Sales Training Manuals

Business Lesson: Ongoing Leader Development
I have been doing business consulting for several years. Rarely am I contacted to help a business move to the next level of growth. In fact I am typically approached only when there are major business problems to be addressed. Why do business owners and managers wait for problems before they seek help with their businesses?

As I conduct my initial fact finding efforts, I rarely find a business owner or manager who has been examining and implementing new business trends. I rarely find business owners and managers who have focused time and effort on their own personal business growth and development.

By not reading relevant books, attending seminars, taking courses and using all other means available to continue their personal growth as managers and leaders, the business owner or manager risks becoming stagnant. As times and trends change uniformed leaders find themselves in a position of missing the critical changes in the business environment. Often these critical changes equate to the difference between long-term success and failure.

Business performance (Typically a lack of performance!) becomes the reason that these managers and owners finally look outside their own business. These business owners and managers seek help in recovering lost levels of business performance. The result: Business failure, or at the very least, underperformance. Then consultants like me are asked to come in and help turn the business around.

There is a smarter and less stressful path to follow. That path? Business owners and managers need to stay current with changes that are occurring on the business world. Business owners and managers need to budget time and some money toward their own ongoing development.

This investment does not require huge amounts of time or money. What it does require is the dedication to follow through and continue to grow. It requires learning new skills, refreshing already developed skills, and being open to new ideas and approaches.

Often the biggest challenge will be determining the key nuggets of information, and then applying those key nuggets to current management methods and business operations.

There are many sources of information. These include colleges (Many community colleges offer free/low cost courses.), seminars (In-person and teleconferences.), books (Name the topic, and there is almost always a newly released title available.), magazines (Current trends and business problems are well-covered.), and many more. Many of the best sources for both leader development and emerging trend for your specific industry can be found online.

There are many other benefits from continued learning and development. This is especially true at in-person events. One of the greatest benefits to continued development is the networking that often accompanies the training. Lifelong friendships can be formed. Business mentors and advisors can be found. The opportunity to help others in the search for business success can present itself too.

An enlightened leader is a leader who is most likely to be a success.

Bob Hamilton is a business author (His first business novel is WINNING BASICS – A Story of Leadership, Communication and Inspiration ISBN 1-4137-9684-2.), online business writer, and business consultant and trainer. http//www.RobertBHamilton.com http//www.marketingsuccesscenter.com, http//www.cooksbestbooks.com http//www.openingadollarstore.com and business consultant. Bob can be reached rbhamil1@aol.com.

What do you want it to do?
"What do you want it to do?" That's all he asked: My wife and I stopped into a car dealership last night to look at cars. We were met by Robert who asked politely if he could help us. After we convinced him that we had no idea what we were looking for and just wanted to wander the lot, he told us to take our time and left us alone. Mistakenly, I thought I had shaken him. On the way back to our car, Robert appeared again. He asked if we had found anything we liked and again I said that we were just looking and still had no idea whether we wanted an SUV, a minivan or a 4 door. I thought that level of vagueness, which was the actual truth, would end the conversation. Not so. Robert started in. "I understand your confusion. There is so much to choose from. But just think of it this way:what do you want it to do?" Then he shut up. Instantly, my wife said it had to carry stuff from the hardware store and be drivable by someone under five feet tall. I insisted that it held 5-6 people and have plenty of luggage room. Within two minutes Robert had gathered every requirement that we had discussed together as we considered a new car. His next comment was irresistible. He asked, "May I show you a car that fits that description and will absolutely astound you?" How do you say no to someone who has just offered to give you exactly what you wanted and needed? You don't, and that's the point. I have to admit that I don't find many shining examples of great salesmanship at car dealerships, but Robert was an exception. What he understood was the essence of consultative selling. Be of service, determine the need, and offer informed solutions. At virtually every other dealership we visited, we were either ignored or greeted by a sales person who was quick to launch into the strengths of their brand without a clue what we were looking for. They could have been replaced with a tape machine that just played over and over. Most companies spend weeks teaching their new sales people the details of their product or service. They want to create experts who can go out into the world and serve their clients. While that's all well and good, most spend a small fraction of that time teaching their new recruits how to sell those same products or services. In my experience, there is little correlation between product expertise and sales results. Don't get me wrong, I think product knowledge is critical to success. I just don't see that the ones who know it best are the ones who sell the most. In fact, I often find top sales performers who are adept at leveraging off the knowledge of others because they know they lack some of the depth required to consummate the deal. The best sales people are the ones that have the desire and the ability to determine what the client wants and needs, and the skill to match them with a set of possible solutions. That's consultative selling. You might also be interested in a new article entitled, "How to Leave a Voice Mail That Gets Results". You can get a free copy by sending an email to article16@waterhousegroup.com. Stephen Waterhouse is Principal and Founder of Waterhouse Group (www.waterhousegroup.com), a sales training company that helps companies increase their sales and profits. He can be reached at 1-800-57-LEARN or steve@waterhousegroup.com. Re-Print Permission This article may be reprinted in it's entirety if the following conditions are met: The complete tag with the author's name and contact information is included immediately after the article. A copy of the printed article is mailed to the author at 1467 Walnut Creek Drive, Orange Park, FL 32003 within 30 days of publication. The article is presented in a positive light as part of an appropriate business related publication.

