TMR #4 - Just setting goals isn't enough
What are your goals?
If someone were to ask you this on the street, would you be able to answer them instantly and clearly articulate what you want and why?
Think about that for a minute… then continue reading.
Having and reaching goals plays a strong role in determining not just your success, but the success of others around you as well.
And when you think about it, goals are nothing more than defining a basic direction with the intention of reaching a desired outcome. And by failing to set goals, a person will rely on sheer luck to make progress in life.
But if you don’t keep your goals top-of-mind, do you really think you will achieve them? Because just setting goals in itself is NOT enough to take you to where you want to go
I had a sales call this past week that stood out to me as a prime example of how being reminded of goals is KEY.
My goal 👀 of this particular newsletter is not only to instill the importance of goals into my own head, but to try and improve your goal-setting (and sales calls) as well. If you make it to the end and find it helpful, please leave a comment and share!
Closing deals with goals
I recently closed a massive deal with a new client that could have easily fallen flat on its face. The prospect was ambitious but fearful. Had big goals, but also had every objection in the book to throw at me. It’s not that he didn’t want to grow, but that he was afraid to make a decision and commit to his goals. I was able to close this deal in two simple calls, and I did this with:
No magic script.
No magic pricing.
No magic pitch deck.
No testimonials or case studies in this prospect's industry.
What made this so easy? Well, if you didn’t guess “goals” then you should probably just call it a day and try again tomorrow.
I was able to close this deal by:
Having a clear vision of the prospect’s Goals.
Having a clear vision of my company’s Goals (aka: knowing what types of clients I want to work with, how much revenue they should bring in. aka: qualification).
Having confidence that closing this deal would help us both achieve our goals.
Using goals as a strong objection handler
One of the most important questions, in my opinion, when taking a sales call is the question about the prospect’s destination. “Where are you going?”
“Where would you like to be 12 months from now?”
“How much revenue are you projecting this year?”
Everyone loves to paint the picture of a better future for themselves.
And then, of course, once you get clear on their goal you need to ask, “Why?”
This question isn’t a secret, it’s actually very common. Any good sales training or framework will always refer to the “goal.” My favorite sales framework (below) even references a prospect’s goal as the very first question!
But it’s because of its commonality that it often gets glazed over by people as just another question to check off the box instead of becoming the core focus of the sales call.
The “goals” question should be more than just a question you ask while frantically trying to think of another question to ask. It should be an entire exercise. Asking a prospect about their goals is just the first question in a conversation that is designed to get the prospect *clear* on their goals AND why these goals are important to them.
Go deep on this part of your sales call. Get the prospect to commit to their goals. Find out why that specific goal is so important to them and make sure it is important to them!
Setting goals is important, but it’s not enough
When it comes to setting the goal itself, there’s a right and a wrong way to do it of course. We’ve all heard of “SMART” goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely) and there are a few other methods as well, but so much emphasis is put on setting clear goals that the next steps are forgotten.
Remember, this applies to everyone. So you can read this once as yourself, and another time as your prospect.
A clear goal, whether written down or just in your head, must also be:
Referenced OFTEN.
Assessed OFTEN.
Measured OFTEN.
Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve set 90-day goals in the past and completely forgotten what they were a week later. Do you think I achieved the goal? I don’t even remember 🤷♂️
You can dig all day and find out their goals and reasons but if you never mention it again in the call you are going to let the prospect’s fear take control instead of their vision.
You have to reference the goals often
Referencing your goals often is the key to making them happen.
Write it down on your forehead. Place it on your mirror. Tape a note on your fridge. Set it to your phone’s wallpaper—your desktop wallpaper.
At a moment’s notice, you should be able to tell your goals to someone when they ask and clearly articulate the vision and why it’s important to you. It’s when you have this level of clarity that your goals are sure to happen.
In your sales calls, it’s no different.
When a prospect starts to object, you can remind them of their goal.
When a prospect tells you it’s too expensive, you remind them of the goal and reiterate that your system can get them there.
When the prospect needs more time to think, you remind of them of the goal and how time is of the essence.
With any objection, do they want the end result or not?
Price is never a real objection. People spend money they don’t have on things they don’t need ALL THE TIME.
You just have to get the prospect out of their own way and help them make a decision that will propel them towards their goal.
What now?
This week, get clear on one goal and put it in front of your face every day.
This week, get clear on your prospect’s goals and dangle it in front of them throughout the entire sales call.
It doesn’t matter how derailed last week was, this is a new week. Use this Monday to reset, realign, and get clear on what needs to be done.
PS: I’m considering taking some of my favorite tools and frameworks and dripping them out over email as well. These are some of the tools and frameworks that I’ve accumulated over my 15 years in business that actually stuck with me and that I use all the time. If you think that would be valuable, let me know!
My favorite sales framework
Of all the frameworks out there that I’ve tried, GPCT is probably my favorite because it provides a logical framework for holding a sales conversation. This is a framework I learned over 10 years ago.
Quickly, it means:
(G)oals: You know what to do here.
(P)lans: “What are your plans for getting to that goal?”
(C)hallenges: “What obstacles/challenges have prevented you from getting there, or that may prevent you from getting there in the future?”
(T)imeline: “How soon are you trying to reach your goal?”
Then, I like to tack on another C at the end:
(C)onsequence: “What happens if you don’t reach the goal?”
I may write an entire breakdown on this framework because I’ve used and modified it so many times through the years to fit the sale, but that will have to come later. Would love to hear feedback!
PPS: For my paid subscribers, I sincerely appreciate you! I am putting something very special together for paid subscribers so stay tuned! This is just the beginning!