A Goal Setting Refresher

Seven years ago we hired a professional sales trainer to work with our Branch and Sales Managers. While he presented and helped us with the entire sales process, I think the greatest benefit he taught us was the importance of setting goals. He worked with us not only on how to set sales goals but personal and financial goals as well.

For the next several years we did a pretty good job of following his trainings. We were setting good goals and holding ourselves accountable for the goals we set. However, we seem to be slipping back into our old habits and not putting the focus on setting good clear goals that we should be expected to achieve.

So if you and your sales team have gotten a little lax on goal setting, I would like to present a little refresher on SMART goals.

I mentioned in my last post “Smart Goals” and had a couple of questions about what are smart goals.

Smart Goals are the framework that all good goals should incorporate. From Stanford University:

“Smart goals help improve achievement and success. A SMART goal clarifies exactly what is expected and the measures used to determine if the goal is achieved and successfully completed.”

Here we go:

• Try to limit the number of goals you set. We chose to focus on 3-5 goals that could really make a difference. Any more seem to dilute the process.
• They must be SMART:
  • Specific: This is the “Who” and “What”. You must be as detailed as you can about the goal.
  • Measurable: This is the “How”. The goal must have a way to determine if the goal is met or not.
  • Achievable: The goal must be realistic and reasonable to be achieved in a specific amount of time. Your goal should make you stretch but not be impossible.
  • Relevant: The goal must be relevant and appropriate for the situation. Keep the focus on the result.
  • Timely: Your goal must have finish date or deadline. Include a “when the goal will be met by” date.
• You must write your goals down and review them often. Perhaps weekly, monthly but at least quarterly. This is the most critical step in the goal setting process. If you don’t take the time to put in the effort to write down your goals all you really have is a wish.
• Now share your goals with those that have an interest to help you achieve them. This will help you add more accountability to your goals and help make sure you stay on track.

If you have become lax on setting goals for yourself and your sales team I encourage you to re-engage. If you have never seen the benefit to goal setting I ask that you try. I can promise that if you follow the suggestions above you will greatly accomplish more than those who don’t.

There is plenty of great advice and more detailed explanations of goal setting and making “Smart Goals” on the internet. Just Google “Smart Goals” and get started. One article that I have recently shared with some of our sales team is “The Beginner’s Guide to Goal Setting” by Michael Hyatt. This is a very good article with examples of the goal setting process.

If you would like to share your goals or have any helpful suggestions on Goal Setting please leave a comment or send me an email at feedback@wewaonthenet.com.