Jim Iden

SALES TEAM members are heavy lifters contributing to the success of their companies.

Therefore, it makes sense to prioritize an annual sales goal process as part of your business practice. These meetings offer a time to share the Company’s VISION MISSION, allowing TEAM members to know where they stand within the organization’s established benchmarked goals and objectives. And know if they are at Performance Standards, Below or a High Achiever.

Also of importance, it offers time to review the salespeople’s motivational desires they strive for before management cast out annual goal expectations.

This meeting process helps assure sales and management personnel on reaching obtainable revenue numbers they forecast and expect to achieve that alight with Company goals.

Need a process? Here’s a summary outline you may find helpful.

1. Start with Group Messaging
   • Communicate the company’s current year-end (YE) results compared to goals. What went right and opportunities to capitalize on.
   • Review of the company’s longer-term Vision and Career Opportunities that avail. Include in careers, “What’s in it For Them” talk, facilitates retention plans and helps to attract the right people into the organization.
2. One-on-One Meeting
   • Review with each salesperson their current YE sales revenue and personal income results.  Start now, project out to YE if necessary.
   • Compare their results with the goals forecasted to be achieved for this year.
   • Discuss in detail the metric measurements, controllable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that produced their sales revenues and income results.
   • Take time to define what they feel went well and what they would do differently to improve results.
   • Compare their contribution standing to the Company’s resulting Performance.
   • Goal Setting.  Discuss the income the salesperson wants to make for the coming year.  Tie the KPI metrics required to produce the level of sales revenue to generate their income goal.
   • Explore how sure they feel about the metrics required, and HOW they expect to accomplish.  Establish that both of you agree the sales revenues, KPIs, and income goals are obtainable.  If you or the salesperson feel they are too high or low, collaborate to reach a number you both believe is real.  It’s KEY for the salesperson and manager to agree on the income to sales revenue ratio and KIPs required are achievable.
   • Understand WHY the Income Goal is meaningful to them.  Knowing how they plan to spend their income provides a self-managing motivational tool.
   • Career Opportunity.  We all want to BE learning and growing.  Ask the salesperson what they want as the next step in their career.  Review with them the company’s projected growth and the Performance Standards representing this opportunity.
3. Probe the commitment level they have for their goal ambitions.
   • Remember, people do things for their own reasons.  Knowing these reasons helps manage the process through the year.
4. Support.  What will they need from you?  Be clear.  Is it training in sales, leads generation, product and/or service, greater depth on knowing the customers’ business, other?  Get specific.
   • Be sure to understand what THEY personally feel vs. what you feel they need.
   • This feedback clarifies what you are committing to when providing the needed support requirements.
5. Check-Ins.  Standardize a Report Form they fill out to review Results Expected/Result Achieved.
   • Establish a time, weekly preferred.  If a new salesperson, daily.
   • Review successes and/or variances in the metric numbers and discuss strategy and tactic adjustment requirements of KPIs to achieve desired results.
   • If continually missing their metric KPIs, find out if their financial income goal priorities changed.

• Note
  • This is a TEAM effort.  It’s important to stick with regular review meetings the salesperson and manager establish. 
  • Write and keep accurate notes of conversation agreements and commitments.
  • KPI metrics are controllable factors, must do requirements to achieve desired goals. 
  • Numbers can be readjusted during the year if they are off track.

If you have questions or would like a more in-depth conversation on framing a goal setting session, contact: