6.1 The Importance of Setting Goals

So, let's begin by examining the reasons why we need to set goals.

We need to set goals at various times in our life to get anywhere, so do not think that working in sales is going to be any different as that is certainly not the case. Goals are going to be directly connected to your motivation as they are both so closely related that one has to work alongside the other.

There are several reasons as to why this is important in sales as it is often linked to the need to be organised and to understand the things you are trying to achieve. Indeed, one of the main driving forces of those who are involved in sales is the need to set themselves targets and then seek to achieve them. This gives the individuals a sense of accomplishment, but at the same time there are other reasons as to why you need to set goals and it has more to do with your work rather than you as a person.

You see, it is common for companies to set goals for their sales teams that are linked to their ability to earn money. Indeed, it will often be part of your employment that you are actually going to have to meet certain goals and targets to qualify for a bonus which is linked to monetary goals and, after all, everybody is actually involved in sales simply because they have a desire to earn money, so goals are directly related to this entire concept.

These goals are going to keep their employees on track, although there are also other reasons that

can be linked to the contract for working there in the first place and a company has to generate

money as well. However, each company is going to use a different formula to come up with their own

particular goals, so we have no intention of covering the different methods.

It should also be noted that setting goals is going to help you to organise yourself throughout your day. The reason for that is because setting goals is not about looking at the long term picture on a continual basis. Instead, it is advisable for you to set goals also on a short term basis, which means on a per day idea because you are able to then determine what you need to be doing on a per hour basis and you will be amazed at how you are able to achieve so much more than you ever thought possible.

The setting of goals is also a wonderful way to get some motivation to continue, especially when things are perhaps not going as well as you had hoped. That is why we speak of goals, both long term and short term as it has been shown that if you set small goals which are easy to obtain and achieve, then you will discover that you are driven on to

doing more and more which, in this instance, is directly related to getting more sales.

However, we also need to look at what can happen if you do not set goals. You will wake up each day and have no idea what you need to do and the drive and motivation will simply not be there to the same extent and chaos will ensue. You will discover that your ability to organise will diminish and even the smallest goals are going to prove to be impossible and it is not a stretch of the imagination that your actual job could be at risk from time to time.

Furthermore, having goals is directly linked to your ability to know where you are at in your plan and whether or not you are actually adopting the correct approach. How do you know if you are doing things the correct way, if you have no idea where you are going orhow to get there?

Goals give you order where there may not initially be any. Goals give you the ability to organise, feel calmer in your approach, and allow you to keep track of where you are at in your plan and whether or not you need to change anything to get to where you need to be. Goals are required in every industry, so sales is no different.

6.2 How to Set Fair Goals to Push yourself

You now understand the absolute importance of setting goals, but this then leads us to yet another question which is, how do you set goals that are actually fair to you?

This is a good question to ask because you want to set goals that are indeed going to push you and challenge you, but at the same time there is no way you want to make them so difficult that you are only ever going to fail. Remember, failing with your goals can have such a negative knock-on effect that it could seriously hamper your entire selling career.

One of the first things that you need to do is to get honest with yourself and what you are able to achieve within your own capabilities. However, with your capabilities you cannot afford to be too conservative in what you are trying to do or else you would never make any progress in either life or your career.

There are other things that need to be taken into consideration at the same time. What goals and targets are being set for you by other people? How does that fit in with your time schedule? How does that goal break down to a daily limit? Is it even possible for you to reach those goals?

As you can imagine, there are a number of questions to ask yourself prior to finalising your goals, although it is always important to remember that you should always be seeking to push yourself. In order to do this, you need to look at adopting a long term strategy and then keep up to date on what you are achieving and even how much you are failing if that is the case. If this is what is happening, then you need to reassess your goals and be prepared to alter them as there is no harm in downsizing slightly to regain your motivation which can then trigger the drive to propel you forward and get back on the correct track.

So, how do you set those fair goals?

The answer to that is simple. Look at what you have to earn in order to survive. Look at how much work you need to do in order to survive.

How many hours will that take? Is it even physically possible? What is reasonable?

This may sound rather complicated, but it is a lot easier than you are perhaps aware. However, you also need to be reasonable in your way of thinking when it comes to looking at what you have achieved before, if that is possible to do, and how you want it to proceed. A fair goal is going to reflect your target from the previous month, or previous quarter, with a certain percentage added in order to show growth on your part.

It is hardly going to be conducive to a positive career if all you want to do each month is to just achieve the exact same figures. In actual fact, sales is designed to encourage people to push one another further forward and to continue to strive to do more and better themselves wherever possible.

The problem is when people set goals which just cannot be achieved, although there are times where lady luck is against you, as that can lead to all kinds of issues developing. Indeed, people can then lose interest in their job and believe they are not cut out for sales. However, what has actually happened is that they have over-extended themselves to such an extent that they effectively set themselves up for failure before they were even able to begin.

