But what will get you there? What are your sales resolutions?

Will you and your team prospect more? How much more? How many more calls a day or week? Will you establish better personal relationships or commit to a solid sales process and follow through?

Will you be more attentive, invested, and involved in the efforts of your sales team and your current customers? What would that mean specifically?

Will you complain less?

Will you commit to perpetual optimism? Be more patient with your team? More approachable to your customers? Ask for referrals more consistently?

Will you be a Smover (one who smiles & moves)?

What’ll be different? What will you deliberately set as your top 3 priorities that’ll help you and your team hit your targets?

Three priorities. Any more and it becomes difficult to focus on even one. If two seems more realistic to you, then formally establish two.

Complete them in writing. Absorb them with commitment. Remind and reinforce them when things get challenging (see Resilience).

“Resolve to perform what you ought;
perform without fail what you resolve.”

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
American statesman, scientist & printer

–Howard Schultz (1953 – )
American chairman of Starbucks

Email this quote

Sales history…

Did you know the first Starbucks wasn’t Schultz’s?

Starbucks opened its first store in Seattle, WA in 1971. Schultz joined the company 11 years later as its director of retail operations and marketing.

It was a trip to Italy in 1983 that inspired the coffeehouse culture that Starbucks now has. Schultz convinced the founders to try the concept in 1984 and it did well.

In 1985, he founded his own company, Il Giornale, and used Starbucks coffee beans for his espresso beverages. Two years later he purchased the assets of Starbucks and changed the name of Il Giornale to Starbucks Corporation.

Today the company does $10 billion dollars in sales and has more than 16,000 stores around the world.

You being bold?

“Look around, leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter.”
– Paul Simon (link to song)

There are certainly several additional organizational contributions a salesperson can (and should) make, but when evaluating a salesperson’s value – sales results are primary. And results are best achieved when goals are formalized (no epiphany here).

So don’t wing it. Don’t allow yourself to say, “What happens happens. I’ll just do the best I can.” Don’t listen to those who suggest goal planning is fluff – whether they’re successful in sales or not. All else being equal, the sales professional who formally sets performance goals is the one to bet on. Leave permission-based failure to your competitors. You know formal goal setting is a good investment of your time, so make sure you get it done if you want to succeed.

If you’ve not had the opportunity to formally set your goals for the coming month/ quarter/ year, consider using the goal setting worksheet below to help guide you on the points to which you should give thought. Because sales environments/ processes/ organizations can differ significantly, you may need to rework some of the points.

Use what you like and toss what you don’t but make sure you do it (in writing) or you’ll always be subject to your environment (a boat hoping the current will bring it safely into the harbor).

You do not have our permission to fail. Yes, you’re human. But in our book that means you sell (and make the world go around).

____________________

Results

• Income target
• Less base salary
  • equals commission/ bonus target
• Commission/ bonus target
• Divided by the average commission/ bonus earned per sale
  • annual unit sales target to reach income target
• Annual unit sales target
• Divided by 12 months
  • equals monthly unit sales target
• Annual unit sales target
• Divided by 50 weeks (assuming two week vacation — adjust accordingly)
  • equals weekly unit sales target

Activity

• Average outbound calls per day/ week/ month (method typically used-phone, in person, etc.) to engage in an initial sales interview
• Average number of initial sales interviews or demonstrations per day/ week/ month to find a highly qualified prospect where a contract or proposal will be developed and delivered
• Average number of contracts or proposals delivered per day/ week/ month  to close a deal

Activity/ results formula

(given the activity averages and the results targets above)

• Outbound call target per day/ week/ month
• Outbound initial sales interview target per day/ week/ month
• Outbound contracts or proposals delivered per day/ week/ month

Development

• Targeted future position or professional status
• Targeted time frame
• Targeted number of professional development classes or seminars to attend during month/ quarter/ year
• Targeted number of professional development books/ audio/ video to complete during month/ quarter/ year
• Targeted number of professional events to attend during month/ quarter/ year
• Targeted number of comfort zone challenges for the month/ quarter/ year
• List specific titles or names for targets above that are currently known

Additional organizational contributions

• Targeted number of product or service ideas to be submitted during month/ quarter/ year
• Targeted number of improvement suggestions to be submitted during month/ quarter/ year
• Targeted number of company activities to participate in, outside the sales role during month/ quarter/ year (e.g., training others, strategy sessions, writing an internal newsletter, etc.)
• List specific ideas, suggestions, and activities for targets that are currently known

Professional mission statement

• Professional mission statement for month/ quarter/ year