Steve Waterhouse, CSP Founder and President Steve Waterhouse's career as a record setting sales professional and sales manager make him uniquely qualified to help companies dramatically improve sales and increase profits.

Are You Marketing or Selling?
Once upon a time there was a deaf salesman named Aesop. He tried to sell his wares to the blind brothers Grimm, but no matter how much he elaborated on the features of his wares, the brothers Grimm could not see the benefits. The brothers tried to explain to Aesop that they could not see the features that he described so eloquently, and that they would like to hold the wares so they could appreciate them from their own perspectives. Unfortunately, Aesop was busy talking and could not hear their requests, so the parties separated in mutual frustration and disappointment. How could the grim results of this fable be avoided? There are two schools of sales, these are Fishing with a Big Net and the Fly Fisherman. Fishing with a Big Net requires an investment in marketing, continually disseminating your message about features and hoping that you will catch some consumers. Imagine dropping a big net of the side of your boat and hoping that when you pull it up that you will have some small fish inside it. If you drop a small net, you might catch a few fish. If you want an abundance of fish then you need to invest in a bigger net and be prepared to cast it repeatedly in different waters. On the other hand, if you are a Fly Fisherman, you take pride in preparing very specific and customized lures in the right waters to catch the big fish. It requires patience and precision to cast your line in the right place and gradually pull the big fish to shore. There is an art to the cast, and also to the give and take that it takes to reel in the reward. Being a fly fisherman requires patience and skill. If you have direct contact with potential clients or customers, then stop selling and start listening. There is a fundamental flaw in the perception of sales that any person or organization can be sold at any time. This fundamental flaw presumes that people are trophies to be won, and does not recognize the human element of relationships that is so important to being an effective sales professional. If you would like to increase your effectiveness in sales, know what you have to offer and listen to what the customer has to tell you. The customer has needs, budget, schedules and personal goals. If the items that you have to offer can fit into the customer plans, then you can work together to integrate your solution with their needs. Otherwise, you are trying to sell a hairbrush to a bald man, and the features don't really matter. If your focus is the intent to convey your message, your features and your benefits, then you have just limited the potential for your success. Most customers don't really care very much about what you have to offer to everyone else, they are really interested in understanding if what you have to offer can meet their personal requirements. This presumes that you have taken the time to listen and understand what their requirements are! If the customer asks about you or your product and indicates interest, then tell them. Sometimes this is an intent for the customer to determine if they can trust you, and sometimes it is an interest in your product. Listen to the customer so you can tell the difference and respond accordingly. If the customer is hesitant, take time to build trust. It is more important to be trusted than to close a sale. Trust creates an opportunity for a future relationship and potential for more sales opportunities. Without trust, you may or may not be successful with the one time sale. if the customer wants to talk then listen. Encourage the customer to engage in conversation. Take time to learn what is important to them, what they value, their goals, their budget and their schedule. Sometimes the sales event is near at hand, and sometimes it is something that will come in time. Be patient and prepared to move at the pace of your client or customer and your pipeline will always be full. If the customer pauses in conversation then wait for them. A pause in conversation is an opportunity for internal reflection and introspection. Far too often professional sales people feel compelled to fill a gap in conversation with a sudden burst of feature descriptions. It is far better to nurture the silence and allow the customer time to contemplate the conversation. This means that the message is being digested and thoughtfully considered, this is a good thing. Even if your customers are blind to the features of your wares, you can be a successful sales professional if you listen to your customers. You are asking your customers to make some sort of purchase, to trust you with an investment of their hard earned money. Big or small, one time sale or renewing contract, you are asking for their trust and confidence in you. What better way to build trust than to give the gift of your interest in that person? What better way to demonstrate your interest than to listen to what they have to say? ______________________________________________________ Words of Wisdom "We've all heard the criticism "he talks too much". When was the last time you heard someone criticized for listening too much?" - Norm Augustine, Chairman, Lockheed Martin "Listen carefully for personal values expressed within the spoken words and you will discover the intent as well as the meaning." - John Mehrmann, Executive Blueprints Inc "Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of flattery." - Dr. Joyce Brothers ______________________________________________________ About the Author: John Mehrmann is a freelance writer and President of Executive Blueprints Inc., an organization devoted to improving business practices and developing human capital. www.ExecutiveBlueprints.com provides resource materials for trainers, sample Case Studies, educational articles and references to local affiliates for consulting and executive coaching. http://www.InstituteforAdvancedLeadership.com provides self-paced tutorials for personal development and tools for trainers. Presentation materials, reference guides and exercises are available for continuous development.

