As I look at 2018 coming to the finish line soon, it makes me reflect on the year and what I’ve accomplished. It’s been a growth year for me, in terms of both my sales and my family.
It also makes me think about the things I didn’t make happen. As with all of us, there are some goals we miss each year. For me, fitness and health is a goal that keeps getting put on the shelf.
If your team is ending the year missing out on achieving a goal, take a moment to consider, where did the execution fall short? Maybe your sales execution fell short in the same way that my fitness strategy fell short – commitment.
If your team’s performance fell short of where you wanted it to be in 2018, regroup and hit those goals even harder in 2019. Here’s how.
Assess Your Performance
First of all, assess what really happened. Consider my goal of improving my health and fitness. I set a reasonable and inspiring health/weight goal for myself at the beginning of each new year. My desire is high to get myself in the best shape ever and shed a few pounds, with healthy eating and exercise. But, like many years before, I am closing this year giving myself a very poor grade on execution.
Now assess your missed sales goals.
Did the team not spend enough time on lead generation activity?
Were your people slow or inconsistent in your follow up?
Did they repeat the same mistakes in their sales conversations and not close enough new business?
These are just a few of the critical sales activities that must happen consistently and without excuses in order to be successful.
Commit to Doing Whatever it Takes
Maybe your missed execution was simply a breakdown in your level of commitment. Let’s look at how commitment affects results, and some tangible ways to increase your commitment to sales results.
As with every goal, success comes down to level of commitment. With my fitness goal, I had the desire to be a size smaller and to feel great about my health, yet I didn’t consistently do the things I needed to do in order to have the result I desired.
We all know that executing on my plan and achieving the results I was after required discipline and new habits or routines. It required unconditional commitment – the willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve my desired goal. And I didn’t carry through on a commitment to those actions. I didn’t exercise 5 days a week. I didn’t limit the number of times my husband and I ate at restaurants instead of cooking at home. I didn’t stick to eating the healthy carbs that I planned to eat.
Applying this principle to sales, commitment is the single most important ingredient in sales success. The willingness to do whatever it takes, no matter what is what wins (as long as it’s moral and ethical).
Remove Excuses and Create the Conditions for Success
In my story around better health and fitness, it is clear that I have conditions that get in my way of achieving my goal year after year. I save exercise for last each day, and I always find something more “important” I should be spending my time on. I don’t want to give up dining out – it’s easy and way more convenient than grocery shopping and preparing a meal at home! These are conditions. And, conditions or lack of commitment sabotage desired results. Period.
What conditions do I need to remove to have the fitness success I want in 2019?
As you reflect on your sales results in 2018 and look to the new year and the new goals you have, what conditions do you need to remove in order to have 100% commitment to your sales goals?
What were the lead generation and sales activities you knew you needed to be consistently doing but just didn’t get around to?
What I want you to most realize is this: Without 100% commitment and the right conditions for success, you will likely find excuses for not prioritizing what you must be doing daily, weekly and monthly to end the year achieving the sales results you desire.
So, as I am doing right now, take a moment to reflect on what is preventing you from being 100% committed. Clear the way and remove the conditions and excuses. Make 2019 the year you truly make it happen. Crush those sales goals!
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