Sales Success Key # 5 -- Goal Orientation

Let’s face it, some people don’t really want to get anywhere. And that’s totally fine with me. Sometimes I think trying to get somewhere just takes my attention away from what’s important in the here-and-now.

That being said, the best salespeople I’ve met do want to get somewhere. They effectively steer sales conversations, they tend to be deliberate in their customer relationships, and they guide their careers towards long-term targets. They are goal oriented.

Think of goal orientation as motivation-with-a-sense-of-direction. It’s emotion, put somewhere. It’s not just having a goal; it’s the disposition to go after it.

Where does goal orientation come from? Desperation can be a motivator. Even the most rambling conversationalists get a whole lot more focused in a threatening atmosphere, such as with a tough boss, big financial needs at home, or a suffering marketplace in a bleak economy. In the carrot and stick motivational paradigm, desperation comes from the stick.

Compensation plans and opportunities for recognition and career advancement are examples of carrots. They move people. They lure people.

Notwithstanding the power of these somewhat externally-based sources, there’s also the goal orientation that’s hardwired right into the human brain. Some people are just more competitive by nature and many people are quite inclined to hunt and farm like crazy—all of which are conducive to sales success. In fact the predisposition to move towards goals is something a good interviewer can uncover during the recruiting process.

What happens AFTER somebody is on board is one of the challenges of sales management. Beyond the standard carrot and stick strategies, what kind of education is called for? For that matter, how can YOU improve your goal orientation?

For one thing, you can’t reach goals if you don’t have them—so, as cliche as it sounds, set them. And create time-bound, tactical plans to achieve them. Be sure they are genuine goals (as opposed to objectives to which you give “lip service”) or they won’t really motivate you.

We become more goal-oriented when we officially commit to goals so it helps to tell others exactly what you are committed to accomplishing. When there’s “skin in the game” we become very focused.

One biggie on this: mindfulness helps a lot. It's a corny word. I know. In one sense the word 'concentration' applies here, but concentrating is about work. In fact many of us find it difficult to sustain concentration over a 2 minute period, let alone a whole career. Mindfulness suggests that when you get really good at it, you don't have to concentrate so much anymore. As with other things, being goal oriented can become second nature with proficiency.

What's it look like? Well, if you start a conversation knowing exactly what you want out of it, and you keep your eye on that ball, effectively juggling all the diversions that naturally arise in a dialogue, you become the true agent of your goal. That’s a beautiful thing. Throw in some authentic empathy and integrity, and, well, you’ll be famous.

It's those diversions that will challenge you. They work against goal orientation. There's the jumble of ideas in your head, and there's the jumble of ideas being thrown at you. Effective jumble management allows your will (you) to come to the fore.

And the essence of jumble management? Well, in the case of customer conversations, knowing the essential dialogue steps helps; it buys you some bandwidth so you have brain-space to concentrate. Knowing what your reactions are while you are having them helps because it allows you to self manage. Knowing how to respond when the other party wants to veer off your planned conversational path also grants you presence of mind. Oh, and and then there’s the goal itself; there’s got to be a purpose.

That’s why they call it capitalism.