Selling Goals vs. Life Goals
I know some of you may be thinking, “Another discussion about goal setting? How boring!” Well, boredom comes from repetition, and without repetition, masterful achievement is not possible. Reading more, practicing more, and understanding more about goals can help bring this part of selling into a normal daily routine where it motivates and guides those who are masters in the field of sales.
Our lives are directed and pulled by conscious and subconscious desires, which when aggregated become our future vision. This vision (whether to lose 25 pounds and be athletic or to consistently earn $10,000 commissions and be wealthy) is directed by our destination goals, but the more finite process goals help us get there. Treat each daily detail as an important process goal to achieve, and indeed these small ones will accumulate so that ultimately our larger vision becomes our reality. It is easy to derail our dreams by self-doubt, other people, and external events, so the only way to keep the vision alive is to transform it into tangible, goal-directed behavior.
Most goal-implementation plans require getting other people enrolled in our personal program. This is where person-to-person selling comes into the picture. In this instance, selling means convincing other people to give us something they have in return for something we possess. In a traditional view of selling, the buyer exchanges their money for our product. But in the real world, every person sells continually–whether ourselves on a first date, or our beliefs, or our knowledge. If we sell successfully, we might achieve a goal of having an enjoyable evening date, some public recognition, or personal satisfaction as a return from our effort.
Setting the right environment to complete a sales transaction might include bringing flowers on the first date or artfully crafting a storefront window to allow those walking by a glimpse of the buying opportunities to be found inside the shop. The sales trainer might say, “Your goal is to create an environment (a stage) that causes your customer to feel like a VIP taking delivery of their Rolls Royce.” The sales process is a very social activity, one that creatively mixes the buyer’s goal of owning a solution with the seller’s complex goal of meeting company targets, earning an income, and personally helping the customer. Learning this craft of goal satisfaction is never ending and forever challenges the master seller.
While I was working on the book Masters of Sales, a woman named Joan Fletcher wrote me and told me a noteworthy story about a very successful young salesman. Despite his sales awards, his corner office, and charismatic charm, he still felt he was just scraping the surface of success . . .
Even though dutifully creating written goals, his level of self-satisfaction was low; until he realized that the big picture was not just about how much money he earned, or the big house, or the number of sales he hoped to close. The big picture was his vision about what he truly wanted to achieve in all combined areas of his life. Once he discovered this realization, his renewed selling accomplishments became directly tied to setting aside money for his daughter’s education fund, to have time to help coach his son’s soccer league, and to work in his yard. Even with more personal goals than before, his sales results climbed higher.
The thing to remember is this: Work goals, selling goals, and life goals are all intertwined and each one will always influence the others. Now the question becomes: what do YOU truly want to achieve in all combined areas of your life? And what are some ways you might make a conscious effort to streamline your work, selling, and life goals in order more effectively work toward your future vision? I would love to hear your thoughts so please share any feedback you have in the comment forum below.
Fato!!
Spot on as usual Dr.Misner.
Selling is not just an activity that sales professionals need to master. Dan Pink in his book ,’To sell is human.’ says that every one of us are ‘selling’ ,one way or the other.
As someone who started my career in door to door sales, I resonate with this.
My manager on my first sales job back in the Eighties once asked me what i would like to own in the next few months. I badly wanted to buy a stereo cassette player ( they don’t make them nowadays). He then helped me link my selling efforts to this goal. Pretty soon ,i bought that stereo and listened to my favourite Everly Brothers hits often.
As business development consultant, I support my clients in being pro-active and taking on their life, their work and their world. Those three elements are like a 3-legged stool and if one area is not addressed the stool will tip and possibly fall. If you cultivate and integrate all three, it leads to your bigger vision being accomplished and true fulfillment. People on their deathbeds never say–“I wish I worked more”. Work needs to be integrated with your life aspirations and your contribution to the bigger world.
What I truly want is to have life of balance ,a full meaningful journey where I can contribute more in the community I belong to. In order to achieve both selling and life goals is to allocate time for each intentionally without sacrificing my health.
I agree on this. Spot on.
This is a really powerful statement Albin – sales goals should not come at the expense of what matters/
A thought provoking write up Dr Misner. One does go astray while pursuing ones goal for the reasons mentioned above, but the key point to remember is to get back on track and work relentlessly to achieve one’s Goal. Thank you for such beautiful writeups,
Very inspiring
The quote, “Your goal is to create an environment (a stage) that causes your customer to feel like a VIP taking delivery of their Rolls-Royce.” resonated with me. When you satisfy the customer or client and you help them to feel heard and appreciated, you will sell more and have a great deal of satisfaction around your interactions and relationships with those clients.
I’m challenging myself to ask daily around my goals, “What are you doing to help others feel like a VIP?”.
Todo mundo vive da venda de alguma coisa e a primeira coisa que vendemos é a nós mesmos. Portanto, seja intencional!
This is the first time that a Goal Setting ‘presentation’ has clicked for me, fortunately this missel has come to assure me that I am on the right path. Which is similar to the story shared here. I have been striving forever to make what felt like headway to me. Figure Targets, Remuneration targets even when achieved still felt empty. Recently I decided (not related to goal setting) to just really appreciate and enjoy what I have achieved and have in my life. Just this has sent my figures and income soaring.
What a pleasure to read something that hasn’t made me feel I am underachieving or not operating efficiently. Thank you
Great insights. As a bookkeeper, I see firsthand how important it is to set clear, actionable goals—both in sales and in managing finances. Aligning daily tasks with long-term objectives keeps businesses on track and helps ensure growth. Regular goal reviews are just as essential in bookkeeping as in sales. Thanks for highlighting the value of staying focused on the big picture.
This post is a powerful reminder that goal setting isn’t just a business exercise—it’s a life strategy. I appreciate the emphasis on aligning personal and professional visions to create true fulfillment. The idea that small, daily process goals drive long-term success really resonated with me. It’s not just about hitting sales numbers—it’s about crafting a life we’re proud to live.
I really appreciated this post, especially the reminder that “work goals, selling goals, and life goals are all intertwined.” Personally, my business plan isn’t something I created just for a bank; it’s a living document that includes both my professional and personal goals. I’ve committed to reviewing it quarterly to make sure my work aligns with the bigger picture I’m working towards. Thanks for the thoughtful perspective.
Thank you for the timely reminder of diligence that helps us reach success
Lido em 25/09/25
Excelente reflexão! Mostra de forma clara que não basta apenas definir metas, mas sim colocá-las em prática no dia a dia. No final, são os pequenos passos bem direcionados que constroem grandes resultados.