Salespeople have lots of goals when it comes to their job.  They have sales objectives imposed by their employer; performance goals demanded by their customers; and personal goals that they put upon themselves.

And it seems like the sales goals are always too high, the performance goals unrealistic, and the self-imposed goals are completely reasonable.  Wrong!

Sales goals are high for two reasons.  First because the company wants more revenue, and there’s nothing wrong in wanting more income.  You do don’t you?  The second reason sales goals are high, (and increased on a regular basis), is as much for your benefit as it is for the company.  If a sales goal is easily reached there is an increased chance that the salesperson will become complacent and lazy.  Why continue to work hard if you have reached your goal half way through the month?  With high sales goals you continue to push yourself, and continue to make sales, and continue to earn more income.

Customer imposed goals can be unrealistic at times, and when they are you need to delicately explain why those expectations are not obtainable.  While customers have a right to be demanding, (and usually are), they are also understanding when presented with a rational explanation.

Often, our self-imposed goals are the ones really out of whack.  We expect too much from ourselves at times, and place goals on ourselves that we would never place on anyone else.  Nor are we the best judge as to what is “too much” of a goal.  When setting goals, objectives, or standards of performance for ourselves take a minute and think “Is this something I would place on salespeople under me?”

If it isn’t something you would be comfortable placing on subordinates, (if you had them), then it is probably too much to ask of yourself.

Goals should be realistic, obtainable, and bite-sized so that you can easily accomplish them and stay motivated.  As I have said in previous articles, take large goals and break them down into small increments so that you don’t become overwhelmed and discouraged with a seemingly unmanageably large goal.

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