The Richwood Report

This can be good news or bad. Planning and preparation can make the difference. Dave Kahle the sales coach has some good suggestions for how to get ready for the new year.

"Ready, shoot, aim." Unfortunately, that's the all too common description of the field salesperson's modus operandi. In a misguided attempt to stay busy and see as many people as possible, too many salespeople subscribe to the theory that any activity is good activity.

There was a time when this was true. Customers had more time, sales was a simpler job, and any conversation with a prospect or customer was a good thing. But times have changed, and the job of the salesperson has become much more complex. The pressure on the salesperson to make good decisions about the effective use of his time has never been greater. Salespeople now must confront an overwhelming number of potential "things to do," and that requires them to make decisions about which customers in which to invest their time, to prioritize their activities every day, and to continually choose from a menu of possible activities. In other words, salespeople must now engage in strategic planning.

If activity and busy-ness necessarily made progress then a hamster in an exercise wheel would be the picture of progress. Real progress, though comes only from channeling your effort in the direction of your goals.

Don't let others plan your life. "Life offers two great gifts - time, and the ability to choose how we spend it. Planning is a process of choosing among those many options. If we do not choose to plan, then we choose to have others plan for us.
- Richard I. Winword

If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they may have planned for you? Not much.
- Jim Rohn