Goals seem like they should be so simple to accomplish. Realistically they are depending on approach and how we go about them.
Personally I have failed and continue to fail at goals that I set out for myself and honestly as much as it sucks it’s not always a bad thing.
If I look back over the past few weeks I have been pretty mentally down from a feeling unsuccessful. In my career day to day sure I climbed the ranks of the corporate ladder getting into management only to be micro managed more than if I was still in a sales role.
That being said I stilled climbed and got to the position I thought I wanted.
Management has always been a goal of mine as I put it on a pedestal even back when I was still selling cars. There was just something about it. In car sales I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I would be considered the closer that comes in and closes that grinding customer that said they weren’t buying.
Or desking a deal as we called it when we came up with numbers based off payments and trades that looked most appealing. Going through the negotiation process. That part was always fun for me.
The problem for me I never actually committed to a job long enough to move into the position and felt like I was entitled based off what ever reason I could come up with to go into management. I proved I could sell cars sure but if I didn’t get the position in six months I would leave and find the next company that offered the potential to move up. Constantly jumping around dealership to dealership with no consistency. Honestly I feel like this was an on going trend in my life at this stage.
Fast forward I decided I wanted to go into the financial industry. Learning all I could about the market and investments. Leading me to become an advisor. I went private at first working with a company getting my life insurance license and mutual funds license to build my own portfolio. This wasn’t easy as it was a constant struggle to find business. Learning I wasn’t actually hungry for business nor did I have any specific goals to actually track my success and how I was going to build.
Looking for other opportunities in the same industry I took a job with the bank. I had to start out at the bottom. The difference this time I set out a plan, to climb quickly to the position I wanted.
Walking into the role I wanted to be a Financial Advisor.
Essentially starting out as a Jr. I knew that I had to prove myself.
With a direction and knowing what I had to do it was like the process to climb went easy and smoothly. After about a year and a half I was a financial advisor and another year after that I was a Sr. Financial Advisor.
This was a great accomplishment.
My main goal in the role was motivated by something I loved working on and talking about and that was investments.
My first 6 months as an advisor, I worked the role for only six months in that fiscal I set a low target to see if I could get it. That was 3 million in investments new money. With hitting my goal for that year I knew I had to do more moving forward. The goal was low and easily accomplished.
I set out a goal for myself to hit 10 million in investments and if I could achieve that, not only would I be a top performer but I would also get a great bonus.
I wanted to stand out as a top performer. This was the goal that would put me amongst the top across my region.
The consistent pattern here was always creating the goal. This is something that we all know and have done for many years. The thing we typically forget to do though is create an action plan for this goal.
Going back to my story above.
The goal to climb through the ranks was about proving my worth. I broke that 10 million down into quarters initially. This is so the target didn’t seem so daunting. Then further into months. Allowing me to target a smaller number and get excited and celebrate the small victories.
Moving into the financial advisor role I started with a new portfolio so initially it was easy as any client I worked with had a great opportunity. However the trick was new business to the bank or else it didn’t really count. With a in flux of new clients that qualified to work with an advisor it was time to book my meetings.
Each meeting comes with a goal. To deepen my relationship with that client and get new business.
One thing I realize is people forget how important rapport is. The goal for each of these meetings weren’t to discuss bringing new business into the bank it was about rapport. Building the relationship that would give me the right to have the discussion their finances and the money they hold at other institutions. Rapport to me is the most important part of building my business and having the relationships with the client.
Normally accomplishing this in the first part of the meeting I was then able to dig deep into their finances.
If the client opened up about the money or mortgages they had outside my bank and gave me the information to further do my job. This was a success.
This is something that could be tracked as I was able to start building my funnel.
Seems so basic but a process that many people seem to forget. Before the client leaves I would pre-book the next meeting and outline what to expect. Setting the frame work moving forward there was always a goal attached to every meeting.
Not only was I focused on working with my goals but more importantly the clients goals. In the financial world that could be retirement, first home, traveling, paying off debt an array of different financial goals.
There is an ongoing trend here where we always have a goal. We have an action plan to accomplish the goal. Accomplishing the goal might not happen right away. It's about taking the small steps to getting to the end results.
Looking at the ultimate goal of becoming a Sr. Financial Advisor was based off building my portfolio to a certain point. It was also about the complexity of the portfolio and business I brought in. The idea behind investments was to have as much possible in the market. Not only is this good for the client based off building their future. It also gave the portfolio the complexity to move me up into the role I wanted.
I accomplished each goal. I surpassed my target of 10 million in investments new money to the bank along with mortgages. Giving me the promotion to Sr. Financial Advisor. This was all done with a plan and a clear outline of how I was going to accomplish it.
I wasn’t done there though.
I decided I wanted to take another step further and go into management. At this point I had created my own destiny by accomplishing so much in such a short time.
In less that 5 years with the bank I went through 4 promotions into management.
If I didn’t have a direction on where I wanted to go and how to get there I wouldn’t be sitting in the position I am today.
I wouldn’t be writing this now.
It’s not about boasting about my success and what I accomplished.
It's about realizing if I can do, it you can.
Realizing as soon as you make a mind shift in the thought process, have a plan built around the end goal, you can accomplish anything if you really want it.
Working in the car industry I felt like I would amount to nothing constantly struggling financially. Never have a house always in debt struggling pay cheque to pay cheque.
I never did any special schooling I was determined with a plan on how to get to the end results. Which at the end of the day is how you accomplish your goals.
I learned that valuable lesson by working in dealerships. Consistency, determination, and discipline can build the life and outlook you have in mind.
Things might not always look optimistic for the future, least they didn’t for me but I wouldn’t let that get me down and neither should you.
Sit down write out your goals. Create an action plan that has small tasks inside each of those goals. Stepping stones to get you to the end results. Break the goals down into weeks outlining the tasks each week that keep you focused.
It seems like a lot of work but it really is minimal in the grand plan when looking at reaching your level of success.
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