Good morning Reader,
Week 1 of building the Ultimate Sales Plan that will ensure you achieve the success you dream of.
A plan which will turn your day-to-day sales issues (not hitting targets, not knowing where to go, feeling unsure about what will work) into thoughts of the past.
If you have subscribed within the last week, WELCOME! It’s great to have you with me.
You might be wondering ‘what have I signed up to’. My email of last week explains it in more detail but in summary, to win business consistently and to turn potential buyers into customers you need a plan.
This, and the 7 emails that will follow, will share what you need to put in place to get results.
To make others think ‘wow, they have made it happen’.
To make your (or your company’s) bank balance feel fatter 🙂
The plan is based on a blueprint I have used to grow my own businesses and also to help a range of other business owners grow theirs. People like Stuart Lane and Andrew Waring.
So what is the start of a successful sales plan?
It’s the target.
Zig Ziglar once said ‘You can’t hit a target you cannot see and you cannot see a target you do not have’.
We have to know where we are going to know if we have been successful in getting there.
So the first step of a plan is what are we trying to achieve. Where are we trying to get to? What is the destination that we are focused on?
Each week I share an inspirational story within my podcast, and each of the people involved in achieving these goals had a plan and a target. They knew WHAT they wanted to achieve. They also knew when they wanted to achieve it by.
- Michelangelo had a target to finish the Sistine Chapel before he died.
- Bill Gates had a target to put a desktop computer in every home running Microsoft Windows.
- Roger Bannister had a target to be the first man to run a mile in under 4 minutes.
The list is endless.
Everyone who has achieved great things has had a clear target of what they want to achieve.
When you have a target, it helps you in so many ways.
- It gives focus to what you do each day.
- It motivates you when you don’t feel in the mood.
- It kicks you in the arse when you are falling behind.
Targets are good, especially those which have defined timelines to them.
So what is the big target you have and want to achieve?
- Is it a revenue target for your business or area of business?
- Is it to achieve a number that was higher than you did last year?
- Is it to secure a specific number of new customers?
- Is it to achieve a certain figure of commission?
I don’t mind what the target is that you have, but I am guaranteeing you this one thing. If you don’t have a clear idea and focus of what you want to achieve with a Sales Plan then you stand next to no chance of making it happen.
We need to be careful that we don’t mix up targets and big visions. I have a big vision to help business owners all over the world have better time with loved ones once they sell more, but my target for this year in my business is to achieve £350,000 in revenue.
We will cover in week 3 how you can achieve the target you have, but the critical aspect of a target is that it has to be SMART.
That means it has to be:
- Specific (you want to achieve revenue of £100,000)
- Measurable (as recorded in the number of invoices you send over that time period)
- Achievable (it’s doable based on the service you sell which has an average value of £5000 per client)
- Realistic (you achieved £80,000 last year and the industry you are in is growing at 20% a year), and
- Timely (you want to achieve this target within the next 12 months)
Based on these key factors, I want you to do one thing.
Find time in your diary to have a quiet few moments and really think about what you want to achieve.
Jot down numbers. Brainstorm a few different targets that matter to you.
What makes that number or figure so vital to you?
- Has someone told you that you couldn’t do it?
- Have you always wanted to achieve a certain figure?
- Do you need to achieve a certain number to pull in a bonus?
Whatever your reasons are, I want you to focus on one target and goal that you are going to commit to achieving.
I then want you to do 2 things.
Share with 1 to 2 people (who are close to you) what that target is and I then want you to write down why achieving that target means so much to you.
Note down what makes it so important. Then print this off and put it on your desk. Or screenshot it and save it as a wallpaper on your phone.
Make this overall figure your goal and focus. Look at it daily. Tell yourself each morning that your focus is on achieving that target. When distractions get in the way, ask yourself, ‘Do they matter more than the target I have set?’
The world is littered with people who have big goals but they don’t achieve them. Studies have shown that this is because they don’t turn their targets into simple daily actions which can help them achieve these goals.
What are the daily goals you have in place to hit your target?
Do you put time aside daily into work that can help you achieve this target?
Don’t make excuses and say you are too busy. If these come out then maybe you have the wrong target?????
I love darts as a sport. It’s a simple but skilful game which gives each player a simple goal when they start. To win the leg they need to score 501 in as little time and darts as possible and depending on what they do, they have a target to hit to achieve that score.
None of those players throw darts aimlessly. Each dart they throw has a purpose which is linked to the target they want to hit.
If you are to achieve the target you have for your business then you have to develop a similar focus.
Be clear on what you want to achieve and the timeframe by which you want to achieve it.
I would love for you to share with me via this email or on social media what that is.
Commit to it. Tell me what it is and what makes that figure or target so CRITICAL for you.
Hold yourself accountable to it. What will you reward yourself with WHEN you achieve it?
The starting point of any plan is the target. No ship leaves the harbour without knowing its end destination, and you are no different.
Commit over the next few days to a target that you want to achieve.
We can then in weeks 2 and 3 work out WHO and HOW we are going to make it happen.
Are you in?
I hope so. I share the advice and ideas I do because I deeply care about you achieving what YOU want.
Let’s make it happen.
Next Saturday we will cover all you need to know about who you are going to work with to make this target happen.
See you then.
Until then, keep smiling and stay focused on becoming a fly on the wall of the brain of your buyer.
This will be crucial as we move into weeks 4 and 5.
Wishing you continued success.
James
