In sales, we all have goals or quotas.
Some are set by our companies and some we set ourselves. For many
sales reps, it wouldn’t be January without either a new sales quota
or a new personal objective for the year ahead. If I had to guess,
I’d be willing to bet that we all want to achieve more this year,
right? But how many of us have actually created a detailed plan that
will help us realize our goals?
Despite the importance both we and the companies we work for place
on achieving objectives, it never ceases to amaze me how many sales
people fall short each year. As a result, I’ve decided to focus this
month’s Engaging Ideas on helping you develop the essential behaviors
needed to achieve your goals not only this month or year, but consistently,
and for the rest of your career.
Thanks for joining us, and I hope you find value and take action
in these ideas.
Plan ahead to get ahead
Our research of sales teams has found that 100% of sales people understand
why setting goals is important (focus, commitment, dedication, etc),
and know what types of goals they should set (business, family, social,
personal). We also discovered that 80% of sales people understand
the proper way to structure a goal, such as by using the acronym SMART.
But last year, approximately 60% of field sales people still failed
to achieve their objectives.
Why?
In the overwhelming majority of cases, sales people fail to achieve
their goals because they lack a detailed plan. In fact, very few of
us understand what we need to do on a daily and weekly basis to achieve
our goals.
So where do you begin? Below is a simple, 4-step planning tool you
can use to build your career, by building a clearer path towards achieving
your goals every month, quarter or year:
1. Define your objective and make this definition quantifiable.
What, specifically, are your sales and production goals for this year?
FOR EXAMPLE – "I want to close $1,000,000 in new business and
$1,000,000 in existing client repeat business this year."
2. Plan to succeed. How do your goals break down into quarterly,
monthly, weekly and daily goals? Here’s an example of a sales quota,
and how an average sales person can expect to perform:
- New business goal: $1,000,000
- Average sales size: $50,000
- Total sales needed to achieve goal: 20
Based on average sales statistics (or, even better, using your
own), this means that, to accomplish your goals for the year, you
can assume the following:
- The average sales person closes 1:3 qualified leads. Therefore,
to make 20 sales, our sample sales person needs 60 qualified prospects. - The average sales people needs to meet 3 prospects in order to
qualify 1. So in the above example, our sales person needs to meet
180 prospects. - The average sales person needs to make 20 attempts (phone calls,
voice mail, e-mail, etc) to get one meeting. So, our sales person
needs to make 3600 attempts this year.
If this sounds like a frightening number, remember that 3600 attempts
over the course of a year really only translates into:
- 300 attempts per month;
- 75 attempts per week; or
- Just 15 attempts per day.
Now that’s what I call an easy plan to follow!
3. Execute your plan. To give you a baseline on the amount of
time it takes to make these daily calls, I make 25 attempts per day,
which takes me 2-3 hours to complete. As Zig Ziglar says, "Daily
objectives are the best indicators of character." Here are some
tips to help you complete your daily sales goals:
- Start today – half the battle is just showing up!
- Track your attempts, meetings and close ratios consistently, and
measure your results. Then adjust your plan based on your real metrics.
You may find that you’re above or below the averages I’ve used in
this example, but if you don’t measure to find out, you won’t know
where to improve. - Commit yourself to detailed accountability. The top 10% of sales
performers have one thing in common: they are committed to detailed
accountability. Mark the time you’re going to spend attempting to
reach customers in your calendar each day or week, and close your
office door until you’ve completed it. While you’re at it, turn
off your e-mail and don’t take in-bound calls. If you work in a
cubical, find a closed office in which to do your prospecting. In
other words, force yourself to stay focused and avoid distractions.
The fewer distractions you have, the faster the work will get done. - Prospect consistently. Whether you chose to make all your weekly
calls in one day or do a small amount each day doesn’t matter. What
matters is that you are consistent. Think of yourself as a professional.
Tiger Woods would tell you that it’s the consistency of his practice
time – the 100s of balls he hits and putts he makes every day –
that leads to ultimate success.
4. Reinforce your goals to stay motivated.
- Keep records and make lists. Successful sales people record their
progress toward each goal every day, and then list the 5 most important
things they need to do the next day to move that goal even further
ahead. This short "To Do" list is 100% focused on achieving
their goals, because the most successful sales people understand
that daily discipline is the key to reaching your goals. - Tasks that are rewarded are tasks that get done. Find a way to
reward yourself after your calls are made each day. My personal
reward for completing all daily prospecting calls is a trip to the
local Starbucks for my favourite "vente triple shot non fat
mocha!" No calls, no coffee – it’s that simple. Guess what
gets done first thing each morning? - Write your goals down, update them constantly based on your real
results, then make them public and display them close by. Studies
show that people who share their goals with others are 70% more
likely to achieve them. Share your goals with those people you respect
the most, and you’ll work harder to ensure that you don’t disappoint
them.
What conclusion can we draw from all this?
The difference between top sales performers and the rest of the field
is clear. Top performers have a plan to achieve their goals, and they
act on that plan every day. This year, commit yourself to being a
top performer. Design a daily and/or weekly plan, act on it consistently
and monitor your results.
It’s been said that most people aim at nothing and hit it with surprising
accuracy. We all have a goal in mind. Whether you hit it or not will
depend on your ability to define and focus on the tasks that lead
to your goal consistently.
"One person with a commitment is worth a hundred who only have
an interest" – Mary Crowley. Make this the year in which you
become that one.