Goals. It’s a word we hear a lot of this time of year. We all start with the best intentions but come the summer, if we’ve not started working on our goals, most people ten to dismiss them. They say things like, “It wasn’t realistic anyway.” Or “I was just dreaming.” Or even, “Something got in the way.” Whatever the reason we tell ourselves it all comes down to the same thing – commitment. We may have really believed we could achieve it but then we didn’t focus on the goal every day so we dismiss it incase we fail. We did not commit to it.
Amateur sales people do this every day with their number and the company’s targets. They say, “ It wasn’t my fault I was given unrealistic sales targets to hit.” Or “my market can’t support that kind of price.” Its all the same! Lack of commitment. And because it happens all the time with all sorts of goals, business owners and the leadership team accept the sales persons excuses because they’ve heard them before – from themselves.
How can we stop this cycle and get true commitment to our company goals?
Written By Anneli Thomson. Sandler Training in Oxford
Its not easy, but here’s 4 steps to help you:
- Be aware of the excuses you hear. Some of them will sound very believable and you will empathise.
- Understand that people buy emotionally and justify intellectually. If you give your sales team an intellectual goal, they will never own it. Sit down with them and explain what reaching the company target will mean to them personally – and remember they will all have different driving forces for success; very few people are motivated purely by money.
- Put regular accountability in place. There is no point waiting till the end of the year, or even the end of the quarter to see if you have hit your goals. What do you need to be measuring every day?
- Celebrate the small success! Remember life is a journey the destination is not the only important thing. Put milestones in place and celebrate a new sale or even a new appointment made with an on target prospect!
Now is the time to make these small changes in your business to make 2013 a great year!
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