John Mehrmann is a freelance author, industry expert and President of Executive Blueprints Inc, an organization dedicated to developing human capital and personal growth.

How To Set and Achieve Your Goals-Guaranteed
You can have whatever you want in life as soon as you stop believing you can’t have it. 95% of people don’t achieve the goals they set. Why is that? It’s because not only were the goals not set correctly, but there was no belief in the structure they have created. Let’s remember first off, to be successful in anything requires not only focus, but a lot of hard work and dedication as well. If you want something badly enough you will find a way of having it, but if you would only like it, it is not as important, so you can make due without it. Therefore, the “why� has to be stronger than the “want�, if you don’t know why you want something then you will never achieve it. So then, sit down and have a good think of all the reasons as to why you want to be successful and achieve these goals, and when the why is stronger than the want, then you will succeed. What’s that I hear you say? You don’t know how to set goals, never mind achieve them. You are not on your own in that area, as most people feel the same. Don’t believe me? Well have a think for a moment, how may people set new years resolutions and achieve them? Yes, that’s right, practically none. Ok, OK. I’ll tell you now how to set and achieve your goals, but first you need to go and get some large sheets of paper and a pencil, a cup of your favourite brew get yourself comfortable and we’ll begin. Ready? Good. On the first sheet of paper I want you to write down everything in your life that you DON’T WANT. As you write them down I want you to write in explicit detail as to WHY you don’t want them. Please take time to do this exercise as it is very important to get it right. Finished? Good, I bet you found that to be an eye opening exercise, didn’t you? Now that you have that done I have a question for you and don’t worry, the answer is very simple. Ready? “What is the opposite to what you don’t want?� YES! I told you it was easy. So now, get your next sheet of paper side by side with the “what you don’t want list� and start writing WHAT YOU DO WANT and again explain in detail as to WHY you want it. Now you know how to set and achieve goals in the future, really very easy isn’t it? I was once told that a goal should frighten you a bit and excite you a lot. Think about that for a moment. If it doesn’t frighten you, then you are still in your comfort zone and you are going nowhere. Fast. You will stay stuck in your rut, and if you don’t know what a rut is- it’s a grave with the ends kicked out. Here is another little bit of food for thought and it is that you can not expect to travel along the same road every day and expect to arrive at a different destination You should start by setting short (1month), medium (6 months), and long term goals (12months).These should then be broken down daily targets set out on your “Things to Do� list. Remember that if your daily goals or targets aren’t achieved then nothing is achieved. Think about it: if the daily ones aren’t done then the weekly ones aren’t done, then the monthly ones aren’t done, etc. If the goals really, really motivate you, and gets your blood pumping so much that you’re running on pure adrenalin and you are so excited you cannot contain it. What’s going to stop you know from achieving your goals? Answer - Nothing To get my FREE 5 part training course go to www.thehandsontrainingsystem.com. Now and enroll. Yours in Success Leslie Johnston

