As trite as it might sound, it is this activity that focuses and crystallizes the rest of the planning process.  If you don’t have a firm grip on what you want to accomplish and what you are going to sell to achieve your desired results, planning is a meaningless activity.  On the other hand, once this phase of the planning process is completed, the rest falls into place.  Once Tom Monahan (owner of Domino’s Pizza) decided he wanted to become a millionaire by making and selling pizza, it quickly became clear that each million dollars along the way would require a certain number of stores, each achieving a certain level of profitability.

If you want to make $250,000 a year as a dentist, it’s going to take a certain number of patients each paying you a certain amount of money per year.  If you want to become your company’s top salesperson, this might mean adding a certain number of new customers, while at the same time continuing to do business with your current customers.