That is one of the main issues of setting goals in that you need to always make sure that they are something you can hit, as continually missing them will only result in your boss believing you are not up for the job. In addition, it can be argued that this is also where you need to get advice from others with the main people being your sales manager or boss. Discussing your targets and goals with them, in accordance with the rest of the company, will result in you being able to get a better idea of what is seen as being acceptable

FACT

Top sales producers outperform average producers by 2:1, and low producers by 10:1.

Source:salesforcetraining.com

6.3 How to Create a Plan to Achieve those Goals

So, you understand goals and how to set things which are achievable, but we said at the outset that there is a real need to be able to plan things correctly in order to be able to reach the end target.

In order to create a plan you need to clearly know your goals and to break down what you want to achieve on a step by step basis. It is fine to have a long term aim, such as reach a certain number of sales in a month, but you have to learn how to walk before you are able to run. Keeping that in mind, this is just one of many ways in which you can attain those goals, although the exact way that you do it could be very personal to you and your own industry.

1. Start small and work big

It is all fine and well trying to shoot for the stars, but you need to understand how you get to those stars first. Start off with small goals which you are able to achieve without too much difficulty as that is not only going to build your confidence, but it will really increase your motivation to continue to do even better.

2. Write specific steps

This may sound basic, but it is important you write individual steps because that is how you get from A to B. If possible, try to put in as much detail as possible as it is the only way you will achieve those targets if you know the tiny points that will get you there.

3. Seek advice

You should not be expected to do this on your own. It is always important that you talk to those individuals in your pipeline to not only be sure you are aiming for the correct goals, but the route you have selected is going to be achievable as well.

4. Continually refer back to it

You must always refer back to your plan every step of the way to make sure that you are actually on the correct path. It is all too easy for you to be swallowed up by the events of the day and if you lose track, then the chances of you hitting your targets will evaporate. See your plan as being something akin to your own personal business plan, to help achieve success.

6.4 How to Deal with Issues Preventing you Achieving your Goals

Even with the utmost planning, there are still going to be times where various issues and problems will come about which are going to ultimately prevent you from being able to reach the heights that you had hoped to do.

Now, it is impossible to predict the future, so we can never be sure as to what kind of thing may prevent us from reaching our goals, but it is how we handle these problems that can make a huge difference to our potential success. Indeed, it could be argued that if you are properly organised, then you will be able to deal with whatever problems come your way no matter how difficult they may be.

In order to deal with these issues we recommend you follow some set rules which will help you to get through those difficult times and to get back on the path of getting to those goals.

1. Understand the issue

The first thing you must do is to make sure you actually understand the issue that is causing the problem and know how it is having a negative impact on your ability to attain your goals.

2. Know how you got to the issue in the first place

In addition to understanding the situation, you also need to be aware of how you got into that situation in the first place. The reason for this is simply because you must be able to look at the steps you took to get to this point to then potentially learn from your mistakes and to not end up doing the exact same thing time and time again. By being able to trace your route, it does mean that you can alter your path and go down a different road which will allow you to achieve your goals once again.

3. Learn from your mistakes

We just mentioned this in the second point, but learning from your mistakes and not repeating them is so important that it has to be stressed once again. If you do not learn from them, then you are never going to achieve your goals because it becomes impossible for you to work in the correct manner and ultimately it could be your job that ends up being in danger.

4. Tackle things head on

Whenever you are faced with any issues that could stop you from achieving your goals, the best course of action is to tackle things head on. However, it is also advisable to reassess your goals at this time because there is nothing wrong with changing your targets in order to overcome difficulties and push forward once more.

That is the beauty of sales in that it is all too easy to change things as it is a fluid industry, so if you do indeed find it difficult to reach your initial goals, then the most important thing is to not become too despondent as you are not the first. The key is on how you bounce back because even the top salespeople in the country, never mind your industry, are going to have been in the exact same position and they have still made it. So, why can you not be the same?

However, what do you do if you actually run into an issue, apart from trying to learn from it? Well, the best thing you can do is to take action rather than just ignore the fact that there is an issue. Tackling things head on is the only way. Adapting and accepting change will push you onwards and that is where your sales manager can become one of the most useful people you will ever deal with. If they have the experience in the industry, then the chances are they will have also run into the same issues you find yourself trying to face up to and if this is the case, then they are also going to have solutions.

This then takes us onto the next key point in trying to deal with issues affecting your ability to achieve goals, being able to take advice from people and then putting that advice into action. Accept that there are some people who are better suited to dealing with these problems and there is no shame in taking help from others who are going to be able to teach you how to not run down a dead end like you have just done.

In other words, the best way to deal with issues that are blocking your ability to reach your goals is to never ignore them as they are not just going to go away.