You can have all of the will necessary to win, but your chances of winning
are greatly diminished if you are not prepared for the big moment when it
arrives.
As I look back at my career, without question it was the strategies employed
that made the biggest difference. When clients bring me in to help them turn
around a key account, it all starts with strategy. When fellow coaches and I
prepare for my daughter’s softball all-star games, it all starts with strategy.
When you plan for your financial well being, it all starts with a strategy.
Yes, skills are very important. But without the right strategy, skills alone
will not guarantee you success. Strategy defines how you play the game. Skills
are the actions you will employ to carry out the strategy.
Many times, people do employ strategies that are not strong enough to support
their goals. Some people think too much and do too little. If you are one of
those who think too much, think less. If you are one of those who do not think
at all, you need to start thinking. It’s not the amount of time you spend on
thinking that counts. It is the quality of the thinking that counts.
To win business from a competitor, you need an effective strategy. To gain
more business from an existing account, you need an effective strategy. To open
up new territories and to bring new products to market, you need an effective
strategy.
Here are tips on creating an effective strategy to ensure your success:
- First, have the end in sight. You need a destination point to start
developing your map to success. If you don’t, then all roads will lead you to
your destination, which is anywhere.
- Whatever your goal is, bump it up by 25 percent. If you want to achieve $1
million in sales, plan for $1.25 million. The reason is there are forces that
affect us that are not easily foreseen or are out of our control. If your
actions only support $1million of business and you hit unforeseen roadblocks,
you will fall short. If your goal is $1.25 million and you hit some obstacles
along the way, you still have a good shot of coming in at $1million.
- Think-tank the situation and put all thoughts on paper. Creativity starts
with a free flow of ideas without discounting their usefulness. Get the ideas
down first, then start evaluating them. Sometimes a couple of ideas by
themselves may not mean much. But when they are put together, they can form a
blockbuster idea.
- Always go into your strategy session putting aside the past and current
ways of doing things. A highly effective strategy is built on creating a
desired future without being affected by constraints that held you back in the
past. The question that should be answered is: If you could take a blank piece
of paper and describe what real success would look like, what would you write
down? This is where you need to think big. Don’t let your current constraints
get in your way. This is the crucial part to growing your business. To grow,
often times you need to do things differently.
- In mapping out your future desires, you must push yourself outside of your
comfort zone. If you choose to stay comfortable, you won’t stretch and break
out with new ideas that lead to bigger and better results.
- Identify the appropriate actions that are strong enough to support your
strategy and achieve your goals.
- Hold yourself accountable. Strategy without implementation is just a lot
of mental gymnastics that at the end of the day leads to results that aren’t
any different from what you are currently doing.
Depending on the situation, it may take you only a few minutes to think of a
powerful strategy. In some cases, it can take days or months.
Prepare yourself to win so when the time comes, you can propel yourself over
the finish line through the power of your will to win.
Ron Karr is a professional speaker, consultant, trainer and author who
specializes in helping organizations to dominate their marketplace and assisting
individuals to get closer to the people they serve. This article is excerpted
from Karr’s Titan Principle™- The Number One Secret to Sales Success. Ron’s
Titan Principle™ has generated tremendous results for his clients in the areas
of sales, negotiations and customer service. Copyright© 2004, Ron Karr. All
rights reserved. For information about Ron’s presentations and consulting
services, contact the Frog Pond at 800.704.FROG(3764) or email
susie@frogpond.com;
http://www.frogpond.com.
Published: 1/10/2006
