Jill Konrath's Blog, page 15

Performance-Based Goals vs. Getting Better Goals

It‘s time for more straight talk today on goal setting. So let me ask you this: What IS your quota this year? How about your revenue goal? I‘ll bet it hasn‘t gone down.

Performance-Based Goals

Can be motivating – if you have the skills to achieve them.

In sales we‘re usually dealing with performance-based goals like, achieving 120% of quota or earning $200,000. Sometimes these types of goals can be extraordinarily motivating – especially if you‘re confident that you have the knowledge and skills to achieve them.

How to Avoid Falling Short of Your Sales Goal This Year

 

You know, everyone wants to achieve their goals, and everyone expects that they will.

But let’s be honest here: Typically about 50 % of salespeople fail to meet their sales quota. And as for you entrepreneurs, I’d suspect that an equal percentage aren’t bringing in the revenue you’d like.

So why do we so often fall short of reaching our sales goals and what can we do to change this?

No One Talks About This Key Factor in Sales Goal Achievement

It’s that time of year again when we all have a fresh start. And, everyone’s talking about goal setting – which is why I thought I’d chip in with a series of videos about what it takes to achieve them.

Right now, you might be thinking about how much money you’d like to earn. Or, you may even be staring at a comp plan that looks incredibly challenging to achieve.

But what no one talks about is one factor that can be a total game changer.

My Top 6 Sales Blog Posts in 2014

At the end of each year, I always take a look back to see what content really resonated with my readers.

Here's a summary of the most viewed and commented on blog posts in 2014. Enjoy!

Is this really good service?

I'm trying to get my newsletter done so I can send it early next week. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble. No internet service at our condo. We got here yesterday -- and my husband immediately called to get hooked up. 

Is This Really Good Service?

I'm trying to get my newsletter done so I can send it early next week. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble. No internet service at our condo. We got here yesterday -- and my husband immediately called to get hooked up. 

Ha ha! The earliest they can do it is NEXT Thursday. A week from today. It reminds me of this Brian Regan video.

The Beauty of Imperfection

I first met Mary, my husband's youngest sister, shortly after we started dating. She was the first person I'd ever known with Down Syndrome. To me, she looked funny, she talked funny and she chewed with her mouth open. It made me uncomfortable.

Back then, kids like her weren't mainstreamed. They didn't exist. And I had no experience dealing with this human imperfection. So I kept my distance, not wanting to interact with this flawed individual. But Mary wouldn't let me do that. She refused to give up on me. And her charm worked as she wormed her way into my heart.

3 Strategies to Stop To-Do List Overwhelm

One most challenging aspects of learning something new is feeling overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of what you don’t know. Your To-Do list is probably a mile long already.

And, if you’re like most people, you haven’t even made a dent in it. In fact, you’ve probably already added a few additional items. Every day you fall further and further behind.

In Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, authors Burmeister and Tierney state that a person typically has 150 different tasks on their To-Do list.

Think about your own. You have prospecting calls to make, proposals to write, emails to send, service issues to solve. Now, add all the new things you have to learn on top of it: new products, new markets, new pricing plans, new technology. The list goes on.

Then, throw in the birthday card you need to pick up, the groceries you need to get, and the tax forms that have to be sent in.

Here’s what’s even more discouraging. Research shows that the longer your list, the less likely you are to get things done. Overwhelm hits. Your brain start spinning again. You get anxious that you won’t get it all done. And you don't. Or, should I say, you can’t. It’s literally impossible.

Here are 3 strategies to keep yourself from having an unproductive day – or even life!

Avoid This Brain-Draining Distraction to Increase Sales Productivity

Learning something fast requires concentration. To make sense of it all requires you to really wrap your brain around it. So does coming up with a new strategy for a perplexing sales problem or figuring out how to enter a new market.

Distractions of any sort slow your absorption of new material. Every time you jump off-topic, you waste hours of time getting your head back into the task at hand.

Yet most sellers are totally oblivious to the
#1 distraction of all – checking email.

Is it Time to Amp Up Your Sales?

Recently, while speaking at the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals, I had a chance to chat with Andy Paul, author of the new book, Amp Up Your Sales.

We spent a lot of time talking about what salespeople need to do to succeed with today's busy, savvy buyers. Keep on reading to find out what we talked about. Also, click here to download a preview chapter.

Enjoy the conversation ....