CallSource^® Aim Higher

Know Where You Are On Your Road to Success

by Jeff Ward, April 20 2009

A few weeks ago I was driving to a store that I had never been to before. I did a Yahoo search to get the address but did not think it important to pull up a map and print it out. Soon I realized that I was lost and even though I generally knew the area that I was in, I still had no idea how to get to that store. I called the store and attempted to get directions, but the clerk I spoke with provided conflicting information and used reference points that I was not familiar with....so it was still not clear how to get to the store. Eventually I called back and asked for the manager who gave me clear directions based on where I was, and within 5 minutes I arrived at the store. The trip to this store took 20 minutes longer than it should have simply because I did not know where the store was in relationship to where I was at any given time.

There was a natural lesson reinforced that day. It applies to virtually all areas of life and can have a huge impact on one's business successes. Right now, in the struggling economy, it is even more important not to waste time and money as you drive the most direct route from where you are right now to your ultimate success goals of sales and profits. Chances are you know where you started from and there is a good bet you know what your sales targets and profit goals are. If not, you need to start there so that you have a clear vision of the beginning and endgame on your roadmap to success.

Recently my Pastor used a word in a sermon that I was not familiar with. The word is Selah. Selah translates today from ancient Hebrew as "stop and listen" or "think about it" or "measure carefully". I believe that many business owners today need to take a Selah moment so that they can be clear as to where they are coming from, where they are going and, most importantly, know where they are at as they travel the often bumpy and confusing road to their ultimate goals. This can help avoid pitfalls, save time and money and, ultimately, get you to your destination faster.

In the automotive dealer realm, there are many tools that can be put to practical use to help a dealer measure where they are at in relationship to proficiency goals and ultimate sales and profit goals. CallSource is a company with core-products that provide measurement, monitoring and reporting. These products can allow a company to know where they are at in terms of advertising response, call-handling proficiency, missed call opportunities, follow-up skills and many other areas of measureable performance. Once you know where you are at as it relates to where you want to be, you will have your roadmap in-hand and you can continue driving towards your goal. Sometimes the quickest way to get to where you want to go is to take a moment, a Selah, think about it and measure carefully and you will know you are on the right path to reach your destination with the least amount of "wrong turns", in the least amount of time and with the lowest dollar investment.

Keep your road maps handy this year as there is a lot of road work in progress and many detours. As long as you know where you are coming from and know exactly where you want to go, remember to use your unique roadmap frequently so that you know right where you are at any given time ....in order to reach your success goals sooner....not later.

Jeff Ward is a CallSource Regional Sales Manager and CallSource consultant, President of Rhino Advantage, Inc. For more information please call 888-496-1162 or email Jeff Ward