How to set an effective goal

An effective goal is always connected to what you're trying to achieve and how you need the audience to think or behave in order for you to get what you want. Because you have a stake in the outcome, you need to be "activist" in your thinking.

Envision your communication as a series of movements in a chess game. You need to think three to five moves ahead in order to win the business. You may not be able to close a multi-million dollar deal with a single presentation, but each communication can lay the groundwork for an eventual close. Each communication, therefore, needs a specific goal, which leads to and reinforces the final goal, which is to turn a prospect into a customer or a customer in a even bigger and better customer. Taking this long-term approach helps you avoid pressuring customers to close before they're ready.

Source: Selling Power Magazine, Dean Brenner, "Sales on Target"