Leslie Johnston has been in sales and Management since 1969 and during that time has worked in the Tire Industry until 1981 and then in the financial services until 2000. He is a very entertaining and dynamic speaker and as a sales trainer he is truly awesome and highly motivational. Since the mid Seventies he has conducted hundreds of seminars and training courses during that time. He has now retired from selling but keeps extremely active speaking and teaching others how to sell. All of the sales training that he received in his early days he reckoned that some thing was missing and it was all what he calls “Product Bashing� and then spent the next 5 years studying and experimenting on how to “Problem Solve “ and his sales figures went through the roof. Follow what he teaches you to do and just watch your income GROW!

A "Warm Calling" vs. "Cold Calling" Rant
Had another conversation with yet another entrepreneur who told me he does not "cold call," he only does "warm calls." I continue to be baffled by those who cut off possibilities with a semantic twist. "Cold call, warm call," it's simply a state of mind. Your mind. Your prospect does not make those distinctions. Just because you have designated a call to be "warm" doesn't mean that the person you are calling thinks it's "warm." This "warm call/cold call" concept is a smoke screen that covers the real issue. The real issue is controlling your message. The real issue is being able to communicate with a prospect so that they understand and resonate with what you have to say. The real issue is about having the skill necessary to communicate with a prospect under any circumstance. Prospecting by phone, introductory calling as I prefer, is a communication skill. Like any communication skill it can be learned and it can be improved upon. The idea when introductory calling is to contact a qualified prospect and entice them with your message. You have a brief amount of time on the telephone to catch and engage your prospect. If you are not able to do that, the call ends without achieving your desired result. If you have the proper skills, however, it is possible to have extremely productive conversations with prospects no matter how you choose to categorize them, "warm" or "cold." The idea of a "warm call" is that you've had some prior contact with your prospect and that you have somehow "warmed up" the call. The prior contact might be with a letter sent before your call, it might be that you have encountered the prospect elsewhere it could also be that you have a referral. All too frequently callers who use the "I only warm call" approach do not adequately prepare for their calls. Instead, they rely on the appellation "warm." If you are one of these callers, stop right here and ask yourself these questions: --> How many "warm" prospects have said "no" to me over the years? --> Would those calls have been more productive if I had been better prepared and more in control of my message? Although you may have sent a letter, you have no guarantee that your prospect has read it. Although you may have met previously, your prospect may not recall that. Although you may have a referral that is no guarantee that your prospect will meet with you or have any interest at all in your products or services. When you are on the phone with a prospect you must deal with them, where they are, at that particular moment in time. If your prospect hasn't read your letter, doesn't remember the person who referred you, or is simply having a bad day, that's out of your control. What is within your control when prospecting is to have honed your skills so that your message is clear and so that you can respond in any situation. When you have skills, you know how to catch a prospect's attention, you know how to keep their attention, you know how to respond to questions and objections and you know how to ask for what you want. When you have those skills it's no longer about a "warm" call or a "cold" call, it's about communication, conversation and results. © 2006 Wendy Weiss

Wendy Weiss, "The Queen of Cold Calling," is a sales trainer, author and sales coach. Her recently released program, Cold Calling College, and/or her book, Cold Calling for Women, can be ordered by visiting http://www.wendyweiss.com. Contact her at wendy@wendyweiss.com. Get Wendy's free e-zine at http://www.wendyweiss.com.

