Why You're Falling Short of Your Goals in 2022

Goals are good!

Be it personal, interpersonal, or professional, we all have them whether we realize it or not. Without goals we have no clear picture of where we're going in our career or life and that can be terrifying for many of us.

Consequently, without a plan of action to achieve said goal(s), we're essentially flying blind!

You ever plan a road trip without a map to guide you or with no final destination in mind? Probably not. True, you may have an exciting time on the way there under those circumstances, but it will consume loads of time and without "definiteness of purpose"—as Napoleon Hill put it in his best-seller Think & Grow Rich—who knows where you'll end up.

To some, an unplanned road trip may be ideal. But to others—primarily those dealing in business affairs or who have financial responsibilities and a family to boot—it can spell catastrophe with a capital C and send us right up that infamous unpleasant creek without a paddle. You get the point.

Having goals isn't the issue, though. It's the purpose or intention driving that goal which is the deciding factor between your success or your failure.

And if you've chosen to review this information, then it's clear that you're acknowledging your approach could use some tweaking.

Being willing to open your mind to other possibilities in attaining the success that your future self will thank you for is commendable and noteworthy.

That being the case, the following steps will be supportive in guiding you toward 3 key elements:

• Steps toward setting & achieving more favorable goals

• Tips on how to enhance your approach & interaction with your prospects

• Proven methods for following-up and securing the sale

• A bonus recommendation guaranteed to demonstrate a measurable uptick in not only your response rate but invariably in your sales or acquisition of highly-qualified talent for your team

Step 1: Setting Better Goals

Why do some of us fail to reach our goals? We've established that the issue is not in the goal itself, but the intention back of the goal which presents the real problem.

So, if you've been adjusting your goals systematically but have not yet seen any quantitative growth, this is why. It's not the goal that requires modification, it's your methods which will benefit from some sharpening.

For instance, compare your current goals to those below and consider how they could potentially be impeding your upward momentum.

• Make a sale or money

• Recruit prospects for your downline

• Gain a client or customer for your product or service

If there is a similarity between your goals and those listed, then we have successfully identified why you may be falling short in actualizing prosperity for yourself.

In your mind, these appear to be reasonable goals, right. That's because they are. After all, many of us need money.

Perhaps you need a certain quantity of individuals in your downline or maybe you really need to secure a client for that promotion or partnership opportunity you've been eyeing.

While they seem innocent enough on the surface, it's the underlying focus on your needs which is the primary culprit to experiencing gaps in your success; not necessarily because the goal itself is bad or wrong, but because it's perceived by your prospect as unilateral in nature when it must, instead, be proportionate; a win-win.

For years, your goals have been all about you & what you need, which effectively negates any goals or objectives the other party may hold, inevitably confining them to a place where they feel as though they've nothing to gain from the deal.

We all know what it feels like for a friend or family member to talk incessantly of themselves or what they want without regard to what we want. Most of us choose to shut down and allow them to talk until they've had enough.

Then, without warning, we take advantage of the first opportunity to hang up or walk away, using anything that comes to mind as an excuse.

But ask yourself: Is that how I want my prospects to feel when I speak to them? Chances are good that the answer is 'no'.

You want your client to feel comfortable communicating with you and when that becomes your intention you're well on your way to earning their business.

In his best-seller "How to Win Friends & Influence People" Dale Carnegie encourages the reader to "talk in terms of the other person's interests".

This critical component—when combined with the other principles revealed in his book—is a prerequisite to arousing an eager want within your prospect so you may "win them over to your way of thinking" and, ultimately, inspire them to desire doing business with you.

By learning to anticipate and, by extension, include your prospect's potential goals into your own objectives, you can streamline your approach, setting yourself up to be a shoo-in for the acquisition of their cooperation and/or business while offering them the value they seek.

In other words, they get what they want and you get what you want because you adjusted your approach, not the goal itself. The outcome is, therefore, unchanged.

You'll still earn an income, gain a client, or add to your downline. The difference is you've taken the "hard work" out of it. You're working smarter, not harder.

With this in mind, your new goals should consist of attributes similar to the following:

• Rather than focusing solely on making money, align your focus on supplying products or services which deliver true benefits to your target market first. Your target market consists of those who possess a desire or need for said product or service. Your back-end purpose should consist of earning their business and loyalty.

