Goal Setting

Goal

 It all starts with having a goal. An aim or a purpose, A result that one is attempting to achieve. .

It may be a position, a place you want to go, materials things you wish to have, etc.

Goal Setting should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound (SMART) goals. SMART goal setting suggest that it's an effective tool for making progress by ensuring that we are clearly aware of what is expected from us.

Specific : Your goal should be specific. You should know what you want. It should be crystal clear, it answers the why and what questions. For example: I want to have a car. A car is a very general term. There are many kinds of car. Narrow your goal in a way that it is detailed. I want a Chevrolet Camaro, color red, 2012 model. I goal should be something like that.

Measurable: goal without a measurable outcome is just like wishing. Numbers are an essential part of goal setting. Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set.When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.

Attainable: Far too often, you can set goals beyond reach. No one has ever built a billion dollar business overnight. Dream big and aim for the stars but keep one foot firmly based in reality. Check with your environment to get a handle on realistic growth in your field to set smart goals.

Realistic: Meaning it is "Do-able". A goals should be realistic in way that you would consider all possible factors that would affect your goal. Factors such as the available resources that you can use, your current skills and knowledge, and time it would take for you to achieve it.

Time Bound: Set a time-frame for your goals. It would be a way for you to chart your progress whether your on the right track or you need to adjust or move quicker. It is to determine whether you're on the way of succeeding. It time-frame is very important because without a time-frame there would be no sense of urgency.

Working Hard vs Working Smart

Work Smart

    I'd like to share my thoughts regarding working hard vs working smart. We work hard, we woke up early to prepare for work and we go home late.Sometimes we even bring home our work.  But why is it that despite working hard , why do I feel not progressing? It got me thinking what went wrong. I give my all and still nothing is happening.  Working hard is not enough its just a part of it. We should be working smart.  

    Working hard and working smart  are two different things.  Often times work hard and concentrate on working fast and forget to think possible ways to improve our work. We are stuck on the things we know and stop learning and stick to what we know. We do not maximize the resources that we have. We usually do our work right away  thinking the work would be done fast but without realizing that  working without a plan takes a lot of time that it is when plan. Working smart is utilizing and maximizing the resources around you. Assess your the work, dissect it, find out the details.  Make a plan and outline your work make a schedule. Divide the work in tasks. Work on a task one at a time, work on it and give your best to avoid switching your thoughts on doing multiple task and to ensure your work is on a superb level.

     While working smart you should also take into account such as having enough rest and periodic breaks. Do not overwork yourself, our mind and body gets tired which leads to having careless mistakes and lose of concentration. Also, have periodic breaks it allows you to release tension and regroup your  thoughts.

      Here is a video which is conveys Working hard vs Working Smart.

How to make the Sale

Having the skill to make a sale is not luck.  It is a skill that is learn through experience and having the right knowledge. Now a days, there are lots of resources which you can use to improve your skills. You can surf the internet with many articles related on making a sale  or you can also read books. I myself did such things, learn a common steps on making a sale.


1. Know what you are selling. Selling starts on knowing what  you're products are. Can you say you're products are the best? Was it able to pass the necessary standards? Has it able to won awards? What awards has it received?, such questions must be answered by you. Having right set of knowledge about your product indicates the first part of making a sale. It also boosts your confidence in share it knowing that whatever question your client may ask you can answer it. 

2. Believe in your products.  Knowing about your product is not enough, You must also believe in the effectiveness of your products. How would someone even believe in what you are selling if you yourself does not. Be the product of your product, use your products. Client wants to hear about your experience about your product not the experience of others.


3. Learn to listen. Give your client a chance to talk, you have to understand your client to determine what aspects of your product or service they will find beneficial. Listening allows you to find out about your client, which makes him more receptive to your product or services. Then, you will be able to know what product would fit to the need of your client. Highlight your product and how it would benefit the need of your client. Ask the sale.

4.Assess the sale.Did it went smoothly?  People often forget that a sale is not your first deal with your client. You can say you have made a sale when a repeat purchase or transaction has been made.

Planning

 Plan

What is a plan?  A plan is typically any diagram of list  of steps with timing and resources used to achieve an objectives. It is just like the blueprint of a house. Blue prints is the envisioned structure of what your house will look like. How many is is a bungalow type or multilevel house,how many rooms will it have, where should be the kitchen,dining, bedroom, etc.

