How can you set realistic goals for new sales hires?

In addition to shadowing tenured reps & shared quotas to up-level newer cohorts, establish a culture of revenue framework adoption thru structured peer-to-peer coaching & role playing: - Create scenario-based role plays with a cross section of peers, w/clear guidelines on outcomes - Role plays should be micro-moments in the sales motion, i.e. how to kick off a call w/intentionality, how to agenda-set w researched & relevant content (not talking about weather or how the prospect is doing) - Encourage blunt coaching & scoring on process & execution according to the playbook - Encourage authenticity & authentic voice w/in the framework - Emphasize & coach on quantifying pain tied to initiatives & determining if you have the right champion

Establishing achievable objectives for salespeople is a delicate balance that has various factors. It involves aligning expectations, leveraging effective coaching & providing the necessary support to nurture the development of these new team members. Break Down Goals into Smaller Steps: Large, long-term sales goals can be overwhelming for new hires. To make them achievable, break them down into smaller, more manageable milestones since this can build confidence & help them stay motivated. Measure & Recognize Progress: Regularly measure the progress & recognize their accomplishments, no matter how small because recognition reinforces their commitment & boosts their confidence. Most importantly - Offer Ongoing Coaching to meet their goals

Setting realistic goals for new sales hires is a foundation for success. Here are a few strategies to ensure those goals are achievable & inspiring: - Clear Expectations: Define roles, responsibilities, and targets clearly. New hires should know what's expected from day one. - Gradual Progression: Set achievable milestones for the first few months, allowing them to adapt and grow into the role. - Continuous Training: Invest in ongoing training and mentorship. Equip new hires with the skills and knowledge they need to excel. - Feedback Loop: Establish a feedback mechanism for regular performance reviews. Adjust goals based on their progress and challenges.

In my opinion realistic is something which I will enjoy doing, something which also brings out the best in me, which means at the end of the day as a sales person I feel satisfied and at the end of the day my organization will also feel that I have contributed. So ideally what are we talking about here is the potential of the individual and understanding the potential of the market, not just going by the numbers but understanding the potential. Assessing individual capabilities and tailoring initial goals accordingly ensures a solid foundation. Creating a culture of feedback, emphasizing customer-centric approaches, and specifying time-bound objectives all contribute to their success and ultimately, the company's growth.

Goals should factor the individual, needs and experience. High autonomy, high experience - keep it simple and revenue focused. Base it on their previous ramp up speed in terms of revenue, take into account your similar hires. Finally, consider what they believe should be their year 1 revenue goal. Lower autonomy, high experience - break it down to 30 and 90 day goals in addition to activity and revenue goals - calls/demos/meetings... Provide revenue goals taking the same things into account as above. Lower autonomy, low experience - 30/90 goals, specific metrics, be sure you have a structure to support them such as a strong mentorship program. Provide goals based on similar hires in the past.

In my experience, a new sales hire (junior or very experienced) should all be given a 90-day SMART goal. If they can't achieve activity driven goals in 90 days, then your organization will just be on this slow slide to 18-24 months before you see there's no fit. When you give the new sales hire (a BD or Capture lead) specific, measurable goals that are activity-driven, they will achieve success. And you can see through the data that they will be able to contribute.

SMART goals provide clarity and specificity. Reduces ambiguity & potential misunderstandings. This clarity helps them focus on their priorities and understand the desired outcomes. From a coaching perspective, SMART goals play a pivotal role. They allow sales coaches to offer consistent, structured feedback, pinpoint areas for improvement, and tailor their coaching strategies to meet the unique needs of each team member. The measurable nature of SMART goals is particularly valuable in tracking progress and guiding coaching efforts.

