World Class Selling_ Podcast 08 - Crafting and Achieving Goals
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[00:00:03] Grace: Hi, everyone! I’m Grace, and I’m thrilled to be guest hosting today’s episode of World Class Selling. If you’ve been with us since the beginning, you’re used to hearing Will’s voice—he’s been a phenomenal host for our first seven episodes. Will is taking a well-deserved sabbatical, and while he’s recharging, I’ll be one of a few voices guiding you through the next leg of this journey.
[00:00:23] Grace: Today, Jason and Marissa are exploring a topic that hits home for anyone who wants to succeed: goal setting. Drawing from Chapter 22, Setting Goals, from Roy Chitwood’s book, World Class Selling, they explore why goal-setting isn’t just motivational fluff—it’s a critical discipline that separates high performers from the rest. You’ll hear about the surprising power of writing goals down, why your goals need to be yours, and how to break long-term dreams into daily action steps. Whether you’re chasing a sales milestone, personal growth, or that dream vacation, this episode will inspire you to aim higher and act with clarity.
[00:01:00] Grace: Let’s get into it.
[00:01:05] Marissa: Okay, think about this for a second. There's this study, right? It followed a graduating class for 20 years.
[00:01:11] Jason: 20 years, wow. Yeah.
[00:01:13] Marissa: And what they found was pretty amazing. Only 3% of them had actually written down their goals and, you know, kept adjusting them.
[00:01:20] Jason: Just 3%.
[00:01:21] Marissa: Just three. But here's the kicker. Yeah. That tiny group ended up achieving more financially than the entire other 97% put together.
[00:01:31] Jason: That's incredible. Yeah. It, it really makes you stop and think, doesn't it? Mm. Is there really a connection between setting goals and actual success?
[00:01:38] Marissa: Exactly. Because so many of us fall into week full thinking, you know?
[00:01:41] Jason: Well, absolutely. We all have general desires, things we'd like to have and a better job, save more for retirement. Sure. But if you ask someone, okay, what's your specific plan for the next few years for that job or your savings? Often? Well, it gets a bit vague.
[00:01:55] Marissa: Right? It's hoping versus planning.
[00:01:57] Jason: Precisely. And that's different from what you see with really successful people. They often have this history of setting clear targets.
[00:02:03] Marissa: Like Curtis Carlson, the founder of Carlson Companies.
[00:02:07] Jason: Yeah, good example. His goal when he started out as a salesman was, what, a hundred dollars a week?
[00:02:13] Marissa: Sounds small now, but back then...
[00:02:14] Jason: It was a specific, measurable target and look where it led a company with billions in sales. So it's not just motivational fluff. It's a practice.
[00:02:25] Marissa: And that brings us to what we're exploring today. Drawing from Roy Chitwood's book, World-Class Selling. A really key point he makes right off the bat is crucial.
[00:02:33] Jason: Which is...
[00:02:33] Marissa: These goals, they have to be yours, really? Yours, deep down.
[00:02:38] Jason: Oh yes. Personal and meaningful. Because if it's not something you genuinely want, you just won't stick with the actions needed, right? Mm-hmm. The drive won't be there when things get tough.
[00:02:47] Marissa: Exactly. So the first big takeaway from Chitwood seems to be. Set big goals.
[00:02:52] Jason: Big goals, and he doesn't just mean slightly by, he means things that genuinely light a fire under you.
[00:02:58] Marissa: Stuff that gets you excited beyond just paying the bills or the usual routine, right?
[00:03:02] Jason: Think about doubling your income or maybe becoming the absolute top person in your field, your sales team.
[00:03:07] Marissa: Or owning that dream house you always pictured, or taking that once in a lifetime trip.
[00:03:12] Jason: Those kinds of things. They create real energy, real drive.
[00:03:15] Marissa: Okay, sometimes that feels unrealistic, doesn't it? You might think, come on, double my income? That's just a dream.
[00:03:22] Jason: Sure, it can feel that way, but Chitwood pushes back on that. He points to things like humans walking on the moon.
[00:03:29] Marissa: Yeah, that definitely seemed impossible for a long time.
[00:03:32] Jason: Totally impossible until it wasn't. It happened because there was a clear, massive goal and people relentlessly work towards it.
[00:03:39] Marissa: So the idea is don't limit yourself right out of the gate.
[00:03:43] Jason: Exactly. Chitwood actually suggest taking a few dedicated hours just to think, really brainstorm about what you want from life and set some of those big goals. He sees it as a high value use of your time.