• Instead of focusing on recruiting team members for your downline, align your focus with offering fundamental opportunities for professional career growth and additional sources of monetary gain to those who are in search of these opportunities, with the end-goal of their acquisition to your prolific downline and ultimate success for all involved being unchanged.

• In lieu of focusing on gaining a customer or client upfront, focus on teaching a few valuable (but basic) key points to individuals who are actively open to acquiring the knowledge you offer with the intention of piquing their interest enough that they desire to commit to learning more (perhaps through paid coaching sessions, workshops, seminars, or additional reading materials).

When your goals mirror your prospective client's desires, like those detailed above, and your focus shifts from your gain and their loss to the offering of value from you in exchange for their desire to invest in that value, you arouse the eager want within them to engage in a mutually beneficial exchange in which you both gain something of value. It's a win-win (there's that word again).

The resulting shift in your focus away from exclusively reaching your own goals (which can inadvertently cause the other individual to feel as though they've lost something while you've gained) toward offering value that your prospective clients, potential team members, or proposed consumers desire promotes the likelihood of them eagerly accepting your offer.

Step 2: Compose More Effective Intro Messages

When you reach out to someone whose business or commitment you hope to earn, bear in mind that the exchange must be mutual above all else.

With this at the forefront of your focus, your initial communication—if convoluted with unnecessary chatter or useless information—can be more effective at deterring rather than attracting business.

For example, if your answer is 'yes' to any of the 3 ensuing questions, there is definite room for improvement in your initial contact.

Do you ask (too many) questions? (e.g. how are you? are you looking for opportunities for <insert option here>? can we set up a Zoom call to talk in detail?)

Do you include unnecessary details about yourself, your needs/wants or your desired outcome? (e.g. I want to see how I can help you achieve <insert goal here> | I want to tell you about an opportunity to make a lot of money. | I hope we can talk more so I can tell you about what I offer.)

Is your pursuit unwarranted, too wordy, or does it contain grammatical or spelling errors, is it unclear in its primary objective? (e.g. did you swipe an email from their profile and send an unsolicited letter when you could have sent a DM as your introductory note asking for permission to send a follow-up email instead? Did you neglect to proofread your email? Was it muddled with sentences that lack structure or precision?)

The foregoing will all be red flags to a potential client. The likelihood that they've been approached in a similar way by hundreds of individuals just like you is tremendous and because you neglected to set yourself apart right off the bat, you jeopardize the opportunity of earning their trust and business.

In these cases, your DM or email is destined to join all the other failed attempts in their trash bin, likely without a response, and possibly followed by a single click of the block button.

Additionally, take note of how often a reference to myself using the letter 'I' appears in this blurb. Go ahead and scroll up to see for yourself.

When speaking to others, especially if you're aspiring to increase the probability of them liking you and, more than that, to win them over to your way of thinking, always focus the conversation on them, how they benefit, and why they should agree to your proposal.

Encourage them to talk about themselves (e.g. their interests, aspirations, and thoughts or ideas) and allow them to do the majority of the speaking. Show genuine interest in their responses, be engaged, and listen actively as you jot down notes.

References to yourself and words you offer should be kept to an absolute minimum. This convinces them that's it's safe to like you and bolsters their desire for further detailed discussions with you. That is what you want.

Your introductory composition should focus primarily on 3 C's:

- Be Clear

- Be Concise

- Be Cogent

When you're clear in expressing why the note is being sent, concise in the value you're offering, and cogent in how the other party benefits from interacting with you, it automatically differentiates you from the crowd and increases the possibility of a follow-up.

Additionally, prior to sending that introductory communication, be certain of two things:

1. You've researched the prospect briefly (or thoroughly if that's your thing) and have identified them as a part of your target-market, ensuring that a true need for what you offer exists prior to that initial contact. Nothing is more annoying than being on the receiving end of a written piece from some random entrepreneur or business person that's uninvited and unneeded. You're just creating more work for yourself.

2. You've adjusted your approach to include the 3 C's up-front—not after you've sent multiple unnecessarily wordy novels discussing everything under the sun apart from your true purpose as a means of "building rapport". Fixate on getting right to the point.

