Let’s say you have just been assigned a team with low morale and a stagnant pipeline. Despite their experience, they lack focus and seem to be going through the motions. As their manager, you know setting clear goals is the first step to turning things around, but the sheer scale of the challenge is overwhelming.
How do you even begin to fix this? Honestly, it is enough to make anyone want to pull the covers over their head and forget the whole thing. But the thing about sales is, you cannot hide from the numbers. Clear goals are how you turn the team around. They will give everyone a target to shoot for, a way to actually measure if things are getting better. The trick is figuring out those goals when you are feeling lost yourself.
That is where this guide comes in. We will break down how to set sales goals that make sense, ones that actually help, not just add to the pile of stress. We will also look at how Oliv can take some of the guesswork out of the process, so you can start focusing on motivating your team instead of fiddling with spreadsheets.
Determining the right sales goals
Think of goals as your sales team’s destination. Without them, everyone is just wandering, hoping to stumble upon success. But randomly picking goals is like spinning that compass- you will end up more lost than when you started.
Here is how to ensure your goals are truly leading you in the right direction:
1. The big picture
You might have learned how to set sales goals, but remember, they should never be created in isolation. They need to directly support your company’s overall mission. Ask yourself: “If we achieve these goals, how does that help us fulfill our larger vision?” If you cannot connect the dots, it is time to rethink those goals.
2. Focus on what matters
There is more to sales success than just the bottom-line revenue number. Consider these goal categories, all crucial to a thriving sales engine:
- Revenue goals: These are the lifeblood of any business. But the key is to be specific. “Increase revenue” is too vague. “Increase revenue by 15% this quarter compared to the same quarter last year”- now that is a target to chase.
- Lead-based goals: Your pipeline is your future revenue. Goals like “Increase the number of qualified leads by 20% this month” keep you focused on filling that pipeline with good prospects.
- Activity goals: These track the daily actions driving results. “Make 50 outbound calls per day” might seem basic, but it instills those essential habits.
- Customer-centric goals: Happy customers = repeat business and referrals. “Reduce churn rate by 5% this year” focuses on keeping those valuable clients.
Not all sales goals are created equal. Learning to set sales goals aligned with your company’s objectives is the first step toward a sales team that consistently crushes targets.
3. The SMART framework
By now, you have probably heard of SMART sales goals. But actually applying it in business can be tricky. The SMART acronym is non-negotiable in learning how to set sales goals.
Let us break down each aspect with SMART sales goals examples to see how to set goals the right way:Not enough information to go on? We recommend checking out our Sales goals setting guide for a full breakdown with actionable steps!
Remember, setting SMART goals is the first step toward success, but the execution is where the real magic happens. That is where Oliv shines- with tools like follow-up reminders, call analysis, and progress tracking, making it easier to turn those goals into results.
4. Sales goal setting takes a team effort
Sales can sometimes feel like a solo sport, but the best results come from a team effort. Getting your reps involved in the goal-setting process is a powerful motivator.
Here is why knowing how to set sales goals with your team matters:
- Ownership: When reps help shape goals, they feel more invested in achieving them. It is the difference between being told what to do and feeling like an active part of the sales plan.
- Reality Check: Your front-line reps have insights managers might miss. Involving them helps ensure your goals are ambitious and achievable, keeping everyone grounded in what is truly possible.
- Boosting Morale: Asking for input shows you value your team’s knowledge. Feeling heard builds trust and a sense that everyone works together toward the company’s success.
Company-wide goals are essential but must translate into something actionable for each rep. The SMART principle is your guide here. If your company’s SMART goal is to increase revenue by 20% this year, here is how it can cascade down to multiple levels:
- Rep 1: Focuses on upselling existing clients for higher average deal size.
- Rep 2: Specializes in landing new enterprise deals.
- Rep 3: Concentrate on lead generation through social selling.
While collaboration is key in knowing how to set sales goals, Oliv can streamline the process further, especially for busy sales teams:
- Data-Driven Discussions: Oliv makes sharing performance data with your team easy, grounding goal-setting discussions in facts, not just guesswork.
- Transparent Progress: Everyone can keep track of team-wide goals and individual progress with Oliv. This creates friendly competition and celebrates wins along the way.
- Coaching Opportunities: Oliv’s insights help you spot where reps might need extra support, turning those goal check-ins into personalized sales coaching sessions.
Goal setting is not a top-down announcement. It is a collaborative process that drives individual accountability and fuels a shared purpose across your entire sales team. Oliv can be your team’s aid, keeping those goals organized, progress visible, and everyone motivated to succeed.
5 common mistakes during goal setting
Even with the best intentions, it is easy to stumble if you are unclear on how to set sales goals. Let us look at some of the most frequent mistakes and how to sidestep them for maximum success:
1. Setting unrealistic or vague goals
Aiming for the stars is admirable, but goals completely detached from reality crush morale. Likewise, “improve sales” is too vague. One of the essential pointers in how to set sales goals is to be specific and base your goals on data for the best chance of success.
2. Failing to get buy-in
Goals dictated from higher up the hierarchy rarely inspire. Get your team involved early. Explain the ‘why’ behind your targets and listen to their feedback. Collaboration boosts ownership and helps fine-tune goals for maximum impact. This is essential in knowing how to set sales goals.
