A Wish or a Plan?
There are those who plan for success while others stand around and wish for it. What is the difference? Let's start by defining our terms. A plan is a detailed strategy or course of action designed to achieve a specific goal. It involves careful consideration, preparation, and execution. It is guided by foresight, logic, and intentionality. A wish is a desire or longing for something to happen, often without a clear plan or pathway. Wishes may be rooted in hope. They can be both imagination and fantasy. And they live in the abstract. All because they lack the concrete steps necessary for realization. Having a plan is like charting a course with a map. You know where you want to go. You have a roadmap to get there. You set clear goals. You spend the time breaking the plan into actionable steps. You take the steps to make this happen. It requires foresight and discipline. It requires a willingness to adapt to changing circumstances along the way.
Planning provides clarity and focus. By defining clear objectives and outlining the steps needed to reach that goal, we can pave the road to that final destination. Instead of drifting aimlessly, planning gives us a clear sense of purpose. It provides real direction. We can make informed decisions and provide adequate resources. Planning promotes efficiency and productivity. Plans help us cut down on wasted time. Plans conserve energy and resources. With a well-defined plan, we can focus on tasks, streamline our processes, and optimize efforts. Planning allows us to anticipate obstacles. We can develop contingency plans to address them. When setbacks occur, it could derail us. But not when we have a plan. Because we have a plan, we can adapt. We can navigate challenges with confidence and composure.
Making a wish is like tossing a coin into a fountain and hoping for the best. Wishes may be fueled by optimism and imagination. But they lack the practicality and substance necessary for realization. Wishing is passive. It is speculative. Wishes rely on luck or some supernatural external force to achieve the desired outcome. Because wishing is passive it makes us passive. Wishing makes us dependent. A wish places the locus of control outside of ourselves. Instead of taking proactive steps to pursue goals, we wait for magic to happen and success to drop into our lap. But no one is that fortuitous. Things rarely happen as you see in the movies. Without a concrete plan or actionable steps, wishes will remain elusive. When your wishes fail to come true, it leaves you feeling disillusioned or disheartened or both. Wishing breeds inaction and stagnation. This mentality promotes a mindset of complacency. We resign ourselves to an outcome designed by fate. Rather than taking initiative and carving our path to the future. You can’t rely on wishing to make the monthly goal.
Planning and wishing are contrasting approaches to goal achievement. But they are not mutually exclusive. These actions can play complementary roles in shaping our aspirations. A wish can serve as a source of hope. It is a way to fuel our imagination. Wishing can ignite our passion for what is possible. Wishes allow us to dream big and envision a brighter future. But wishing alone is not enough. It is planning and action that transforms these wishes into reality. Plans provide a roadmap for action. A well-crafted plan transforms abstract aspirations into tangible goals. It paints the outline of the steps needed to turn vision into reality. It is action that bridges the gap between wishing and planning.
Let's consider two hypothetical scenarios. First, there is Emily. She is the wisher. Emily dreams of becoming a successful writer. She spends hours imagining herself as a bestselling author, but she never takes concrete steps to pursue her passion. Instead, she waits for inspiration to strike and for her dreams to come true. Then there is Sarah. She is the planner. Sarah shares Emily's dream of becoming a writer. Yet, she takes a different approach. She sets specific goals for herself. She will write a certain number of pages each day. She will attend a writing workshop. She will submit her work to literary agents. Through careful planning and perseverance, she turns her aspirations into reality. This slow and steady progress will achieve her goal of becoming a published author. I now pity that poor soul.
In the world of selling, achieving success isn't about hoping for the best. It's about having a clear plan and taking action to make it happen. When you're selling advertising solutions, having a prospecting plan is the first step in reaching your revenue goals. A prospecting plan is like a roadmap. It helps salespeople find potential customers or clients for their products. It involves identifying who your ideal customers are, where to find them, and how to connect with them. Having a prospecting plan gives sellers a clear strategy for reaching their sales targets. Notice this is not a wish list. Wishing for success is like crossing your fingers and hoping that good things will happen. And good things happening without any real effort on your part. Granted I have been searching for this “dare to be independently wealthy through no effort on my part” strategy most of my adult life. I have yet to find it. And I will venture to guess you haven’t either.
When you're wishing for success, you're passive. You're waiting for something good to happen without taking any real steps to make it happen. But when you have a prospecting plan, you're proactive. You are actively seeking out opportunities and taking strategic actions to achieve your goals. In sales, action is everything. It's what separates the top performers from the rest of the pack. Successful salespeople don't sit around waiting for customers to come to them. They go out and find them. They are always prospecting. They network all the time. And they follow up with leads to generate new business opportunities. By taking consistent and targeted action, they create their own success. This is quite the opposite of waiting for success to come to them.
