A couple years ago, my Dad and I were talking about their upcoming Bull Sale (male cattle for the urbanites reading!). My Dad made the nonchalant comment, “I hope the sale goes well”. My father and I have an amazing relationship and are always challenging each other and have the ability to shed light on the other side of nearly any discussion! I replied, “Well, what are your expectations? What do you hope to average?”
The moral of this example, is how do you measure success without setting goals? In order to feel satisfied with the outcome of an event, whether you’re a rancher selling livestock or a sales representative marketing shoes, you need to set realistic desires, to compare the results to.
WRITE your goals down! The key to achieving your goals is to physically write them down on a piece of paper! After my Dad came to a number, we wrote it down in big numbers on a piece of paper and stuck it to a board in the house! Under the average – I wrote down his desired total income from the sale of his bulls.
Not everyone is a numbers person, so I’ll give you a visual!
Example of a GOAL:
$2500 Average
# lots – 20
$50,000 Income ($2500 x 20 lots)
The day after the sale, we were eating lunch and I asked my Dad, “So, are you happy with how the sale went?” His response was, “Kind of, we brought home a couple more bulls home than I hoped for!” Fair enough I thought, because no one wants to sell bulls from home, after you’ve invested all the money into producing a sale. However, I had already calculated the numbers!
The ranch had a higher average than my Dad was hoping for and had exceeded the Total Income we recorded before the sale! Therefore, the bulls that came home, was just above and beyond the goal!
What an amazing feeling to exceed a goal and know that you can still increase your revenue, when you sell the remaining bulls!
Have an optimistic attitude and attract what you’re looking for! Don’t be upset that you brought 2 items home – you’re already ahead! Just think – the buyer you’re looking for just doesn’t know you have the item you’re marketing, for sale yet!
As my husband mentioned in a previous FarmOn.com blog, treat your customer like a friend and your friend will always be your customer! Your clients are buying YOU and their relationship with you. There are lots of bulls (or whatever you’re selling) – you have to set yourself apart with your personal touch! I’ll talk more about this soon!
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