[00:03:55] Marissa: An investment in your own future direction. Okay, so we've got these big exciting goals. What's next in Chitwood's framework?
[00:04:02] Jason: The next step is thinking long-term.
[00:04:04] Marissa: Long-term. How long is long-term?
[00:04:06] Jason: He talks about five years or more because let's be honest, really significant achievements, they take time.
[00:04:12] Marissa: Yeah, they don't happen overnight.
[00:04:13] Jason: Right. And these long-term goals, they give you direction, like a compass. They also give you resilience.
[00:04:21] Marissa: Resilience. How so?
[00:04:23] Jason: Because life happens, right? Uhhuh, you can hit bumps, bad weeks, bad months, maybe even a bad year.
[00:04:29] Marissa: Chitwood uses this really vivid image, doesn't he? The giant with a club on your path to success.
[00:04:35] Jason: Yeah, I like that one. It represents those unexpected hits: losing a big sale, a personal crisis, not getting that promotion you worked for.
[00:04:43] Marissa: Things that can really knock you off course.
[00:04:44] Jason: Totally. Yeah. And the book emphasizes, these aren't rare exceptions. They will happen. But if you have that long-term goal clear in your mind,
[00:04:52] Marissa: it helps you get back up.
[00:04:54] Jason: Exactly. It's your anchor. It keeps you from getting completely derailed, right, by a temporary setback. You remember why you're doing this and you find the strength to keep going.
[00:05:02] Marissa: It sounds like that classic saying, "Winners never quit and quitters never win."
[00:05:06] Jason: Pretty much. Or Rocky Marciano's famous line.
[00:05:09] Marissa: Oh yeah. "It doesn't matter how many times you get knocked down, it is how many times you get up that counts."
[00:05:13] Jason: That's the one. Long-term goals build that kind of grit, that tenacity.
[00:05:18] Marissa: And maybe that's part of what separates that successful 3% we talked about earlier, their ability to keep getting up because they have that long view.
[00:05:25] Jason: Very possibly. It's about focus and drive even when things are tough.
[00:05:29] Marissa: Okay? So we need big goals and we need a long-term perspective. But a five-year goal can still feel pretty far away. Pretty abstract.
[00:05:41] Grace: Hey, quick break—if you’re enjoying this conversation, there’s even more where that came from. The Track Selling Institute has a full suite of resources designed to help you succeed. From virtual and in-person training, to on-demand video courses, printed materials, and this very podcast series, everything we do is grounded in the proven Track Selling System.
[00:06:02] Grace: Want to sharpen your skills, improve your close rate, or coach your team more effectively?
[00:06:07] Grace: Visit tracksellinginstitute.com to learn more and get started.
[00:06:11] Grace: Alright, back to the episode!
[00:06:16] Jason: And That's where the third piece comes in, short-term goals. I'm breaking it down. Absolutely. You take that big, long-term vision and you chop it up into smaller, manageable steps, things you can actually tackle right now, this week, this month.
[00:06:29] Marissa: Like Chitwood's example of say that dream trip to the Greek islands.
[00:06:33] Jason: Yeah. That's the big goal. Exciting. But how do you get there?
[00:06:38] Marissa: You gotta plan it out.
[00:06:39] Jason: Right? Set a date, figure out flights, hotels, calculate the cost, and then the crucial part.
[00:06:46] Marissa: How much do I need to save each week or month?
[00:06:49] Jason: Exactly. Those small, consistent actions. Saving that specific amount regularly. That's what turns the big dream into reality.
[00:06:56] Marissa: Or the goal of doubling your income. It's not just wishing for it.
[00:07:00] Jason: No. You set a deadline, you figure out the extra income needed per year. Then you break that down. How many more sales do I need each month, each week? Maybe even each day.
[00:07:11] Marissa: It makes it less overwhelming, more like a concrete plan of action.
[00:07:16] Jason: It really does. It reminds me a bit of getting a course outline in school, you know?
[00:07:20] Marissa: Oh, yeah. With all the deadlines laid out.
[00:07:22] Jason: Right. And you knew or quickly learned that chipping away at it daily or weekly was way more effective than trying to cram it all in the night before.
[00:07:31] Marissa: Definitely less stressful!
[00:07:33] Jason: For sure. And Chitwood makes the point that a successful career is built the same way. It's the sum of successful hours, days, and weeks. It comes from those consistent daily actions.
[00:07:44] Marissa: And that focus on consistent daily and weekly action is really vital for anyone in sales, isn't it? It ties into being efficient and effective day-to-day, which is something we'll actually dig into more next time.