Goals that serve new hires well, especially in Sales, are the ones that help them ramp up to KPI before the end of Onboarding while also offering each rep real world exposure to the role as part of the Onboarding itself. Depending on the specific sales model of the business, each sales team will have it's own unique set of KPIs. For example: Goal 1 can: be 200 cold calls per week by week 4 of Onboarding Goal 2 can be: 4 discovery calls booked by week 8 of Onboarding Goal 3 can be: 1 opportunity moved to the Closing stage before the end of Onboarding Relevant onboarding = relevant goals that will serve them as they thrive in their new role.

et SMART Goals: Utilize the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) framework to create well-defined goals. SMART goals are clear, quantifiable, and time-bound. Consider Ramp-Up Period: Recognize that new sales representatives may require a ramp-up period to learn the ropes, become familiar with the product or service, and build a client base. Factor this into goal-setting. Break Down Goals: Divide the overall sales goal into smaller, manageable targets. Start with daily, weekly, and monthly goals, which can be gradually increased as the new hire gains experience.

Smart goals provide clear directions and becomes a challenge as well motivating for new sales hires , these goals create self motivation with proper listening coaching and feedback’s and self motivation is the key for success of new sales hires

In my perspective, achieving a realistic balance isn't the primary focus as a sales leader. Instead, the initial step should be defining clear sales goals. These goals then serve as the foundation for developing a strategic plan. Within this strategy, it's essential to determine the type of personnel to be recruited for the sales team, specifying the required competencies and desired behaviors, psychometric exams help in this regard. The nature of these milestones depends on the growth objectives the organization aims to attain within a specified period. The key to achieving these milestones is efficient post-sale processes, consistent service delivery, and fostering a learning culture, among other factors.

In the Federal Market, I set SMART goals around activity, not sales or revenue. ? Research: In the first 30 days, I expect you to understand an agency's challenges and goals; e.g. the Air Force, or FEMA ? Targeting: In the first 30 days, I expect you to build a list of 1-200 key leads (people) in that target agency with emails and phone numbers. I want to see that you can 'find' relevant people to build relationships. This also helps me see whether an experienced person can go beyond their rolodex. ? Within the first 60-90 days, I expect you to be calling 25 people a day to push into an agency and have at least 6 new meetings per week. There's more, but I can take an intern and get them to productive in 90 days following a process.

Implementing SMART goals through sales assessments, interviews, or shadowing can be a powerful approach to ensure that sales professionals have clear, specific, and achievable targets. Sales assessments can help evaluate the current skill levels and competencies of new hires. By understanding their strengths and areas for improvement, you can set SMART goals that are realistic and tailored to their individual abilities. Incorporating the results of sales assessments, insights from interviews, and observations from shadowing experiences into the goal-setting process ensures that the goals are measurable. You can use specific metrics derived from these assessments to establish clear, quantifiable objectives.

A sales rep's achievements are always measured in terms of revenue, conversion rate, win rate, deal size, profitability etc. But these are only end-results and it is too late to do anything in a deal so as to turn it around. The SMART goals for sales reps would be to measure outcomes while the sales lead is in progress. That is set goals for every sales meeting/call and then ensure all support is given as desired and then measure the outcome of each sales activity at every stage of the sales cycle. This enables all to know where you stand in a deal, know what the next steps are and even identify internal bottlenecks and external roadblocks to the the deal. Setting SMART goals for every client engagement for entire sales cycle is needed.

ccount for Training and Onboarding: Plan for training and onboarding periods. Set lower initial goals during the training phase and gradually increase expectations as the new hire becomes more proficient. Use Historical Data: If available, use historical sales data to establish benchmarks and realistic targets. Analyze the performance of experienced salespeople in similar roles. Leverage Mentorship and Coaching: Assign a mentor or coach to provide guidance and support to the new hire. This can help them develop the skills needed to achieve their goals.

There is obviously different kinds of sales, but in the Federal Market where our sales cycle is long... I coach new sales people (or business owners) to just get started. I help them have an easy way of telling their story as and intro, and then using Call Plans that enable the conversation to flow easy with customers. What I'm really trying to get salespeople or business owners to do is pick up the phone and start having meetings. The activity will lead to experience. When you're not doing transactional sales and trying to close a deal, then you're just having conversations with a potential customer. Having those conversations help you raise your company above the competition.

