Over the next 5 weeks, I will be following up on a post that I made here, and diving deeper into each weekly and daily objective. My hope is that this helps you on your sales journey to finishing BIG for 2023 and beyond!

Week 1: Setting Clear and Specific Goals

Day 1: Refining Your Sales Goals

Task: Take some time to review your current sales goals and assess their specificity and measurability. If your goals are vague or difficult to measure, refine them to make them more actionable.

In my coaching, I see (I have been one too) many sales professionals who set their sales goals at the beginning of the year. In doing so they soon realize, once the year has begun, that their initial goals were too broad, like “increase sales” and “grow customer base”, or “hit bonus.” As a result, they hop on the struggle bus to staying motivated because they couldn’t track their progress effectively.

Takeaway: Specific and measurable goals provide clarity and direction. When you have clear objectives, you can break them down into actionable tasks, making it easier to stay motivated during down sales months. For example, let’s take the goal of increasing sales and break it down, make it actionable, and put a timeline on it. Let’s say that this rep wants to increase their close rate 33% by the end of the week.

Current state:

• 10 opportunities a week
• 30% close rate
• $20,000 average deal size

So in the past week, this rep has closed three jobs. An increase of 33% would equate to four deals this week. Closing four deals out of 10 opportunities would put this rep’s closing rate at 40%. Just one extra contract! I know, this is just easy math, but this is the magic of taking vague goals and making them specific and measurable. To some, even increasing the closing rate by 33% seems a little abstract, but once you realize it’s just one additional contract per week, it seemingly becomes achievable just on it’s surface. When you take that one additional deal over weeks, months, and quarters, you begin to realize the commission impact that just a single deal per week can make, and that’s when this vague goal just became relevant.

Application: SMART goals ensure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, instead of “increase sales,” make it “achieve a 33% increase in close rate by the end of the week.”

For more on SMART goals visit my previous post here

Day 2: Tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Task: Identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you track progress towards your sales goals. KPI’s are usually relegated to management for measuring important company metrics, but for sales reps, the important metrics are the ones that track selling effectiveness. These can vary greatly by industry or even by company, but for simplicity, let’s use closing percentage, average deal size, and net sales per lead issued. It is really important to be clear on the metrics by which performance is graded. Once the metrics are identified, a system can be created to consistently measure and analyze them.

I really enjoy sports and movies; combine those two, and there’s an audience in my home theater. One of my favorite movies is Moneyball with Brad Pitt. While it’s a great baseball movie, it really conveys the importance and impact of tracking the right metrics. If there’s one thing that baseball does not lack, it’s stats. The movie is very analogous to sales, in my opinion. Andy, another sales professional I had the opportunity to coach, realized the importance of tracking his KPIs after a slow sales month. We identified that he had a weak pipeline, but when I asked about his call numbers, he would extort that he called “plenty of people” but “couldn’t get ahold of anyone.” When pressed to quantify “plenty”, he always had a convenient number of around 20. My experience told me that it was probably closer to 10. Let’s face it, that’s not enough activity to fill any pipeline. We implemented a tracking system, and he started monitoring metrics like the number of dials, contact rate, lead conversion rate, and the number of prospect meetings scheduled. By doing so, he could identify which areas needed improvement and adjust his strategies accordingly. Most notably, what he found was that he was talking to prospects, but he just lacked the right skills to convert them into appointments.

Takeaway: KPIs provide valuable insights into your sales performance. Regularly analyzing these metrics will enable you to make data-driven decisions and maintain motivation during challenging times.

Application: Use a CRM system or sales tracking tool to monitor your KPIs consistently. Set aside time each day to review your progress and identify areas that require attention.

For more tips on prospecting visit my previous post here

Day 3: Setting Achievable Targets

Task: Break down your sales goals into smaller, more achievable targets. Develop a daily action plan to work toward these targets.

Prior to COVID my wife and I would go on a cruise every year. It’s usually our one big trip per year, with a few smaller trips in other months. Over the years our packing routine hasn’t changed one bit. It goes like this; the week leading up to the trip we begin to get anxious about everything that needs to get done before we leave- our dogs scheduled for the kennel, have I mowed the yard, have we purchased our travel necessities, have we done all of the laundry (who wants to come back to five loads of laundry to do??), have we gotten our suitcases out from storage, have we packed, printed our boarding passes etc., etc. It is without fail that we wait till the day before we leave to do the majority of these items and we are often checking off this list of to-do’s till midnight with a flight schedule for 6 am the next morning. By the time we are in bed we feel like we’ve done more in the past four hours than we have in the past four days. I share this story because I see sales reps engage in planning for their sales targets in very much the same way. While I can relate with my vacation planning, I can’t when it comes to sales planning. Too many sales reps begin planning and stressing about achieving their targets when they have only a week left in the month, and just like my vacations, it’s due to bad planning and procrastination.