[00:07:54] Jason: Absolutely. The short term goals are where the rubber meets the road, especially in sale performance.
[00:07:58] Marissa: Okay, so we've got. Big, long-term and short-term goals. What's the final element in Chitwood's approach? It seems almost simple.
[00:08:06] Jason: It does, but it's powerful. Put your goals in writing.
[00:08:10] Marissa: Just write them down. Why is that so important?
[00:08:13] Jason: Chitwood talks about a kind of magic that happens. It transforms a wish, an idea floating in your head into a personal commitment.
[00:08:22] Marissa: It makes it more concrete somehow.
[00:08:24] Jason: Yeah, more tangible, more real. It helps clarify your thinking too, and it acts as a constant reminder.
[00:08:30] Marissa: Like that old saying, he mentions, "The faintest of ink is still better than the strongest of memory."
[00:08:36] Jason: Exactly that. Writing them down keeps 'em top of mind. You can't just forget about them easily.
[00:08:40] Marissa: And it's not just write it and forget it, is it?
[00:08:42] Jason: No, not at all. He stresses reviewing them regularly. Look at your list, remind yourself what you're working towards. Renew that commitment.
[00:08:49] Marissa: And adjust them too, right?
[00:08:50] Jason: Absolutely. Life changes. You achieve a goal. Great. Cross it off, celebrate it. You develop new aspirations, add them on. Maybe something isn't relevant anymore, take it off. It's a living document.
[00:09:01] Marissa: Okay, that makes sense. So. Commit it to paper, review it, adapt it. Now there's one more point. Chitwood emphasizes right at the end, setting those goals high.
[00:09:11] Marissa: Don't be afraid to aim big to uh, shoot for a star as he puts it.
[00:09:16] Jason: Right. Don't just aim for what seems easily achievable. Stretch yourself. Yeah. And he uses a fantastic story to illustrate this.
[00:09:24] Marissa: The four minute mile.
[00:09:25] Jason: The four minute mile. Such a classic example. For years, everyone, including the medical expert said it was impossible, physically impossible for a human to run a mile that fast.
[00:09:34] Marissa: The body just couldn't take it, they thought.
[00:09:36] Jason: Exactly. Then 1954, Roger Banister does it. He breaks the barrier.
[00:09:41] Marissa: And what happened next is almost more amazing.
[00:09:43] Jason: It really is. Suddenly the impossible wasn't impossible anymore. Within months, other runners started breaking it too. Soon you had races where multiple people ran under four minutes.
[00:09:54] Marissa: He was like breaking a mental barrier, unlocked physical potential.
[00:09:57] Jason: Precisely. Once people believed it could be done, they found ways to do it. And of course, the record has been pushed down much further since then by runners like Hicham El Guerrouj
[00:10:06] Marissa: So the message is aim high. Don't let perceived limits hold you back unnecessarily.
[00:10:12] Jason: Yeah. Be ambitious. He even brings in the Nike slogan, " Just Do It." Set those big goals.
[00:10:17] Marissa: So to wrap up Chitwood's core ideas on goal setting, it's about making them big, thinking long term, breaking them down into short term actions and getting them in writing.
[00:10:28] Jason: Those are the four pillars. And focusing on those short term actionable steps driven by the bigger picture, mm-hmm, is so key for effectiveness, especially in sales. Building that consistency, we'll talk more about.
[00:10:39] Marissa: Definitely. So reflecting on all this from World Class Selling, the power of goals, how they shape what we achieve. Maybe here's a final thought for you, the listener. Yeah. Think about one big goal, something you've maybe thought about, kicked around, but haven't actually written down yet?
[00:10:54] Jason: Just one.
[00:10:55] Marissa: Just one to start. What might change? What might shift in your focus or commitment if you actually took that step and put it down on paper today?
[00:11:05] Grace: That’s a wrap on today’s episode of World Class Selling. Setting Goals. Huge thanks to Jason and Marissa for breaking down such a powerful chapter from Roy Chitwood. We learned that real success starts with big, personal goals, a long-term mindset, short-term action, and the simple but powerful act of writing it all down.
[00:11:25] Grace: Next week, we’ll keep building on that momentum with a conversation on Managing Time Effectively. You won’t want to miss it—especially if you’re ready to turn goals into consistent, productive habits.
[00:11:35] Grace: Until then, I’m Grace. Thanks for listening, and remember—set your goals high and just do it.
[00:11:41] Grace: Good luck and good selling!
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