| Making your sales goals in a good year is
one thing, but attaining them in a difficult year is an entirely different challenge.
Putting aside the common cliché that when times are tough, great salespeople are made,
the reality is that making your goals puts more money in your pocket.
Therefore, I keep reminding salespeople to think of how
many times in the past they've watched a customer materialize out of nowhere only to
become a major player in helping reach their year-end objectives. If you've been in sales
for any length of time, you've had this happen. I am not advocating that you kick back and
relax while you wait for the big customer to appear.
I understand that it takes work to make your goal, but, at
the same time, don't lose sight that occasionally nice breaks do occur. The good news is
that you can be successful if you're willing to take the time to work through the
following steps, despite the current state of the economy.
The first step to help you make your sales goals in a
tough economy is to break down your goal into weekly objectives.
Keep in mind, however, that these should not be based on
closing "x" number of sales, but instead on accomplishing "x" number
of activities that you've found are critical to your success. When your goals are strictly
measured in terms of sales dollars or units, you can easily become dejected by numbers
you're not happy with.
Activities to monitor may include making prospecting phone
calls, conducting customer presentations, or having follow-up meetings. This breakdown
strategy is similar to the way coaches successfully motivate their teams. By dissecting
the game into a series of activities that the coach knows the team can accomplish, they
will be in a better position to win the game.
Second, find a peer with a positive attitude who is
willing to take an interest in you.
By reciprocating the interest, you will motivate each
other. Meet together at least once a week, preferably in person, but by phone or web
conference if that's not possible. Keep your conversation focused solely on the positives
of the previous week to discuss the lessons you've learned from them and then how you'll
be able to leverage those lessons in the weeks to come. Remember, there's no point in
bringing negative baggage to the meeting.
If you blew it, don't dwell on it. Move beyond it! We all
know that it's very easy for one person's attitude to rub off onto another. A positive
outlook can create a heightened level of energy that will result in both of you being able
to think more clearly and foster new ideas and opportunities. At the conclusion of the
conversation, make yourself accountable to the goals for the upcoming week by discussing
exactly how you intend to make them. Then, at your next meeting, make sure you take the
time to review each other's goals to ensure both of you kept the focus where you expected
it to be.
Next, use the time in between each meeting with your
positive peer to focus on your key activities.
At the end of every day, ask yourself what you've done
toward accomplishing the week's objectives. By doing something daily to move yourself
towards achieving the goal, it will give you motivation for the next day.
Try to avoid putting expectations on yourself to accomplish
an entire week's goal in one day. If you can attain it in that short of a time period,
you've set it too low and you'll never reach your full potential in sales. At the same
time, don't allow the weekly goal to be so difficult that you rarely achieve it. Remember,
the breakdown of the activities must be achievable. Missing your weekly goals too
frequently will cause you to walk away from the entire process.
Finally, never allow yourself to be influenced by
negative voices.
Today's economy has created an incredible amount of
pessimism, especially in the news media. If the news is negative, don't listen to it! This
may include not reading the newspaper, avoiding certain websites, and changing the dial on
some radio stations.
Furthermore, your friends and fellow employees may even
contribute to the buzz. Consider cutting them off before their opinions sway you. For
those of us in sales, it's important to remember that people who aren't going to make
their goal are going to do everything possible to ensure their peers don't either. The
last thing they need is for somebody to show them up. Don't allow anyone to take control
of your goals.
It goes without saying that achieving your sales goals in a
tough economy is not easy. But, like a leaky roof, ignoring it and refusing to take action
doesn't make it go away just because it isn't leaking on a sunny day. Resolve to stop the
problems that contribute to your discouragement. You can't control what the economy is
doing, but you can control what YOU are doing. Take the necessary steps to motivate
yourself to achieve those weekly goals, which, in turn, will help you successfully reach
your year-end objectives. |