Have You Seen This ???
I stumbled upon a very interesting website recently. I've been spending some
time going through it and personally,I feel it's a very useful site... I even
learnt a couple of new things! Just thought it might be useful for you too.

There's also some cool movie-style animation on the website for you to watch.

You don’t want to miss this.

Check it out, it's at http://www.preenroller.com/pramod

Cheers:
Pramod kumar shah
http://www.preenroller.com/pramod

I am associated with a company called SkyQuetCom. You can visit our website: http://www.skyquestcom.com/pramod

Powerful, Persuasive & Motivating Language
I did a teleconference a few weeks ago with people who were new
in sales and new to prospecting. The focus of the call was to
help participants get beyond fear and understand their
prospecting process.

One of the participants on the call told me that she had been
given the telephone prospecting script that her team leader uses
to set appointments. The team leader was a highly successful
sales professional who had been in the business for many years
and made quite a lot of money. The participant, who had been in
the business for approximately a week, told me that she was going
to work with the script and "make it her own."

"No!" I cried out. "Don't do that! Don't make it your own!"

My reasoning? This participant was a beginner. She knew nothing
about sales or prospecting. She had a script that was crafted by
someone who was highly successful on the telephone. This
particular participant did not know enough to make it her own.
More than likely, in making the script her own she would
eliminate all of the powerful, persuasive and motivating language
used by the sales super star who had given her the script.

When you are on the telephone with a prospect you have about 10
seconds to grab and hold your prospect's attention. If you do not
do that within that first 10 seconds, your call is more than
likely over. If you get through that first 10 seconds, that buys
you another 10 seconds. If you get through that 10 seconds it
buys you yet another... and so on... 10 seconds is not a lot of time.
To get through those 10-second increments, you want to use the
most powerful and persuasive words that you have at your
disposal.

If you are a beginner it is entirely possible, indeed even
likely, that you may not be comfortable with certain powerful
words or phrases. They may be very unlike your usual way of
speaking. Even if you've been in sales for a while you might be
set in your ways, accustomed to certain words and a certain
delivery, and changing that might feel uncomfortable.

I've met many people who say they do not want to work with
scripts because then they "cannot be themselves." Remembering
that your prospecting call happens in 10-second increments you
want to be the very best self that you can be, every time. That
requires preparation.

One of the things that I've always loved about being in sales is
that it is crystal clear. You always know exactly where you are.
You are either scheduling appointments, or you're not. You are
either closing, or you're not.

If you are new to sales and a successful professional gives you
their script--don't change a word. That script will be your gold
mine. If you've been in sales for a while and want to try out a
new script, test it first. Your old script becomes your baseline.
For example, make 30 prospecting calls using your usual script
and keep track of the number of appointments that you schedule.
Then make 30 more prospecting calls using your new script exactly
as written. Keep track of the number of appointments that you
schedule. At the end of those 60 calls you will know which script
works better. That becomes your new baseline.

© 2006 Wendy Weiss

Wendy Weiss, "The Queen of Cold Calling," is a sales trainer, author and sales coach. Her recently released program, Cold Calling College, and/or her book, Cold Calling for Women, can be ordered by visiting http://www.wendyweiss.com. Contact her at wendy@wendyweiss.com. Get Wendy's free e-zine at http://www.wendyweiss.com.