The truth is, in this day and age, hearing 'no' isn't a part of the "numbers game" anymore. That strategy is severely outdated. Taking the initiative and fine-tuning your initial approach, thereby increasing the possibility for a 'YES', is the most effective way of getting one.

Many times, as professionals, we fumble the ball when we opt for building strong rapport with a stranger right out of the gate. This person doesn't know you, has never heard of your business, nor do they care what you want (yet). As a result, their default response is to not respond at all.

It's like approaching a random person on the street and invading their personal space, pausing inches from their face, and immediately interrogating them without introducing yourself or disclosing the purpose for the interruption. Yeah, kinda creepy.

That first attempt should be friendly, warm, and inviting because the internet can sometimes make interactions feel cold, impersonal, and distant.

Your correspondence should also answer 3 common questions likely to arise in your prospect's mind:

1. Who are you?

2. What do you want?

3. How do I benefit from engaging with you?

Minimizing small-talk and benching deep rapport-building tactics up-front will create space for your well-executed opening to do the work of diffusing their onset apprehension, permitting their curiosity to become aroused and the remainder of your text to further pique their interest.

This ensures you're not wasting effort with someone who is misaligned with the opportunity or product/service you're offering.

Using the sample below, think about how you can better tailor your own compositions to be more effective at grabbing your reader's attention and increasing the probability of a response.

Hi John,

My name is Jane. Hopefully this message has found you well and in good spirits despite the difficulty surrounding this crazy COVID-19 pandemic we've all, no doubt, been affected by. Surely you can agree it will be a welcomed relief when this is finally all over and things can go back being somewhat normal.

Anyway, if you'll pardon the expression, my current role as Chief Executive Officer of ABC Company includes the primary responsibility of vetting pre-qualified individuals who are technologically savvy, dependable, and actively seeking an opportunity for upward career advancement, job security, and financial stability.

In briefly reviewing your LinkedIn profile, what stood out to me most (aside from that precious puppy of yours, who reminds me of my own little furbaby) is your desire to learn more about entrepreneurial success. It's easy to understand your aspirations for the freedom, sense of security, & long-term wealth that going into business for yourself affords.

For that reason, the purpose of my reaching out today is not only to briefly introduce myself & what I do but also to learn a bit more about you and your professional goals so that we may determine if there's a concrete opportunity for a mutually beneficial solution.

There are also a few key benefits which you'll likely find illuminating that I'm eager to share when you have a few moments to chat. Looking forward to your response.

All the best,

Jane

This sample email from Jane, while seemingly long, is surprisingly engaging and effective. She built a bit of surface-level rapport initially by briefly introducing herself, mentioning the COVID-19 pandemic, and referencing her prospect's pet (which was uncovered in her research of his social media profile).

These are subjects any prospect can easily relate to and would be eager to share their thoughts on because they point directly to their interests and feelings on topics they care about.

She also included the 3C's.

• She was clear in who she is, where she works, and the definiteness of her purpose.

• She was concise in that each word was methodically personalized for her prospect to incite his interest without being too wordy, repetitive, or redundant. Her explication was also completely free from spelling and grammatical errors.

Proofread your work, ladies and gentlemen. Hire a professional to write on your behalf if writing isn't your strong suit or use Grammarly.

In today's ever-evolving technologically advanced society these seemingly small errors can have a catastrophic effect on your sale in minutes because they allude to your lack of professionalism and lackadaisical attitude in the structure of your composition. And if you don't care, why should your prospect care?

It's the same as showing up to an interview on Wall Street in rags. This isn't the movies and you're not Will Smith. Your first impression is the one that lasts the longest. Make it count.

• She was also cogent in that she got right to the point of highlighting the qualities she sought in a potential candidate, how her prospect appeared to be a possible match those qualities, and even took the extra step in mentioning some possible undisclosed benefits for her prospect to consider, which will inevitably arouse his curiosity and increase the likelihood of his response.

One can safely conclude that Jane's potential customer will likely respond to her asking for more information or a follow-up call to discuss this opportunity. That is what we want in order to move to the next step.

Step 3: Follow-Up

As we can clearly see, there's a great possibility for a response when a communication similar to that of Jane's is proffered to a prospective client first. Think about it, would you respond to that email?

The answer is an obvious and resounding YES.

As such, when your prospect responds asking for more information or a date and time to speak with you regarding this opportunity, you must be prepared with a clear follow-up plan to assure you remain professional, focused, and with definiteness of purpose.

