1 million in sales.”

The more I thought about it, the harder my resolve. It took me four years, but I did it. I went from zero to $1 million in sales.

But then … Disaster!

I woke up the day after realizing I had hit my goal and had the strangest feeling: Nothingness.

I was not motivated.

This happens to all salespeople from time to time so I didn’t really give it much thought … until that blasé attitude carried into the next day and the day after that.

Days became weeks.

I was stuck in a rut of my own making; one I could not move from.

It took me a long time to realize my mistake:

I had focused all my attention on reaching my goals. I had no plan for what to do next.

That is, I was so focused on getting there that I gave no thought whatsoever to being there.

What saved me was on-demand printing (or, as it is commonly known today, digital printing). My curiosity overtook my boredom and I left on a pursuit of this new technology.

Do you have sales goals?

Is there a dollar amount you are aiming for?

Have you given any thought into what happens if you achieve those goals?

The core issue here is motivation. It’s important to understand what can be summed up in the title of Marshall Goldsmith’s best-selling book, "What Got You Here Won’t Get You There."

In a quiet moment and in a quiet place, sit with your thoughts, pen, and a pad of paper. Visualize succeeding. You’ve reached your sales goal. Now, create ideas for what to do next.

Will you strive for more?

Will you hope for a new opportunity?

I cannot promise you will lose your motivation the way I did, but I can promise that if you do, it will be the most miserable success you ever experience.

Start planning for your success — and what comes after it — today.

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