Adding the How to Your Sales Goals

(Blog #16 in the ongoing series derived from a book Harris DeWese wrote several years ago—“A Year of Selling Profitably.”)

In my previous blog post, I asked you to write four to six sales objectives for the balance of this year. Perhaps you already had those objectives and you were committed to achieving them. If so, I hope you wrote them out again and recommitted to them.

Remember, the objectives had to be quantifiable.

You may have wondered why I only asked for just a handful of objectives. Most of us mere mortals can only remember (put our arms around) a few objectives.

The fewer the objectives, the more apt you are to attain them. I learned that the hard way (like so many things that I have learned over my long and painful life). When I was young and actually had energy, I committed to more than 60 objectives for the year. My boss laughed at me and implied that by June 1st I would be a complete basket case and ready for a strait jacket.

Well, of course, I laughed back at him for challenging my ambition.

On February 1st, I waved good bye to him as the guys in white jackets came to give me strong sedative and gently place my quivering body in the back of an ambulance. I can still see my boss holding my plan in one hand and waving good bye with the other.

Now that I’ve made the point about limiting your objectives to a few attainable targets, I want to discuss the methods for pursuing the objectives. Those methods are called “strategies.”

Strategy is one of those words that big-shot CEOs, consultants and MBA professors like to throw at us. They try to make the word seem to be something exotic. If not exotic and complicated, then sexy.

Strategy is only a synonym for the word “how.” As in “how” will I get from last year’s lousy, “I almost lost my job,” performance to this year’s “I have doubled my commission income and the boss loves me” superior performance.

Here are some possible strategies for attaining your sales objective(s):

1. I will create a database of information about 40 qualified buyers.
2. I will create a contact plan for each of those 40 prospects, including phone calls, personal calls, letters, e-mails.
3. I will schedule and conduct three workshops/cocktail parties at our plant to demonstrate one or more of our competencies.
4. I will invite each of the 40 prospects to at least one lunch or dinner during the year.
5. I will arrange to mail each of the prospects a sample of at least three of our complex, unusual and unique jobs during the year.

I’m sure you will author strategies that are much more creative than the ideas I have presented above.

OK, you have written out your objectives and now I want you to write strategies to attain those objectives.

And, as always, I want you to get out there and sell something!

A Year of Selling Profitably
By Harris M. DeWese with Jerry Bray
Employ techniques and tools that turn weekly sales meetings into energetic learning experiences, resulting in a more enthusiastic, more motivated, and more effective sales force. Understand how these techniques and tools required to build successful marketing, sales and, ultimately, profits, will help you achieve “A Year of Selling Profitably.” Click to order a copy.