3. Neglecting regular review and adjustment
Remember, goals are not set in stone. Your team evolves with market shifts, and so must your goals. Build regular check-ins to track progress, celebrate wins, and tweak your approach if needed. Flexibility is key.
4. Not using data to inform goals
Setting sales goals based on gut instinct is a recipe for those poor outcomes. Analyze past sales performance, market trends, and more. The more data you have, the smarter your goals will be.
5. Lack of accountability
A goal without ownership is just a wish. Ensure each goal has someone responsible for its success, and that progress is tracked. A sense of accountability creates a team invested in hitting those targets.
Goal-setting is not a one-and-done activity. Avoid these common pitfalls by being realistic, prioritizing collaboration, embracing flexibility, leveraging data, and ensuring everyone understands their role in achieving those all-important goals. That is how to set sales goals 101.
Get in-the-moment insights with Oliv
Having clearly defined goals is a great start, but what about the day-to-day grind? That is where Oliv truly shines- providing in-the-moment support so reps feel empowered to smash their targets.
1. Constant guidance
It is easy to forget key goals or best practices in the flow of a sales call. Oliv’s real-time suggestions and reminders act as a gentle nudge. Whether it is an activity-based goal like, “Remember to ask for the referral.” or a lead conversion goal like, “This prospect matches a hot buyer profile,” Oliv helps reps focus on the actions that drive results.
2. Call Analysis
Goal achievement is not just about remembering targets. Oliv’s live call analysis provides insights your reps might miss and makes sales targets visible. Maybe they are dominating the conversation instead of executing active listening, or perhaps there is a pattern in a specific objection they have not identified. This level of in-the-moment awareness helps address potential roadblocks right away.
3. Pre-call research
42% of reps believe they do not have enough information on the prospect before making the first call. With Oliv’s pre-call research, you can walk into a sales call with background on the prospect. This means better conversations, higher conversion rates, and a strong sense that every interaction contributes to those goals.
The journey towards how to set sales goals and achieve them is full of small actionable steps, right from individual calls and research to demos and after-sales follow-ups. Oliv makes it easy for your reps to do the right things during calls- those little adjustments that greatly impact results. It is the difference between hoping for good outcomes and actively steering your team towards achieving them.
4. Adapt with Oliv’s data-driven analysis
The best-laid plans can sometimes go awry. Sales is a dynamic field- markets change, competitor strategies shift, and sometimes, even your best goals need a reality check. That is where Oliv’s insights shine, helping you stay agile as a sales manager and adapt those goals to ensure success.
5. Beyond the dashboard
Setting sales goals is not just about the numbers on a spreadsheet. To truly understand performance and guide your team effectively, you need deeper insights. Even the best reps cannot be expected to perfectly recall every detail of their calls. Important nuances get lost, and it becomes harder to identify areas for improvement. With Oliv, you can pinpoint crucial moments where conversations took a wrong turn, and identify objections as well as patterns of success.
6. Data-backed decisions
It is one thing to sense that sales goals might need tweaking, but Oliv gives you the data to back it up. Are demo-to-close rates dropping? Are you attending fewer sales calls than you initially planned? Oliv helps identify trends, so your goal adjustments are strategic and based on hard data rather than gut feeling.
7. Team-wide impact
Oliv’s insights go beyond individual reps. Imagine noticing a pattern in objections suddenly emerging across your team. This signals a marked shift you need to address, perhaps through additional training or adjusting goals to reflect the new reality. Things change fast in sales. With Oliv, you do not have to scramble to adjust your goals- it gives you the insights to make those changes confidently.
Beyond goal setting
hitting those sales goals is about more than just setting targets. This is how Oliv goes beyond being a goal-setting assistant, optimizing other key areas of the sales process:
1. CRM integration
Updating the CRM is important, but let us be honest- it is tedious and takes time away from what reps do best: selling. In fact, sales reps spend on average only about 2 hours a day on actual selling activities. Between admin tasks like updating the CRM and compiling sales reports, there is often little time left for the actual core of their job.
That is where Oliv's automation comes in. Imagine having all that accurate client information updated with minimal effort from your team. This frees up your reps to focus on building prospect relationships and closing deals.
2. Lead qualification
Chasing every lead is a recipe for burnout. Oliv helps establish pre-defined qualification criteria, ensuring your sales reps focus their energy on prospects likely to convert. This helps your team prioritize actions tied to your revenue goals. Sometimes, the smartest sales strategy means knowing when to say ‘no’ to a lead that is not a good fit.
3. Making sense of the data
Oliv does more than just collect data; it helps you make sense of it all. Instead of staring at complex dashboards, Oliv shows you the patterns that matter most for reaching your goals.
We know sales goals can feel all-consuming, but Oliv gives you a broader perspective. It simplifies those daily tasks, giving you the space to think strategically. That is how you stop just chasing numbers and start building a sales team that consistently delivers results.
Conclusion
Now that we have discussed how to set sales goals at length, here is a reminder: setting the right goals is a crucial first step for sales leaders, but true success lies in the execution. Let us recap the key points we have explored:
- Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound goals
- Involve your team for buy-in and accountability
- Leverage data to set realistic, impactful goals
- Stay agile and adapt goals as needed
Ditch those messy spreadsheets and focus on your sales goals with a helping hand from Oliv- try a free demo and see the difference.
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