How To Bounce Back From Missing Quota
Jordan Benjamin ??
I Help Sellers Crush Quota In Less Time | 6X P-club @ HUBS | Master Your Sales Skills, Your Time, And Your Life
It happens to the best of us. You may have been in sales for years or a few months until you miss your quota. No matter when it happens, or how successful you’ve been, it always sucks. Trust me, it just happened to me for the first time in awhile.
You may notice a bunch of questions and thoughts popping up in your head, “Can I really do this job?” “Do I really have the skills and abilities I thought I did?” “A lot of other people missed their number too.” “My marketing team, manager, director, CEO, etc. didn’t do XYZ” There are A LOT of excuses we can make and are very natural to start flowing through our heads. The excuses of who’s fault it is, don’t matter because at the end of the day the responsibility and accountability fall on you as the sales professional to get to your target. The blessing and curse of being in sales. It may open up ideas on better collaboration across teams or areas where you can get support but at the end of the day we can only focus on the things directly in our control as sellers.
In order to bounce back the following day & month there are a few simple things you can do to set yourself up for success. Take a few minutes to reflect and then take advice from Coach K (who may be struggling as I write this today after Duke's Elite 8 Loss) and focus on what you can do RIGHT NOW.
- Take a few minutes to reflect on 2 key questions.
- What did I do well? Just because you missed a number, doesn’t mean everything you did was awful. What were the good behaviors you want to continue to do?
- What 1-3 areas can I improve on? Maybe it’s more prospecting activity, better closing plans, improve value positioning, prepare for calls more.
2. Set a goal for yourself. What is your target for % attainment, deal creation, $$’s sold, etc. to get you back on track?
Clean up pipeline. Evaluate what is in your pipeline for the next time period?
What is the difference between your goal and what you can forecast?
Create a plan to get there. What’s your close rate? Average Sales Price? —> How many deals do you need to close to achieve that goal? How many new deals (prospecting calls, demos, etc.) need to be create to close X amount of deals/$$?
3. Execute, Execute, Execute
- Break your plan down to days, weeks, months, quarters
- Track yourself daily, weekly, monthly to see how you are trending
- Do Your Best Every Day
Now you have a plan in place, to know where and how to spend your time. You know your goal and you have areas you’ve done well on as well as areas you can focus on improvement. Keep the list of things to improve on short, so you can really focus and check in with yourself after every call/meeting/day to say, did I do my best at X?
Some of us after a tough quarter may notice you were trying so hard, fighting through the weekend to try and get to your number and you may be burned out or "Gripping the bat too tightly". You may need to give yourself permission, for today, to take a little time for yourself. Maybe it’s making sure you go to the gym, take a yoga class, do a meditation, clean your house, take a long walk, get a massage. The options are endless, it’s really about knowing what will help you refresh, renew and recover from what is most likely a lot of stress. You can only maintain high performance for so long until your brain starts to become overworked and overstressed. Once you have awareness of what will get you most ready to kick butt, Go Do It!
How do you bounce back from a tough month/quarter? What other ideas have you found helpful that may benefit others?
Account executive
3 周Jordan, thanks for sharing!
Lead Marketing Specialist at Byron Van Pelt Coaching & Consulting | Helping authentic coaches attract clients who resonate deeply | ?? Client Attraction Alchemist ?? | Traveling the country full time
2 年Jordan, thanks for sharing this.
Ajudo coaches, consultores, mentores e pequenos empresários. Juntos, criamos sistemas de vendas inteligentes. Diariamente, geramos potenciais clientes qualificados. Tudo isso com menos esfor?o e mais previsibilidade.
3 年Great, Jordan :)
Success Consultant - Sales, Mindset, Marketing. Working with you & your team to create greater efficiency and productivity. Clients experience a fulfilled sense of self at work. Proven strategies to increase company ROI
3 年This is super insightful?Jordan. thanks for sharing!
Creative Strategist | Coach
3 年Jordan, thanks for sharing!