HOW TO SET ACHIEVABLE GOALS AS A SALESPERSON
If you’re a salesperson, you’re no stranger to goals.
Whether this is in the form of your personal goals for commission or progression, or whether it’s KPIs, targets, or daily objectives - goal setting is at the core of your role.
It’s what drives you, builds resilience, and probably what got you interested in sales. But have you ever stopped to think if the way you set goals is truly impactful?
Your goal could be bringing on 5 new clients, hitting your quarterly target, or even securing your next promotion, but how are you ensuring you:
Stay motivated, regardless of setbacks?
Work towards that goal every day?
Hold yourself accountable?
Having a goal is great, but without tangible steps and mindsets, that goal will feel like a dream because it’s so far away.
So what can you do now to make a change? Keep reading.
SET realistic GOALS
What is sales without challenge?
Anyone in sales knows that in order to develop your skills, build confidence, and push through setbacks, you have to challenge yourself. This is why setting challenging goals is such a good idea.
But what isn’t such a good idea is when your goals are challenging but unattainable.
It's tempting to aim for the stars, and you should never let go of those big dreams, but goals that are almost impossible to achieve will only make you frustrated and stressed.
But of course, goals that are too easy won’t ever push you out of your comfort zone – something you constantly have to do when speaking to new people every day.
The sweet spot is setting goals that stretch your abilities while remaining within reach.
But it’s important to note that these goals could be set by managers, or it’s just an overall expectation of you. This is where you need to have a conversation. Whether it’s about changing the goal entirely or giving you a longer deadline.
Realistic goals are about being honest with yourself about your abilities, but it’s also about being honest with others.
USE THE SMART FRAMEWORK
One effective approach to goal setting is using the SMART framework:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound
Break down your overall sales target into specific, tangible objectives.
For instance, don’t just aim to increase sales – that’s too broad. Set a specific target to acquire a certain number of new clients each month. And once you’ve set that goal, break it down even further by setting a goal to reach a certain number of potential clients each day.
That way your goals don’t feel too overwhelming because you constantly have tasks you can do that will slowly but surely move you forward.
Be positive DESPITE INEVITABLE SETBACKS
I know what you’re thinking, everyone talks about having a positive mindset, but what benefit does it actually have in sales? A lot.
Positivity is far more than just smiling and brushing a bad situation off – it’s about being optimistic for things to improve. It’s about remaining hopeful to achieve a goal even when tough times come.
Every day in sales is different, and some days are quite frankly awful.
A deal you were expecting doesn’t go through, a prospective client fails to turn up to your call, and no one seems to be answering the phone. And now all of a sudden you’re behind on your target.
But there are two ways you can deal with those lows:
Wallow in your sadness and make emotionally led decisions
Take a breather and keep pushing towards the goal
No fail ‘feels good’, but if you’re going to be a resilient salesperson who will get right back up after being kicked down, having a negative approach will lead you to make poor decisions, act out in frustration, and eventually give up.
hold yourself Accountable to your goals
Year after year, millions of people across the globe write down new year’s resolutions. They’ve finally decided this year is the year to focus on fitness, start their side hustle, or learn a new instrument.
By the end of January, 43% of people give up (The Ohio State University).
This could be due to lots of things. But one thing is that people don’t hold themselves accountable and get others to hold them accountable.
I know those weekly catchups with your manager can be worrying – especially if you’re not doing well – but they’re there for a reason: to hold you accountable.
Every salesperson has a target of some sort, and maybe you’ve even set career goals for yourself… these goals are far more likely to fail if you don’t regularly check in with your progress.
How close do you feel to the goal?
What are the stats looking like?
What have you learned?
What do you need to improve on?
What actionable steps can be put in place to make the goal more achievable?
These are all things a salesperson should be thinking about.
And don’t keep it to yourself either. Share with others, whether it’s your managers or even a trusted colleague about how you feel you’re getting on and ask for feedback.
Check-ins allow you to ask the questions you might have not thought about (or one’s you’ve been avoiding) and in return, it gives you a new outlook on the goal with added motivation to improve.
Celebrate yourself when you achieve your goals
This one may be obvious… if you achieve your goal, of course, you’re going to celebrate.
But what if it’s not THE goal?
What if it’s only a fraction of it where you’ve brought on 1 client out of 5, or you’ve hit your quarterly target but not yet your yearly one?
I’m not saying you have a huge party where you invite all your friends and family each time you have a win, but you deserve to pat yourself on the back. You deserve to feel relieved and proud of yourself for achieving something, even if it’s not THE thing.
Celebrating yourself leads to further motivation to keep going and develop. And let’s not forget, pent-up stress because you can’t see the end goal will only lead to burnout.
With each goal, even if it’s a mini one, be happy and remind yourself that you’re just one step closer to something big.
- Written by Arun Sutton
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