Sales is about activity levels and numbers. What gets done daily shapes the month, quarter, and year. All too often I see the monthly, quarterly, and annual scramble when it should be a "daily push". A Rainmaker sales manager focuses on daily goals.
"What daily activity levels and objectives will be accomplished to make monthly goals - quarterly and annual results a reality?"
S.M.A.R.T goal setting brings structure and trackability into your goals and objectives. Instead of vague resolutions, SMART goal setting creates verifiable trajectories towards a certain objective, with clear milestones and an estimation of the goal's attainability. Every goal or objective, from intermediary step to overarching objective, can be made S.M.A.R.T. and as such, brought closer to reality.
What daily activity levels are necessary to accomplish the objectives and results? For example, a sales team member should write down that he or she will make an X number of calls today.
How will the activity levels be measured? Remember what gets measured gets improved. HubSpot is the program we choose to measure activity levels at our company, but there are many similar products available on the market.
Are the activity levels achievable? Unrealistic activity levels will not happen. The sales manager in the example above is expected to make $80K in one day, which is pretty unachievable for this company. Avoid this by making objectives that are achievable.
Do the activity and objectives drive toward the desired results? If a team member is over preparing (i.e. researching that never ends), it gets to the point where their research is no longer relevant to the activity objectives.
Goals must be shared within a particular time frame. A commitment to a time period provides focus.