To prevent this sales dilemma, start by breaking down the most important sales activities into daily time blocks. What gets scheduled often doesn’t get ignored. If a reps follow-up to close rate is only 20%, and she needs five more deals to hit her goal, then she will need 25 contacts in her follow up pipeline. However, if her call to contact ratio is only 15% then she’ll need 166 prospects in which to follow up. Since the best reps track their activity, like discussed in Day 2, this rep knows that they can only effectively contact 20 prospects per hour. So, this reps needs to plan their follow up activity over eight hours in the week. See how knowing the numbers can begin to tell the story of how to best plan the days, weeks, and month? This rep that I coached, Emily, created a daily schedule that included making a certain number of prospecting calls, sending personalized follow-up emails, and attending sales meetings. This structured approach helped her make steady progress even during slow sales months.

Takeaway: By breaking down your goals into smaller milestones, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed and maintain a sense of accomplishment with each achievement.

Application: Use the “divide and conquer” approach. Divide your monthly or quarterly sales goals into weekly or daily targets, and then plan your activities accordingly.

For more on planning & productivity visit a previous post here

Day 4: Accountability and Support

Task: Determine how you will hold yourself accountable for achieving your sales goals. Identify someone you can share your goals with and set up a system to track progress together.

In my 24 years of selling, managing, coaching, and leading high-performing sales teams, I have noticed a few things. There is a common misperception that top salespeople do not need accountability. That is simply not true; however, it is often the case that accountability looks different from one rep to the next. While one rep finds accountability with a team member, another with a sales manager, others with a mentor, and another with performance metrics, Accountability isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. The reps that last and become high performers test many approaches until they find what works best for them. My advice is to spend some time thinking about the qualities that would be important to look for in an accountability partner. Are they optimistic? Are they constructive? Do they need to have more experience? Can they be similar in terms of tenure? Asking these questions beforehand can help you avoid some potential landmines that could do more harm than good.

Takeaway: Having someone hold you accountable and provide support can significantly impact your motivation and determination to achieve important sales goals.

Application: Find an accountability partner within the organization or a mentor who can provide guidance and encouragement. Schedule regular check-ins to discuss progress and challenges.

Here’s a Weekly Accountability Plan template that I use with my coaching clients: Leave a comment (“accountability plan”) and I’ll be happy to send you the excel workbook

For more on finding a mentor and maintaining motivation visit a previous post here

Day 5: Celebrating Small Wins

Task: Identify how you will celebrate small wins and milestones along the way to achieving your sales goals. Consider ways to use these celebrations as motivation to keep going.

A veteran rep that I had the privilege to coach and mentor was Alex. He’s a seasoned sales professional, and I encouraged him to implement a reward system for himself. Whenever he achieved a significant milestone or exceeded his weekly targets, he would treat himself to something he enjoyed, like a nice dinner or a relaxing weekend getaway. He had my full support! If it meant me taking calls from his accounts during his getaway, then I was happy to do it. These celebrations not only boosted his motivation but also created a positive feedback loop.

Takeaway: Celebrating your achievements, no matter how small, reinforces a sense of accomplishment and keeps you motivated throughout the down sales months.

Application: Create a rewards system that aligns with your goals. Treat yourself to something special whenever you reach a target or milestone. It can be as simple as taking a break to enjoy a favorite snack after a successful day of prospecting. It will be very easy to fall into a routine over time in sales, and at times that can become monotonous. These small celebrations help keep the process fun and more enjoyable over a career.

In conclusion, staying motivated during down sales months requires a proactive and structured approach. By setting clear and specific goals, tracking your performance with KPIs, breaking down targets, seeking accountability, and celebrating small wins, you can maintain your motivation and drive towards achieving success in your sales career. Remember, highs and lows are natural in every sales professional’s journey, but with a consistent sales strategy and continuous improvement, you can navigate through the tough times and come out stronger on the other side.

Stay tuned for a follow up post breaking down the strategies and tactics for Week 2: Developing a Sales Plan. Till then, I hope Week 1 brings a new level of confidence and focus on your path to finishing 2023 BIG!