THE SALES WORKOUT! BLAST THOSE QUADS!
Stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down, thats what the sales workout is all about! This new workout is a great way to increase sales and burn some calories, all in a days work! Stand Up! I had quite the epiphany a few weeks ago. I was getting less and less motivated as the day went on. I spend the majority of the day on the phone and I found by about 2pm, I may as well have called it quits for the day. Everytime the phone rang I would get more and more resentful, which is a terrible thing since I, more or less, make money on every phone call I take (not really, its more of a numbers game, but you get the idea). I wanted to find a way to stay on my game all day and make every minute count. Then I remembered a line in the movie 'Boiler Room' when Ben Affleck says “stand up, move around, motion creates emotion�; he is in reference to making sales calls in this scene. So I decided to put it to the test. I banned myself from sitting for a good 2 or 3 hours one afternoon and my productivity went through the roof! Everyday since then I have blocked off 2.5 hours in the morning and 2.5 hours in the afternoon to stand up, dial, and smile! I have had the most productive few weeks than I have had in a while! Here is a trick to get yourself started on the right foot in the morning. Let's call this part 'stretching'. I read this from another sales author, and I would like to give him or her credit, but I can't remember where I saw it or who wrote it! He/she said to do 5 calls by 9am to get your blood going and get used to being on the phone for the day. He/she called it the '5 by 9'. Everyday I write out a little note that says '5 by 9' and put it by the phone. Then I put a check mark for every call I make until 9am. When I hit the 5 calls (which is usually by about 8:58 a.m., I can't lie) I sit back, log on to Dilbert.com, check my email, go through my voicemail, do all that less-productive stuff, then I start hitting the phones again at 9:20am or 9:30am. Sit Down! Incidentially, the same week I had the 'stand up' epiphany, I was listening to a Brian Tracy audio program called 'The Psychology of Selling' and he talks about the importance of sitting down when you are selling in person. He says that standing up during a sales meeting cheapens your product or service considerably. I don't do a lot of in-person sales, but I can think about all the times I have bought larger ticket items (like a house for example) and the sales consultants always have you come in their office, sit down, they usually get you a beverage, then you go over the paperwork in a relaxed environment. If I was a bettin' man, I would think that standing during a presentation makes the buyer feel more rushed, like the sales person doesn't really have time for you and wants to get on to the next customer. Summary In addition to making more money, you will also strengthen those quads and have more energy following my new sales workout! Try it for a week and see what your numbers look like! I can guarantee that you will see results that fast! Share your results with me! I would love to hear them. Dale@SmallBiz-Mechanic.com

Dale Robert is a Career & Small Business Coach. Visit him online at http://www.Career-Mechanic.com and http://www.SmallBiz-Mechanic.com. Email him for a copy of his free Job Search ebook

Ways To Improve Your Selling
It has long been known that until something is sold, nothing else happens. The selling profession is therefore one of the most challenging and most profitable career paths one can choose. And for those with an innate ability to sell, it can be gratifying and profitable from day one. Others, who may want the income and freedom that comes from sales but who are not as naturally gifted, will benefit from a few specific tips on their way to improving sales.

First, acknowledge what type of sales you're best at. Door to door business to consumer, telemarketing, corporate business to business, and online are all different ways of selling. And while most salespeople must focus intensely on prospecting and business development, many in the corporate business to business sales world are responsible for closing million dollar deals in partnership with others at their company who generate the lead. Once you've narrowed down the type of sales you're best at, which may take years as you progress through your sales career, there are some additional resources that could help you.

Sales coaching is a new form of improving your sales. You partner weekly with a veteran salesperson outside of your company who works with you on specific techniques, motivations, scripts, behavioral training, or attacks the call reluctance or lack of confidence you may feel in your role. The sales coach is your advocate, someone who has experience working with many types of salespeople and can assist you with a perspective that only an unbiased third party can provide.

Another resource is lead generation. Specifically, find, hire, or create a method of generating more leads. Sales ultimately is a numbers game - the more leads you have in your pipeline, the greater your chances of closing more deals. If you can pay someone to generate more leads or create a direct marketing method of generating interest, much of your hard work will be done for you. This would free you up to focus on closing deals and generating income.

The final resource to consider is one not many people think of, but can be tremendously valuable. This idea was first proposed by Ben Franklin and popularized by BLANK in Think and Grow Rich. Create a mastermind of salespeople. This requires some work up front but could pay great dividends, especially if you don't compete directly and mutually respect each other. A group like this could have various forms - you could be local to each other and meet weekly, or connect online or by phone on a regular basis, you could all be part of the same industry but sell in non-competitive territories, or you could hire a coach among you to assist each of you in getting the most out of this process. It's been proven time and again that a mastermind group of similarly driven and focused salespeople could be one of the most beneficial things you do.

