Why do need to write down own my goals?
I worked with a saleswoman once named Gail. Gail never wrote down goals, but at my urging she agreed to give it a try.
Gail shared with me that she always drove a junky car and dreamed of someday having a brand-new car. She figured out how much she would need to save in order to get that car in three years. She created a written goal; a photo of her “new car” became her screensaver. When she was feeling frustrated with her sales activity, she would remind herself why she was making that extra phone call or asking the tough questions. It motivated her to keep going. Eventually, Gail achieved her written goal—because she had a reason to do so. What is your reason for doing what you do?
It’s important to have a plan to accomplish your goals. Think of the plan as being similar to a recipe for baking a soufflé. You need to know what the ingredients are (your selling activities), how much you need (frequency), and when to add what. If you want your souffle to come out perfect, you must follow the recipe exactly!
The same is true with selling. We coach our clients on how to use Sandler’s Cookbook for Success and to hold themselves accountable for completing it. To make it real, there are three things you need to know about your sales.
-What is the average deal size of a sales transaction?
-What is your commission/compensation on the average deal size?
-What is your close ratio?
If you know those metrics and you know what your overall income goal is, you are on your way to creating your sales activity plan or cookbook. That’s what Gail did—and it’s what you can do, too.
Once you have written goals and you understand your metrics, you can put together a plan to accomplish them. Bear in mind that a plan is nothing without action. Action takes courage to do what needs to be done every single day, discipline to not waver from your plan, and the stamina to keep at it. But as Gail learned, the essential first step is committing your goal to written words.
-Rebekah Tucker, CEO Sandler Training Sydney