January 12th is a holiday that the majority of people participate in whether they know it or not. It’s called Quitters’ Day. Yes, you read that right, you have probably participated in Quitters’ Day. This is the day when most people quit on their New Year’s Resolutions. Only 12 days in and people are done. Ouch! Statistics show that only 9 percent of people accomplish their New Year’s Resolution. That means, at some time throughout the year, 91% of people call it quits. I’ve been there and I’m sure you have too.
- Write Your Goals Down
In a study done at Dominion University, it was discovered that people who wrote down their goals were 42% more likely to achieve them. Why is this the case?
When you simply think about your goals, you are using the right hemisphere of your brain. This is the side of your brain that is creative and is responsible for imagination. However, when you decide to write down your goals, you are engaging the left hemisphere of your brain. So, it brings your goals full circle, and fully engages your brain in the process. As you are thinking about your goals, take the step to write them down and put them somewhere you can see them daily.
- Make small goals that will help you achieve your bigger goal.
Let’s say you set a goal to increase the sales in your parts department by 20%, while maintaining your margins. In order to achieve this goal, you would need to break down the goal. What dollar amount would you need to sell monthly, weekly and daily to hit your target? Figure out what that number is and then develop a plan to achieve the goal.
Keep in mind, if you don’t hit the goal one day, or even one week, it doesn’t mean that you won’t hit it long term. Don’t let one bad day derail you from achieving your goals.
- Celebrate growth as growth, regardless of size.
I was talking with one of the people on my team recently about why we set goals for our department and why we write them down. The conversation came up that even if we don’t hit the big goal we have set, we will still have made more progress than if we didn’t set a goal and measure it regularly.
I would tell you the same is true for your dealership. Let’s say that we don’t hit our parts departments sales goals of 20%. Instead, we only see growth of 15%. We should still celebrate the victory. If you hadn’t set the goal of growth and come up with a plan, you probably would have remained the same.
Keep in mind, growth is growth regardless of size. Make a goal, come up with a plan to achieve it, and measure it regularly.
For a goal setting worksheet, check out the management tab in our Dealer Toolbox. Need help setting goals and creating a plan that will work? Give us a call and see how we can help. 1-800-480-0737.