So, what does a successful prospecting plan look like? Well, it starts with knowing your target audience. Who are your ideal customers? Where can you find them? Once you've identified your targets, the next step is to develop a strategy for reaching them. This might involve cold calling. You need to attend networking events. This is the day and age of social media, so it can be a tool for outreach. Work with your current prospects and customers for referrals. Find out who you know who knows one of your targets and get an interested 3rd party introduction. The key is to be proactive and persistent. Prospecting one day a week is not proactive. In fact, it can hardly be considered active.
Another important aspect of a prospecting plan is setting goals. Well, setting goals and then tracking your progress. George T. Doran was a consultant. He was the former director of corporate planning for the Washington Water Power Company. He is best known for introducing the SMART framework for goal setting. In his 1981 paper, "There's a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management's Goals and Objectives," he introduced this concept as a way to manage progress. His work popularized this structured approach to setting clear, actionable goals. You can put this to work for your sales franchise. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. When you set SMART goals, you give yourself something concrete to work towards. Commit to making a certain number of calls per day. Commit to scheduling a certain number of meetings per week. Commit to closing a certain number of deals per month. These are clear, defined goals that help you create successful habits.
Here may be the biggest difference. A seller wishing for success may say, "I wish I could make more sales this month." But a seller planning for success will say, "I will make 50 cold calls per day. I will commit to attending two networking events per week. I will follow up with all leads within 24 hours. I will generate at least 10 new leads and close three deals by the end of the month." Someone wishing for success will say, "I wish I could land that big client." The planner will say, "I will research the company. Identify the key decision-makers. And then schedule a meeting to discover how our solutions can solve customer outreach issues. I will follow up with personalized emails and phone calls to address any questions or concerns. Then I will secure their business."
Gordon B. Hinckley was the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served from 1995 until his passing in 2008. He is known for his extensive efforts in expanding the church globally. Hinckley was also a respected author and speaker. He once wrote, “You can’t plow a field simply by turning it over in your mind.” When it comes to achieving success, wishing for the best isn't enough. You need a clear plan and actionable steps to make it happen. A prospecting plan gives you the roadmap you need to reach your sales goals and create your own success. Take proactive and targeted action. Stay focused on your goals. Adapting to challenges along the way. This will turn your sales aspirations into reality. So, stop wishing for success and start planning for it.
We often find ourselves dreaming about the future. We imagine all the wonderful things we would like to achieve. But there's a key difference between wishing for something and having a concrete plan to make it happen. A wish is a dream or desire we have for the future. It's something we hope will happen, but we do not have a clear idea of how to make it a reality. But a plan is a detailed strategy or roadmap that outlines the steps we need to take to achieve a specific goal. Wishes are often vague and idealistic. Plans are practical and actionable. Plans provide a clear path forward.
Alan Lakein is a renowned expert in time management and productivity. He is best known for his book How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life. It was first published in 1973. This book became influential. It introduced practical strategies for goal setting, prioritization, and effective planning. Lakein's work has shaped modern time management principles. His most famous quip is, "What is the best use of my time right now?" This principle continues to guide sellers and teams in maximizing efficiency. He also wrote, “Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” Planning without action is a dream. Don’t get caught dreaming.
One of the key differences between wishes and plans is the level of specificity and detail involved. A wish might be broad and open-ended. As we have established from our George Doran learning, a goal is SMART. It is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. When you take your desire or wish and apply SMART goals, you get smarter. You create a roadmap for success. It outlines exactly what we want to achieve, why it's important, and how we plan to do it. Having a plan helps us expect and overcome obstacles. No journey is without its challenges. Having this plan allows us to prepare for potential setbacks. We can develop strategies to overcome them.
When we have a clear plan in place, each step we take brings us closer to our desired outcome. This reinforces our sense of progress. We can check the box and see our achievements. When this happens, our confidence grows. We become more motivated to continue our forward motion. Wishes can inspire us to dream and envision a better future. But having a plan transforms those dreams into reality. Planning provides the structure, direction, and accountability needed. We can turn our wishes into actionable goals. These actionable goals are how we reach the next level.
By setting those SMART goals, anticipating obstacles, and remaining flexible in the journey, we can set our sights on long-term success. Meanwhile, when we sit around waiting for something to happen, we engage in fool’s prospecting. It’s a wish when you think about what you want. It’s a plan when you write it down and dissect all the steps you need to take to make it happen. Which will you do? And what are the next steps? What is your plan?
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