Success is the continual achievement of your predetermined goals stabilized by balance, purified by belief, aligned to your purpose, and fueled by your passion.

A New Definition for Success

Many sales experts, including sales coaches, share quotes about sales success or success in general. These words of wisdom sometimes include the word determination. Yet determination is almost a smokescreen hiding one of the essential keys to sales success.

Years ago I learned this definition of success from Resource Associates Corporation and discovered what was hiding within many definitions of success:

“Success is the continual achievement of your predetermined goals stabilized by balance and purified by belief.”

You must predetermine your actions. Spraying and praying your actions will not yield the success you want.

Later, I amended this great definition of success by adding these two clauses:

“Success is the continual achievement of your predetermined goals stabilized by balance, purified by belief, aligned to your purpose, and fueled by your passion.”

I believe misalignment of purpose happens with determined actions. As a colleague said, “People confuse motion with progress and activity with results.”

Sales success begins and ends with predetermined actions. President Eisenhower said, “Plans are worthless; planning is everything.” Determined actions are the plans, while predetermined actions are the planning.

Predetermined beginning actions include making lists. Reflection is a companion to predetermined actions because you are thinking specifically about what you need to do before you take determined action.

The end of daily predetermined actions is reflection:

• How did the day go?
• What went well?
• What didn’t go as well as planned?
• Whom did you fail?
• Who helped you?
• What actions will you take tomorrow?

As you embrace each day, write down what actions are necessary to move you forward to achieve your desired sales results. Then predetermined actions will become an attitude, a habit of thought, and propel you toward the sales success finish line.