June 2002 Track Selling Times Ask Roy Chitwood
 Ask Roy
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M. Forbes from Nashville, TN asks:
"I am a new sales manager. I believe in goal setting, but I'm unsure how to teach this to my team. I'm worried they won't take this seriously. Any suggestions?"
Roy's Answer:
"Congratulations on your new position. It sounds like you want to give your team the necessary tools to help them be successful. Work with your team so they will understand exactly what goals are: stepping-stones to achieving dreams. It's a proven fact that those who set goals accomplish more than those who do not set goals.
I think many people do not set goals because they do not know how to create realistic and meaningful plans and the steps to achieve them. It is important to know what you want, why you want it, when you want it and what you need to do to achieve it.
There are four basic steps in setting goals.
First, teach your team to set big goals, ones they can be excited about. For example, one of your salespeople may set a goal of acquiring your job one day!
Second, goals should be long-term, such as earning a substantial income within five years. Think of goal-setting as a road map. Without a map, you may never find your destination. Without a goal, your sales team may only achieve mediocrity rather than greatness. Long-term goals give long-term direction.
Third, goals should be short-term. This may sound contradictory, but all long-term goals can and should be broken down into a series of comfortable and achievable steps. To earn that substantial income, your salesperson may need to start with a short-term goal of completing "X" number of cold calls daily. Ask your salespeople to think about their greatest accomplishment. Did it happen overnight? Probably not; instead, it most likely was the result of smaller successes that contributed to the accomplishment. Teach your team to break down the long-term goals and create those smaller steps to help them accomplish the goal.
Finally, have all your salespeople write out their goals and review them on a regular basis. This will keep them focused and committed."
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