We can agree that nothing says 'hang up' like a business person who's stammering, stuttering, unfocused (distracted or noisy background), unconfident, or otherwise unprepared to disclose the pertinent information, ask the necessary questions, and assume the sale.

If you're having trouble composing an interesting and effective follow-up communication (we all do at times), take note of these tips for some helpful ideas:

• Thank the prospect for responding. Try something like: "I appreciate you getting back to me so soon, John" as a starting line. Regardless of if it took him 2-minutes or 2-weeks to respond, the focus here is that he did respond. That is worth mentioning and expressing appreciation for.

• Paraphrase what was mentioned in the initial message. Re-introduce yourself using something similar to:

"As mentioned during my previous contact, my name is Jane from ABC Company."

Follow that with a short paragraph reiterating what was covered in the preceding attempt but with a bit more detail along with the objective for this particular interaction, such as:

"To recap, there's currently an opening for a Senior Independent Sales Specialist which is an entrepreneurial-type contractor position where we handle setting up the challenging back-end business aspects of the position on your behalf while you focus on building your business and earning your income. During my review of your LinkedIn profile, it was clear at first glance that you possess a few of the essential qualities we're looking for and in this follow-up discussion the goal is to delve a little deeper to see if our opportunity is a suitable match to your goals and skills. Sound fair enough?"

• Ask revealing, open-ended questions. Now is the time to pose those questions you're so eager to ask which help both parties gain a broader perspective of whether your prospect's goals and your own goals are in alignment.

Remember, you only prefer to partner with or sell to those who are aligned with your goals. Anything else is wasted effort.

With that in mind, determine the best way you can ask questions that may begin in the following ways:

"Being as detailed as possible, please tell me more about some of your personal and professional goals."

"How can joining the ABC Company team help you reach those goals?"

"What are some of the best ways for you to feel included, appreciated, and essential within your career?"

"What are some of the most important things to you in life?"

"Name a few obstacles you fear may stop you from reaching your goals in addition to a few ideas on how you feel you can ultimately surmount these obstacles."

"Tell me more about how you bring yourself out of a sour mood when you're not feeling your best."

The goal here is to ask questions where the answer can be repeated back to your prospect at a later time (we'll go over that in a moment).

Ask yourself how you can pose better questions that provide profound and insightful answers alluding to the true nature of your prospect and their interest in working with you.

By asking similar questions to those above and taking note of the answers, you build a roadmap that becomes highly useful if or when your prospect joins your team but begins feeling doubtful of their success or apprehensive at reaching out to their own prospects down the road.

At that point, should the circumstance call for it, you can remind them of the answers they offered during the follow-up discussion. This will inspire them to refocus on their goals & keep moving forward.

It's like the saying goes: "When you think about quitting, remember why you started."

Knowing how to follow-up with a client is equally as important as closing the actual sale or acquiring the prospect because it opens the floor to a discussion of how both parties benefit from the exchange. And everybody loves a win-win.

Remember: this must be mutual if you are to win your client or prospect to your way of thinking. Anything one-sided will immediately cause your prospect to put up walls.

Conclusion

At this point, hopefully you've learned several helpful strategies for engaging the right prospects upfront, including:

• Setting better goals for yourself by including your prospect's goals with your own to ensure they're in alignment and mutually beneficial. A win-win is always a good thing.
• Composing an effective introductory message consisting of the 3C's (clear, concise, cogent), focusing on their interests, and including a bonus or teaser to arouse intrigue and increase the probability of a follow-up conversation.
• Following-up with your prospect to delve deeper, ask open-ended questions, and reach an agreement that is, say it with me, mutually beneficial.

Congratulations! Chances are good that you've been enlightened to something you can implement today that will enhance your chances of earning that 'YES' we all look forward to. You can do it. I believe in you.

Bonus

If you find yourself hungry for more, click the link to check out "How to Win Friends & Influence People" by Dale Carnegie for a detailed approach on how to better interact with people and build stronger, more meaningful interpersonal relationships. Not only will this give you a leg up on your competitors who have not read the book (sharing is caring, though) but your effectiveness in achieving goals will skyrocket.

Wishing you the absolute best in all of your endeavors.

Now, go crush it!