“Develop goals through a true mutual collaboration.” 

Things you can do to help everyone achieve their goals:

• Address the Issues. When discussing your sales goals with your salespeople, did you address the following topics
  • Their level of buy in around their goal.
  • Their level of confidence around attaining their goal.
  • The potential roadblocks that can sabotage their efforts and prevent them from reaching their goals.
  • The role they want you, as their manager, to play in supporting them.
  • How they want to be managed around their goals.
  • How they want to be held accountable around reaching their goals and how they want you to approach them if they drop the ball.
  • The structure they need to put in place regarding how they will manage their daily activity that will move them towards attaining their goals.

This creates buy in, while ensuring your salespeople to buy into being coached and supported by you. You will notice that these questions will address the gaps I mentioned that often go overlooked until it’s too late. And you know it’s too late when managers find themselves in the reactionary position; spending their time managing problems and putting out fires rather than managing goals and coaching their salespeople on achieving them.

• Discuss the goals that have been set. Ask questions such as:
  • How do you feel about your goals?
  • How did you come up with that goal? (If they did so vs. having a sanctioned quota)
  • How confident are you about achieving this goal?
  • Why? What’s making you feel that way?
  • What would it mean to you if you achieved these goals? (Personally/professionally)

Try a few and see how things improve!