Set The Bar Higher Next Time

Many of you know my story — I started selling as a teenager, struggling while homeless, new to the United States, and fighting deportation as a refugee.

It took me weeks to begin and years to understand to look at the past and improve on the next move. In the beginning I didn’t sell anything, and I didn’t know what was right or wrong —because I never analyzed it beyond the ability to have money for food.

I learned about analyzing things once I started reaching my goals. In my first few months I sold nothing. When I set a goal of one sale a day and reached it, my attitude changed and I decided to reach it for at least three days in a row, and then I’d move it up.

I quickly learned is that once I did that, it became easier to focus: I just need one sale today. Once I reached my sales for that day, I didn’t relax, but allowed myself to know that I had reached my goal for the day.

Then I decided: Now I’ve done it for three days, I’ll go for two sales per day. I broke the day in half: By noon I need one, and from noon to five, I need another. The truth is, sometimes it was 10 pm when I made that second sale.

What I learned was that as long as I sent those goals, I was willing to do what it took to make it work.

With time, I started moving it to three a day, five a day, ten a day. I became hyper-focused on two things:

1. With whom was I speaking — strangers or qualified people?
2. How often did I contact them?

That allowed me to inch my goals higher, day after day.

As you analyze and come to understand how to move your goals higher, move them one step further, or 10% higher — you decide.

BEFORE YOU GO

We see our blogs as opportunities for dialogue. Please share your thoughts as comments.

1. How often do you need to reach a goal before you set one that’s higher?
2. How much higher should you set the next goal?
3. What other things have you done to ensure your business is moving up day by day?

_____

Faris Alami is Founder and CEO of International Strategic Management, Inc. (ISM). He works internationally, presenting Exploring Entrepreneurship Workshops and other entrepreneurial ecosystem — related ventures.

#entrepreneurship #goalsetting #farisalami