Let’s get this out of the way right now – this will not be the sexiest blog you have ever read. Not at all. The topic is goal-setting. How sexy is that?
Not sexy, but necessary. We’re 6 weeks away from 2027. If you haven’t thought about what 2027 will look like good luck making it happen.
You might be shocked to learn that we see many sales organizations & salespeople that spend a hell of a lot more time planning their winter-breaks or summer vacations than they do their sales careers. It’s ridiculous. Think about it. It’s a “risky proposition” to put yourself out there & have a sales goal. Most people shy away from it for fear of being held accountable… thinking things like, “If I don’t have a goal, then I won’t have to achieve anything.” (actual thought in career salespeople’s minds). Most people would rather not be held accountable.
Common but not right. You have all seen the Harvard Business School study that documented an entire graduating class. 10 years after graduation the 3% of the class that had both written goals and a plan were making 10 times as much as the rest of the 97% of the class. 10 times. Probably just a coincidence…
Time after time, study after study, it is proven – goal-setting works. If you do not believe it, try not setting goals. Forget the plan. See how far you get. Wait, most of you are already doing that. How is it working?
Problem is, most salespeople “think” they have goals. They say things like, “I want to sell more next year.” Or “I want to earn more money in 2027.” And there it is. That is their goal. NOT! That is a wish. A dream at best.
When does a wish or a dream become a goal? When it becomes SMART.
There is a good chance that most of you have even seen & heard the S.M.A.R.T. Goals acronym. Well, you are about to see it again. Question is, what are you prepared to do about it?
We put a subtle spin on the SMART Goals acronym (the R). Check it out here:
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
1. S pecific
Sales goals must be specific. I will sell more or I will increase my sales in 2027 are not SMART Goals. They become SMART when you add specifics. I will sell $750.000 in 2027 is SMART. I will increase my sales by 20% in calendar year 2027 is SMART. They have “meat.”
2. M easurable
Sales goals are measurable. This is the easy part. They are numbers. It is easy to see and compare what you did in 2026 and compare to 2027. Enough said.
3. A chievable
Sales goals must be achievable. Not too easy, but also not too hard. How many people do you know that hit their sales target by September and take the rest of the year off (coast)? Dangerous. Equally as dangerous is a sales goal or quota that is too far and reaching. If you have been clipping along at $500,000 in sales year after year how much sense does it make to have a goal of doing $1.5 million next year? Sure, it could happen. But unlikely. The mere thought of that daunting task turns many salespeople off and they often shut down before the year even starts. Dangerous. Think it through and determine what is possible. Stretch, yes. But do not “pie in the sky” for the sake of impressing people. Be real
4. R ewarding
A bit of a spin. R often stands for “realistic” in some SMART Goal acronyms. Realistic & achievable mean the same thing. We will go with REWARDING. You should reward yourself for hitting your sales goal. The reward should be in addition to the compensation (commission or bonus) you will earn anyway. We have seen people reward themselves with trips, cars, fun “toys,” etc. Make it something separate – something fun to work for. The money will come as a result of hitting it.
5. T imely
Sales goals must be timely. We are all for a 5-year plan or a 3-Year goal. Problem is you cannot manage a 5-Year or 3-Year goal. You cannot even manage a 1-Year goal. But you can break that year into chunks. A 1-year goal has 12 months. 12 months have 4 weeks each. What are the manageable activities you will do to hit your weekly number (resulting in your monthly number) and ultimately your annual number? Back into it. Start with the annual goal and work backwards to determine what you need to do monthly and weekly to hit it. These “sales activities” are completely in your control (dials, emails, etc.). This activity leads to meetings, demos, quotes, proposals and closed deals.
Sexy? No. Necessary? Yes.
