Have you ever gone on a road trip with no directions, no GPS, hoping to get to your destination? Well, hope unfortunately is not a strategy.    

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This is no different in sales. A strategy with clear measurable goals is the only way to get you to your end result or quota.The destination is important however the journey to get there is equally important. It is here that the learnings, "A-ha’s" self-reflections and failures (an important part of learning) are made.

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Salespeople who live by their goals know where they are headed. Having a clear set of goals allows you to see your progress and gives you the confidence to keep going. Alternatively, you can see when you are off track, pivot and redirect your focus. Goals are a gauge as to how you are tracking /performing to the expectations.

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My my roadmap of 7 steps to help you to achieve your goals:

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Are you following your company's sales process? Is it up to date? Are there areas you are deviating from or getting bottlenecked? Does it reflect the buyer's journey? If any of these are missing, you are not set up for success. This is your road map to success and this is a crucial part of the selling process, this is your True North.Your sales process is not a static document; it needs to be continually updated by your front-line people to reflect their practices and to ensure a consistent, repeatable process for the entire team.

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Reviewing your sales goals regularly is critical. This ensures they are achievable and you are taking incremental, actionable steps towards achieving them. Managers need to understand what their top performers are doing to create successful outcomes so they can share this with their core performers. After every sales call, complete a self-assessment document. What did you do well? What could you have done better? What did you learn? Do this exercise while the information is fresh in your mind, it is very valuable. This process will identify patterns, habits or areas of improvement that you can implement into future calls to ensure you are exchanging value for your prospects' time. Self-awareness is the first step towards improvement.

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Support from your manager is important when reviewing your goals. There are certain tasks you may need support or input from your manager, SVP to advance the sale. Make your priorities become their priorities, so they too have ownership in the outcome.

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Are your goals S.M.A.R.T? Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant & Timebound. If not, make modifications so they become SMART. Think of the language you use with your clients, ease of use is subjective, how can you make this measurable?

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Are you prioritizing goals based on opportunity size, close date, budget and resource allocation? The gap between your prospects' current state and future state is the value you provide. The bigger the gap the more time, energy and resources are required. Plan accordingly.

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Do you have a mentor? Such as another sales Rep/ Manager/ Coach you can bounce ideas off, hold each other accountable, Discuss any challenging situations? What about Regional account meetings whereas a group you can share updates on your top accounts. Many times, your colleagues are experiencing the same challenges you are, why not create an open forum and brainstorm potential solutions as a group.

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Year-end, similar to New Year. Before you can set your goals for the following year you need to reflect on your successes and losses and understand what contributed to them, what you learned, what you could have done differently. This behaviour will allow you to enter the new year with a new and improved mindset of how you will approach your goals. Making sure the negative patterns, habits are not following you into the new year.

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Are your goals written down?

Are they measurable?

Are you chipping away at them with micro activities daily?

Who is holding you accountable?

Email me if you would like support on creating goals or if you have veered off track and are struggling to get back.

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We can support you.

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