Did you decide to exercise more this year? Every year 40 to 45 percent of Americans make New Year Resolutions. Research shows that by February first, 30 percent of them throw in the towel, and more than half have fallen off the wagon by July. If you’re in sales, your sales goals are like resolutions. The exception of falling off the wagon is unthinkable. Yet staying on track to reach your goals can be as challenging as maintaining an exercise program. Here’s what you can do now to make sure you reach your selling goals.

Start small. Before you get demotivated look at the sales goals you set. Are you doing the equivalent of trying to lose 40 pounds in 3 weeks? If your sales goal is overwhelming you’ll fail. If you’ve made your goals every year with 5% growth, and this year you’re targeting 25%, you are setting yourself up for failure. Instead, start by examining what you successfully did last year. This year ratchet up your performance in manageable increments. You wouldn’t transition from being a couch potato to exercising in a vigorous work out every day of the week. So why expect your selling behavior to be different? Here’s what to do if you want better sales results this year. If you spent two hours prospecting each week last year, this year you can manage three or four hours. You still have time to modify how you plan on achieving your goals. Just increase your performance in reasonable amounts.

It's the small picture. It’s only a matter of time before a prospect doesn’t close, a deal turns sour, or a customer selects a competitor. This is sales after all. Before you slide down that slippery slope of dejection, take note of what you have accomplished. Write down all the instances where a sales call went exceptionally well, when a customer complimented you or how things went better than expected. You would have a resource of positive small events to balance the negative ones you will have to face. Consider keeping notes of your successes for just those moments when things are looking bad. Instead of agonizing over your grim situation, focus on the positive. Also, look at your sales process and remember the parts of it that you are doing well. How many appointments are you getting with prospects? The small steps that you take will get you to the large goals. Examine what you do have and what you’ve done. Losing hope is the last thing you want to experience. You will prevent losing hope if you focus on what you have instead of what you lack.

Talk is not cheap. Several years ago I announced to a good friend that I was leaving the security of corporate America to go out on my own. I had resisted telling anyone other than my family. Why? Because once I told another person about my intentions to leave I knew I would have no other choice but to start my business. There would be no turning back. You can use that need to be accountable that you get when you tell someone what your goals are. Is there a target you’re trying to sell? Tell someone you respect. Add to your sense of accountability and say what you’re going to do to reach the prospect. Then regularly meet with your listener to provide an update on your progress. Talking to this person on a regular basis helps you avoid getting into too big of an emotional slump. When you find yourself having to report to this person on a regular basis you’ll be very motivated to take the actions you stated you would. Falling short in front of someone you respect is a very painful experience.

Just like resolutions, sales goals need to be set wisely. It’s the only way they’ll help you sell successfully long after February’s come and gone.

Maura Schreier-Fleming works with business and sales professionals on skills and strategies so they can sell more and be more productive at work.  She is the author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results which is available at www.BestatSelling.com.  She founded her company Best@Selling in 1997.  You can reach her at 972.380.0200.

[Back to top]