WOW! What a rush it is to ride the white line on a California highway. It is like living on the edge of danger. You might not know that California has an interesting vehicle law that allows motorcycles to ride between traffic. Yes, between traffic lanes, on the painted white line that separates traffic.

Last week it was a typical California day. I was on my motorcycle in heavy traffic wearing protective gear such as a leather jacket, full face helmet with boots. The speedometer is wavering at 10 miles per hour and in 90 degree's it was HOT! Realizing that my destination was another 30 miles away, baking on asphalt really lacked appeal. The motivation of getting out of this situation led me to follow a passing biker who seemed to part the narrow traffic gap like Moses parted the seas.

As I carefully maneuvered through the traffic riding the white line, my confidence grew. My eyes bounced around like radar as the large SUV's and 18 wheelers seemed to appear larger than actual size. I felt like a ballet dancer on a tight rope gliding through a narrow tunnel. My eyes were fixed on the opening between cars, not on the obstacles. This is an important aspect of performing this motorcycle challenge. I knew that if I looked at the vehicles, the bike would steer towards them because this is how anyone steers a motorcycle. We are taught from the beginning to look where we are going and the bike will follow. Sure, there is leaning involved but overall it is where the eyes look that move the bike in the direction it will travel. It is the same with outside sales too.

When we stay focused on our destination we will reach it. Don't look at or focus on the obstacle, look toward the openings around it. We can be bold enough to suggest that if we look for price objections, they will show up. The opening we are referring to here is the opportunity we have for solving a customer's problem. Sales opportunities should always be our focus - solving customer problems.

As I moved and danced through the tunnel of vehicles It was like making small goals of gliding past one set of vehicles and then to the next. When an obstacle appeared to shift into my travel path adjustments were quickly made. However, the vision of an opening never escaped my view. From time to time I would have to apply the brakes but that was only temporary. Eventually the road opened up and I was able to reach my goal.

I use this example because it is very relevant to what we go through in outside sales each day. If we set a goal of making 20 contacts in a day and 120 per week, we must remain focused on the goal. There will always be things that try to get in our way. We might have to apply our brakes temporarily but we must move forward toward our goal. We can use this example for mailings, telephone calls, writing thank you notes and just about anything. The important thing is to stay focused on the destination and look for the openings. The obstacles will always try to get in our path. We must learn to make adjustments and maneuver away from.

Setting Priority Goals
We can improve our chances of reaching the goals we set if we set visual reminders. Let's say that we set a goal of making 20 contacts each day. If we created a large visible reminder or small reminder cards and posted them in areas we can see from our work area, in our car, near the telephone, desk drawer and on the wall we will remember our goals. More importantly, we will either reach or exceed it. These reminders will help us look for the openings in the day instead of the obstacles. Now, go out and have a great day. Oh, and just so you know, I don't make it a habit of riding on Los Angeles Freeways, particularly riding on the white line. My preference is the slower paced mountain pass or back roads. it is safer and more scenic.