The company I was working for was having their first ever National Sales contest and I wanted to win it, no let me be more accurate I had to win it. The prize was 5 days and 4 nights in the Caribbean, and the winner got to choose their destination and hotel. I had recently seen a TV segment on the El San Juan Resort. It was gorgeous and my wedding anniversary was fast approaching. I was excited and ready to hit the street.

Slow Down

The first thing I did was make a list of all the prospects I wanted to call, which was about 60 businesses. Next I projected how much business I would have to write to win, I came up with $100,000. Then I did some quick math computations, if I could sign 20% of those prospects and they each spent $10,000 that would give me $120,000 in new business. That will give me a little cushion. Just before I left my office, I did perhaps the most important thing of the day. I clearly wrote out my goals. Writing your goals down on paper accomplishes many things, it allows you focus, it gives you something to strive for when times get tough, and it puts your desire out into the Universe as well. The contest would span the next 1o business days. My goals were written in big bold letters.

WIN CONTEST, Make 200 calls, 20 per day, generate $120,000 in new business, have 30 face to face meetings, 3 per day. Go to Puerto Rico, stay at El San Juan Resort.

Don’t be Scared

The difficult thing about writing out your goals is that it might feel daunting. Now they are written down, possibly for all to see. What if I don’t reach them? What if I change my mind? The great thing is, you can always alter them. Don’t let that stop you from writing them out. It’s not like a tattoo. Although now even tattoo’s can be removed.

Moment of Truth Nears

We had daily updates at 6pm each day and I was either in first or second place the whole time. I sold a client on one of my first meetings. Later that week I had a great meeting with another business owner. I knew this prospect was right on the verge of signing. He loved the proposal, it met all of his needs and solved his biggest problem. There was no doubt that he would sign the contract, it was just a question of when. I called him the following day as he requested, but he put me off. I called him again the next day, same thing. Another few days of this followed. After him hemming and hawing for another couple of days I was getting worried. Finally I just told him he needed to sign by tomorrow to get this particular deal. He asked why, I told him about the contest and of my desire to win. He asked me to come back to his store in an hour, I agreed. He knew that he now had all the power and told me he would sign the agreement but I had to sweeten the pot by giving him something extra. I said if I give you some bonus promotional spots on CNN, will you sign the contract now, he said yes. I returned to the office and saw I still had the lead with one day remaining.

A few months later I would be waking up to fresh papaya and an amazing view of the beach. I will never forget going out on the porch of our bungalow the morning after we arrived and seeing Super Model Paulina Porizkova standing 10 feet away. I guess her and rock star husband Ric Ocasek saw the same TV show I did. From that point on I knew I would utilize goal setting for the rest of my life.