This has been a very big issue in my entire 35 years of sales career. As a frontline sales rep, I received coaching in soft skills mostly, which one would tend to forget within a week of the training. Reason-a human behaviour gets set by age of 30. It is difficult to change a sales rep of 10 years experience with a 3 -5 day training program in a year. The sales coaching has to be in "hard selling skills. Every company is unique. The sales training needs to cover 'sales methods' relevant for its own offerings and way of selling. Sales coaching needs to cover how to align company's sales process to the buying process of its ideal customer profile. This is one big area that is least focused upon.

Once you have the SMART goals aligned with the values and needs of the sales professional, you should coach around the skillsets needed to accomplish the goals. It's important to equip the sales professional with the right skills and tactics that work to sell your product or service. You can accomplish this by: 1) holding regular meetings focused on the sales professional's needs, wins, or frustrations 2) staying connected to the emotions tied to the goals 3) ensuring the sales professional that their needs and goals are just as important to you personally as well.

Coaching new sales hires to reach their SMART goals is a continuous journey, not a one-off event. It requires ongoing dedication and adaptability from sales coaches Asking open-ended and powerful questions encourages new reps to think critically & seek solutions. This will build their problem-solving skills Empowering new sales hires is about giving them a sense of ownership over their goals. Motivation is the fuel that keeps them moving forward, so inspiring and recognizing their efforts is crucial.

Tailor Goals to Individual Strengths and Weaknesses: Understand the strengths and weaknesses of the new sales representative and adjust their goals accordingly. Focus on leveraging their strengths and improving their weaknesses. Provide Resources and Tools: Ensure that new hires have access to the necessary resources, tools, and technology to help them meet their goals. This includes CRM software, sales collateral, and marketing materials. Regularly Review and Adjust Goals: Schedule regular meetings to review the new hire's progress toward their goals. Adjust the goals as needed based on their performance and feedback.

Consider assigning a new sales hire to a shared quota alongside a seasoned team member. This encourages collaboration and knowledge transfer, while providing the experienced sales individual an opportunity to test his management skills.

With the advent of new technologies, sales coaching can be enhanced through AI-powered tools that analyze sales data and provide personalized coaching recommendations. This integration of technology is a valuable addition to the coaching process. Sales teams are leveraging predictive analytics to set goals that consider future market trends, helping them stay ahead of the curve.

Clarity of thoughts,proper directions on tasking,listening to them on the challenges they face or their immediate breakthroughs or what they find difficult on the smart goals and how to overcome them ,independence with no minute monitoring,supporting on their questions,treating them equal and with respect,a feeling must come in new hires yes i am worth that requires motivations and proactive approaches,there is a lot needed to make great performers out of young sales persons ,and holding them back , a lot lacks in reality,the way new sales hires face

Does the company have a Job Description for rep to sign? If not rep will fail. Does Management commit to the person? If rep sees they see they are thrown in the deep end they will loose heart and fail. If management waits until rep admits a problem the sales is lost. You can not manage what you don't measure set SMART KPI's. If some in this forum are bragging about the length of time they have been in sales, rep will fail. It is not about you, "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care". This applies to 2 types of customers your internal and external. If that is not understood rep will fail.

New hires need more looking after than any other part of the sales team. The cost and time to hire, as well as the opportunity cost and management time are way larger than most people realise. Realistic, staged goals are what work. If in doubt, ask the last cohort of new starters. Re-assess the ramp rate regularly and celebrate wins publicly. If the new starters are not ramping as expected, dig in to find out why. Don't assume its the individual, it could be a wide range of factors, from internal to external. Humans have an acute sense of fairness, something that is developed from the youngest experiences. So make sure the targets continue to be achievable but stretching.