 It is said that "if one fails to plan, he/she plans to fail".  Acting on something without a plan  would get you started  but would not get you far. You would be get stuck, confusion set in on which should be.

Is it this way or that way?

Plan your work and work your plan. If you have a plan you know what you want to do and how you would to it. There would be setbacks but still you would have a guide along the way.  Learning to plan has not been easy for me but I know it would benefit me. Learn to plan and  work your plan even if it just baby steps.
Planning sets you to achieve your goals. In planning these basic questions must atleast be answered:

How will  I reach my plan? Set goals, strategies that will bring you closer to your plan.

When will I reach my plan? Time is essential in planning. It is to keep track if you are on the right way or not. If not find ways to adjust.

What will I do it achieve my plan? One of which is honing your skills, attending seminars; reading books, magazines, newspapers, articles that may help you learn and improve.

 

Passion Vs. Potential

I've been part of the network marketing and one of the things I've encountered is the word "Prospect". Part of being in network marketing field is having a list of your prospects. These are your so called clients and soon to be partners in your business. Your prospect list can be classified into two parts the warm ones(positive) and cold ones (negative). Aside from two classifications you would have your potential and passionate client.

So who would be the potential clients? It would  be the rich, high ranking officials (ex:Mayor), and a HR kind of person.The rich has the resources to invest,the high ranking persons does have a lot of connections and has the power, and lastly a HR kind of person because he/she has the skills. So who would be the passionate clients? It's hard to say if one is passionate at first, it is seen through time. Based on observation I can say that the passionate ones are the those who loves and enjoys what they are doing, and those who have nothing left. If you love what you are doing then there's no reason for you to stop. Through the course of history, usually the ones that are very successful are the one who has experience difficulty in life and is tired of it and so they do something with it.

Base on our prospect list we usually go for the potential clients first. However, we often focus too much on our potential clients neglecting our other prospects which should not be the case. All clients should be treated the same. It is true that having these so called potential clients would  benefit you but would they be doing your business seriously?, Would you expect the high ranking officials do it?. Treat all clients the same because you never know. As the famous quote says "Don't judge the book by it's cover".

Photo taken from 9GAG.COM

Fear

One time during my high school days we watch the movie "Coach Carter". It was movie regarding a high school basketball coach and his team and a scene from the movie stuck me. 

Originally the speech came from the poem by Marianne Williamson.

Our Deepest Fear 

by Marianne Williamson 

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

It is our fear that prevents us from becoming who we really are.  We have fear because we doubt our ability, we don't know what we are doing, and we are afraid of being rejected.  Lets us have courage and face our fears.  Let our faith be bigger than our fears as state in Hebrews 13:6.

7 Deadly Pitfalls

During one of our RDO trainings wherein the topic was about the 7 Deadly Pitfalls. The training focuses on the common mistakes of Networking Professionals. Here are the 7 lists:

1.Reinventing the Wheel - Don't create your own system when the existing one is already proven and tested. Sometimes we tend to over analyze and make things complicated when the system is simple. We just have to follow the system that has been created for us.

2. Procrastination - It means to postpone or delay. Procrastination has been a problem for most of us . Instead of doing it or acting right now we tend delay or postpone it for reasons of fear,laziness, and others.

3. Negative self talk - Avoid negative self talk because there's nothing good in talking negative about yourself. It lowers yourself esteem, confidence making you doubt yourself and thinking that you're not good enough. It cripples you from exploring what is out there, discovering new things, knowing yourself and isolating yourself making your life miserable.

4. Making yourself the issue - Just like talking negative to yourself,making yourself the issue is no different. We make mistakes and from these mistakes we learn from it not the other way around. Mistakes are experience not to destroy us but to learn and grow from it.

5. Taking rejections personally - In the every aspect of our life we experience rejection. It is but natural part that sooner or later we will face and experience rejections specially in the field of network marketing. It is but natural to experience rejections but we must not take it personally. It is the business the they are rejecting not you.

6. Neglecting your retail sales - Never neglect your retail sales because it plays an important role of your success. Through retailing comes in your daily expenses.

7. Burning out your uplines - Usually our uplines are the ones who always excited and everything. However, our uplines are also humans like us they also get tired and breakdown. It is also our part to talk to them, excite them, and encourage them when they are down.