Grab a pen and some paper, or open up Word, and detail line by line what it is you want to achieve. Let your mind flow — it’s more important to get everything written down. Let this sit for a day, and then go back to it again, because there are bound to be goals your subconscious mind came up with that just took a little longer to surface. Hopefully, you have a decent sized list.

Second, go through each goal, one by one, indicating if achieving the goal is a “must”, “should” or “nice” accomplishment; and indicate the desired time frame (ex. “I must achieve this goal in 2 years”). File the “should” and “nice” goals away — achieving your “must” goals are too important. Organize your list of “must” goals by date, with the goals due soonest first, followed by those further out in time. You’ll now have a prioritized list of goals.

Take a look at your list. Properly set goals are measurable, specific and achievable. Making “$1MM in 60 days” won’t work. Nor does “being financially independent in 10 years”. As you think about each of your goals, quantify them, avoid generalities and be realistic. For example, “I must book 6 speaking engagements over the next 12 months” seems to pass muster. And it sounds reasonable.

Now break down each into bite sized chunks and tasks you’ll need to do to achieve the goal. Following our speaking engagements example, your tasks may include contacting 10 speaker’s bureaus, writing your bio, and attending 3 industry trade events over the next 90 days. You can further break down each task with due dates and measure your progress along the way. If you follow these steps for each of your goals, you’ll have a logical path to follow, and a much greater sense of accomplishment along the way.

As Robert Heinlein once said, “”In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.” Change the way you think about goal setting today.

Photo credit by Fanginhoon.

Keys to Success
Good consultants solve problems. But great consultants understand their clients. They help them think things through vs. diving into their pitch bag and layering the attorney’s desk with brochures. They’re in it for the long haul, and don’t get discouraged or disappointed when clients don’t buy (translation: you just haven’t shown enough value yet!).

Each attorney said the key to breaking through their busy schedule is persistence. If you have a solution or idea they need to hear, schedule a 10 or 15 minute appointment. And be prepared to wait. Just don’t wait too long — this could be perceived as a hard sales pitch. Instead, reschedule. Lastly, don’t just drop off free gifts. If you have something important, which will help their business, they’ll want to hear about it, so make the appointment.

One lawyer on the panel made it very clear what he wanted from his consultant — lunch. Since we all eat lunch, at least a few times per week, who’d say no? Especially if you have something of value to bring to the table, besides picking up the check!

Photo credit by somnyus.

First, acknowledge your clients’ fears. It’s OK to admit your prices are perceived as high, but you better be able to back it up with lots of data and make an apples to oranges comparison. So instead of quoting a fee, quote in terms your clients understand — number of new customers, number of new inbound leads, etc.

Second, you’ve got to ask questions without sounding like a cross examination. Rookie consultants think they can right to the pitch, but the best ones do the business interview first. Asking questions around revenues, number of customers, earnings per customer, lifecycles of customer, etc. will help you make your apples to oranges comparison. Don’t forget, clients rarely believe anything you say, but they always believe what they say. So getting your business questions answered builds a foundation of trust.

Third, you can no longer pass off new business to your implementers and move on. When you discuss the implementation schedule, find out how your client would like to stay in touch — by phone, email or face-to-face meetings. Promise to stay involved and make sure you keep that commitment.

Finally, give up the idea that you need to “win”. You can’t be successful until you make your clients successful. So emphasize the value of working together, but don’t be so up front about it (especially since every other vendor on the planet is selling “value”). Build trust to stand out – be honest and don’t oversell your services. If you show genuine interest, solve their problems, and most importantly, help them achieve their goals, you’ll not only please your clients, you’ll astonish them!

Photo credit by brainloc.