Let's start with something really simple, goal setting. If you want to be successful in sales you need to set and meet goals. The purpose of the goal is to motivate you to stay focused on your strategy. This can be applied to selling insurance or technology or tires. Here is how you do it:

Develop a Value Proposition: What is it that you do or make and why is it superior than the competition? We do _____ better than everyone else because _______.
Identify Your Prospects: Who are your potential customers? Make a list based on industry, location, annual sales, or any other demographic that helps you organize them.
Set Goals for All of Your Metrics: How many sales do you need to pay the bills? How many opportunities to get 1 sales? How many meetings to identify 1 opportunity? Finally, how many cold calls to get a meeting?

I set many small goals on a daily basis to help me stay focused. I have goals for my personal fitness program. When I lived in Florida I would run 5 miles a day, 3 days a week. This helped me burn calories, but more importantly it built up my cardio for playing soccer. Now I live in NYC and soccer is viewed more than it is played. I now hit the weights, to manage my weight, 3 days a week.

When it comes to my job as an inside salesperson, I have many goals. Some of them are set for me and others I set for myself. My success starts with my cold calls. To hit my financial goal, I know that I need to make at least 150 cold calls per month. This is because I know how many cold calls it takes me to get a meeting, how many meetings before I can open an opportunity in my pipeline, and how many opportunities I need to get a sale.

Your first goal should be to set some goals.

-R