Regardless, if you're committed to sales success, you must continually improve yourself using either motivational techniques, lead generation and prospecting resources, or outside support from coaches or mastermind teams.

Dave Lloyd can be reached at publisheremail@gmail.com and has written an online guide to improving your selling at <a href="http://www.sellingshortcuts.com" title="http://www.sellingshortcuts.com" target="_blank">http://www.sellingshortcuts.com</a>

Why You Need Written Goals & Plans.
When you only think about your dreams and desires in your mind all you have are wishes. These thoughts can move you forward toward these dreams slowly if they dominate your mind, but there is a much faster method to get what you want.

When you write your dreams and desires down on paper you have created plans. You have written goals. Wishes will never change your life and get you what you want and deserve. Plans and goals will make all your dreams and desires come true. Written plans are your blueprints to attain everything you want in life. They are your step-by-step roadmaps that move you forward quickly toward your desired destinations. All successful people have written plans. Now you will have them also because you are going to be successful.

Without detailed, written plans for each day, week, month and year for the rest of your life you'll be like a leaf blowing in the wind. Whichever way the winds decide to blow is the direction your life will take. Daily situations, the environment you work in, and other people will dictacte the direction of your life, not you. Does this sound familiar?

If you get in your car and begin driving with no plans or directions where will you end up? If you are living your life with no written directions and plans you have no idea of what your life will be like in the future and it's like you are driving with no directions. Is this you? If so, you're now going to learn how to take complete control of all areas of your life and formulate your plans for your future life. You're going to know what direction you are going in. You're going to learn how get anything you want. And you'll learn to do this with "baby-step" goal setting. You take small steps that lead you to the completion of small goals. This leads you to accomplish much more than making unrealistic plans for major goals that are hard to attain and take a long time to realize. And these small "baby-step" goals build upon each other quickly and move you powerfully toward all your larger goals.

The above examples should open your eyes and show you the importance of having written plans for your life. This is how you take control and take charge of your life FROM THIS DAY FORWARD. Most people simply do not take the time to plan out their lives. They don't realize how critically important this is and they don't make it a high priority in their lives. Big mistake!

Let me ask you a question...do you have written plans for your life at this very moment? Probably not. But once you decide to take the time necessary to map out what you want in life in all areas of your life, and how you're going to get there, a huge burden is immediately removed from you. Why? Because for the first time in your life you actually know what you really want and the steps necessary to get there. Once you have written plans for next month, 6 months, a year, five years, and ten years into your future you feel so much better because you now have created your own personal roadmap and this increases your hope for getting all the things you want. You've shown yourself how to get the life of your dreams for the first time and this is very powerful. Your confidence about accomplishing these goals soars. You know what you need to do now to get what you want. You begin to think it really is possible. This is a great feeling.

These plans will be adjusted on a constant basis over time and this is normal. But once you have this outline of your future life, you make the adjustments necessary over time to refine the actions needed and speed up your journey. You planning skills increase over time and you become a master planner and nothing can stop you from getting what you want because you have all the necessary actions mapped out in detail.

You learn planning skills to use in your work, your family life and relationships, your health, your fun time, and all other areas of your life. When you decide you want something you write out a plan and follow it and you know you're going to get it. Written planning and goal setting isn't glamourous, but it is one of the most powerful methods known to get what you want in life.

All successful people in all walks of life are good planners. They write a plan for everything they want. This skill is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for everyone who wants to change their life. And it's an easy, powerful skill to learn and master. You just have to CHOOSE to do it.

excerpt from "Learn the Natural Laws of Living & Double Your Sales & Income In the Next 12 Months!"

Doug Allan Dammeier is an author, freelance copywriter, sales trainer, and life coach who lives on a pristine, spring-fed lake up in the mountains of western Washington state. His latest training course is "Learn the Natural Laws of Living & Double Your Sales & Income In the Next 12 Months!"