How to Make Goal Setting a Part of Your Business

Goals are specific, attainable targets that bring you to your vision. They're the milestones (or landmarks) you need to reach along the way.

Goals focus your efforts and intentions, and direct your motivation in a productive direction. Goals outline a plan of action, while dreams are conceptual visions.


Your goals are the milestones you will reach along the way to achieving your vision. They break down the process into smaller pieces; the little successes en route to the big success story.


Goals are different from your vision.
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It can be easy at first to confuse a business vision with a goal. They are both projections of an ideal future situation that you have created based on your dreams.
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Studies have shown that only three to five percent of people in the world have written goals - the same three to five percent who have achieved success in business and earn considerable wealth.

Setting strong goals and committing them to paper is the most effective way to achieve success. Goals will focus your time, energy and the outcomes that are the highest priority at a time. When you prioritize and concentrate your efforts, you avoid being stretched too thin, and produce greater results.

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There are many areas in your business that you need to think about when setting goals or targets. Let's create your unique list.

You have many areas of your business, and each need to do their part to contribute to the overall vision you have for the company. Set your goals systematically. There are many areas of your business that you can set targets and goals for. This helps to break down the process into smaller, achievable chunks.


Here are the areas of your business that you'll need to think about when setting goals:


Lead Generation> In-store Leads
> Phone leads
> Return on Investment (of marketing campaigns)
> Weekly / Monthly / By Campaign Leads

Conversion Rates> Individual Staff Targets
> Staff Development
> Conversion Rates
> Sales Targets

Transaction Frequency> Sales Targets
> Customer Loyalty
> Average Transaction Frequency

Average Sale> Sales Targets
> Revenue
> Add-on Targets
> Sale increases

Margins> Product or Service Evolution
> Profit
> Cost Reduction

Personal> Personal Development
> Personal Wealth Generation

What happens when you achieve your goals? What comes next?

You should reward yourself and your team each time a target is reached. This will not only train your mind to associate hard work with reward, but will develop loyalty and morale among your employees.
Once you've reached a target, ask yourself where the next rung of the ladder is. Can you improve upon the target you just reached? Can you stretch yourself and your team, or challenge yourself more? Get into the habit of setting a new, higher goal each time you achieve an existing goal. This will lay a solid foundation for consistent personal and professional growth and improvement.


Before you set goals, you need to reframe your thinking so you can support yourself and your efforts.

We've talked a bit about the power of intention, and how a strong belief in yourself and your ability to be successful is the keystone to achieving great things. This part of a greater concept, called positive self-talk, and it has a powerful impact on your reality.


Positive thinking and self-talk is an important technique to practice and cultivate. When you program a positive stream of subconscious thoughts into your mind, you can control your reality, and ultimately the outcome of your goals.


When you set out to practice positive self-talk techniques like autosuggestion and visualization, you may find that you have a stream of negative thoughts that continually run through your mind. This is okay - you work is to correct each negative statement that flows through your mind.


For example, each time you say to yourself, "I'll never be able to finish this..." or "I'm a terrible public speaker..." take a moment to stop and correct the thought. Instead, say "I will do the best I can to finish this project," or "I will get myself some training and become a better public speaker."


Positive self-talk means getting rid of the negative thoughts that run through your mind on a regular basis - some that you may not even hear!

• That's impossible.
• Don't even bother.
• It's already been done.
• We tried that, and it didn't work.
• You're too young.
• You're too old.
• You'll never get there.
• You'll never get that done.
• You can't do that.

Autosuggestion is a kind of positive self-talk that will improve your performance in all areas of your life, and give you a better shot at achieving the goals you set.

Autosuggestion is the technique that harnesses the power of your internal dialogue - your constant stream of thoughts and judgments and beliefs - and uses it for positive, affirmations. Often, this involves changing negative beliefs and perceptions that we learned from our parents, friends, partners and experiences.


You can practice autosuggestion anywhere, and at any time. It is especially helpful to spend 10 to 15 minutes practicing autosuggestion before a stressful situation, like a meeting or sports game. All you need to do is sit quietly, breath deeply, and allow yourself to be open to the thoughts and ideas you are about to tell yourself. Then repeat positive statements about yourself and the future outcome of a goal or intention or event.


Some examples of positive autosuggestions include:

• I will close the sales presentation and secure this client!
• I am a capable and positive person!
• I deserve the success that I have achieved!
• I am doing the best I can!
• I will assert my needs in my relationship!
• I will have all the information I need to ace my exam!

Here are some helpful tips for your autosuggestion process.

• Believe in and feel what you are telling yourself. Linking suggestions to emotion increases their potency.
• Talk to yourself like you would a close friend. Use a calm, considerate and gentle tone of voice. Remember that you are working to develop a good relationship with yourself.
• Phrase your suggestions positively, and avoid negatives like "not", "less", "won't", "don't" and "can't."
• Use the progressive form of the present tense to reflect acceptance of being "in progress." For example, say "I am becoming.." instead of "I am." Your mind may have an easier time accepting the statement.
• Repetition is key. Each time you repeat a suggestion, try to find a way to make it a stronger, more powerful and meaningful statement.

Visualization complements autosuggestion and harnesses the power of your mind's eye to realize your goals.

Visualization is another mind tool that successful people use to program their brains for success. It's simply visualizing in your mind how something is going to happen or play out on a repeated basis. Visualization is commonly used in sports training, and has been proven to improve performance better than just practice alone.


The technique can be used by anyone, however, and will generate the same results on performance and outcome. When we visualize an event or situation, or an object or possession, we attract it into our life.


Teach yourself this step-by-step visualization exercise.

Visualization should be done with a relaxed and positive attitude, as well as with an openness and willingness to accept whatever outcome may present itself.

1. Sit comfortably in a quiet space - your office, home, or in nature.
2. Pick a goal or intention to focus on.
3. Relax your entire body, and take several long deep breaths.
4. Tune into your inner voice, and connect to the feeling that you truly believe this goal or intention.
5. Begin to visualize the achievement of that goal, or realization of your intention.
6. Create a clear and detailed mental picture, using all five senses.
7. Allow yourself to feel how you believe you will feel when you have achieved your goal, and how much you desire to reach that goal.
8. Finish with a positive affirmation about the outcome of your goal or intention.
9. Repeat this process at least once per day, for about 10 minutes.

Powerful positive people have the strength to create powerful positive change in their lives and the lives of those around them.