How Do You Hit Target When Even Your Boss Thinks It's Impossible?

Recently, I was working with a cross section of the sales leadership team from a large, international organisation.

I was brought in to share some ideas on the best way to focus and motivate their salespeople - while ensuring that each member of the individual teams was taking personal responsibility for their own targets and activities.

Our time together was incredibly positive - right up to the time that I started talking about TARGETS.

I was highlighting the importance of achieving the BIG NUMBER - the figure that the entire senior team would be measured on at the end of the year.

That's when one of the managers in the room spoke up and said...

"the sales targets in this business are more of a wish list - a nice to have - they're not a specific demand.

The big number we're being asked to achieve isn't what our directors really wants to achieve - it's just the big number the investors want to read about in the annual report. Everyone knows the target figure is pretty much impossible. If we achieve 70 - 80% of target everyone will be happy enough!"

Which made me think; "Oh - that's interesting"....

You see - every now and again - when you're invited to deliver a broad message for a sales team to hear - you can't help feeling that - maybe the real reason you were brought in, was actually not for EVERYONE.

It was because there was a small, core group that the hierarchy want an external voice to deliver a few home truths to.

And this one had all my bells ringing and lights a-flashing.

Because here's one thing I do know - and this is true about any kind of target in life:

If you don't have some kind of faith that your desired outcome is possible, together with a sense that it genuinely matters to you to achieve it - You DEFINITELY won't achieve it!

• If you start training for a half marathon - but believe 10 miles is quite far enough - that's where you'll probably stop.
• If you're saving up for a big holiday - but deep down you don't believe it's worth the money - you'll probably find other things to spend your money on
• And if you believe that 80% of your target is "the real target" - then you'll probably be lucky to hit 70%

The biggest setbacks and roadblocks I encounter with all sales teams - is what Zig Ziglar used to refer to as "- stinkin' thinkin' -".

And when the stinkin' thinkin' in question is emanating from the management team - well - that's when you're really in trouble.

So - let me share with you - the advice and home truths I shared with the people in that room....

1. The Truth About the Sales Manager's Job

When someone steps up from a pure sales job to managing salespeople - their role changes significantly.

You see, when you are put in charge of a team, your job is no longer to hit target - it's to make sure the target gets hit!

Subtle difference in words - massive difference in results.

The target is not an optional job - it is THE JOB!

Sales managers need to understand that meeting (or exceeding) them is non-negotiable - because the success of the team and the company's growth depends on hitting these targets consistently.

Anyone who dismisses them as wishful thinking, is struggling with their own inner negativity demons - or is desperate to continue to be seen as "one of the gang" - dissing the hierarchy - rather than someone who has stepped up to a more senior, responsible position.

And if that is the case - while they're thinking they're being "down with the kids" - the sales team are more likely to view them in the same way that six-form students view a teacher who turns up to vape with them round the back of the bike sheds at break time.

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2. If You Don't Think It's Worth Doing - How Do You Expect Your Team To?

In the film "Saving Private Ryan" Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), is ordered to take a squad of Rangers and head into an active warzone to find and bring home Private James Ryan.

Immediately after setting out, Reiben - one of the Rangers - addresses the squad and asks:

“Do you want to explain the math of this to me? Where’s the sense of risking the lives of the eight of us, to save one guy?”

He then asks Captain Miller if he sees any problems with this clearly flawed plan.

Captain Miller's response is leadership GOLD:

“I don’t gripe to you, Reiben, I’m a captain.

There’s a chain of command.

Gripes go up, not down. Always up.

You gripe to me. I gripe to my superior officer, so on, so on, and so on.

I don’t gripe to you. I don’t gripe in front of you.”

But Reiben continues:

“Say you weren't a captain - say I’m a major - what would you say then?”?

To which Miller responds brilliantly with:

“Well, in that case, I’d say this is an excellent mission, sir, with an extremely valuable objective, sir, worthy of my best efforts, sir.

Moreover, I feel heartfelt sorrow for the mother of Private James Ryan.

And I’m willing to lay down my life and the lives of my men — especially you, Reiben — to ease her suffering.”

3. Company Targets Are Not Requests; They Are Commercial Necessities

At some point last year, a large group of very important people from that international company spent days together (and weeks working alone) hammering out this year's financial requirements and targets.

And one of the big jobs was almost certainly working out the difference between how much the sales team cost - and how much profit the sales team needed to deliver back to the pot simply to pay for itself (as well as all the other wages in the business, pay rises and new hires).

Those targets would have been meticulously set to align with the company's strategic objectives and financial projections, reflecting the organisation's aspirations for growth, profitability, and market competitiveness.

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4. The Sales Team are the Costed Out Solution to Reach the Objective

While nurturing and supporting the people in your team is crucial, it's imperative to recognise that they are not ends in themselves but rather means to an end - the accomplishment of sales targets.

As an example - when the company purchases a printer to complete all it's printing needs, it doesn't pay the full price for a machine that will cope with 100% of all the printing required - and then quietly puts up with one that only delivers 80% of the promised output.

The sales team are a valuable resource employed to achieve specific objectives.

Almost all new sales managers take the step up into a "people management" role and focus on looking after the people bit of the equation - rather than looking after the people so that they in turn have the capacity to manage the expectations of the company.

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5. Stop Entertaining Lobsters

If you watch a tank of lobsters, you’ll see that they spend quite a lot of their time climbing onto each other’s backs, one on top of the other, continuously building themselves into a series of wobbly lobster towers.

There’s rarely a lid on a lobster tank and yet every time a lobster manages to pull himself to the top of the tank - just when he’s close enough to climb out and make a bid for freedom - all the other lobsters pull him right back down to the bottom.

Every time.

And that’s how it is with Lobster People.

Lobster People take great delight in pulling others down to their level. It makes them feel more comfortable if others join them on the floor of mediocrity.

Earlier in my career I worked in a field sales team, where the daily target was 6 calls a day.

The calls that we were required to make were neither difficult nor time consuming.

I found that quite boring and I wasn’t actually achieving anything tangible - so I started doing 8, then 10, then 12 calls a day – every now and then I’d really put my back into it and make sixteen calls.

At my first quarterly sales meeting, I started to get quite a bit of attention and praise from the hierarchy for the job I was doing.

At lunch, the rest of the team pulled me to one side and asked me to;

“Stop making so many calls. There’s no need to work so hard, it’s an easy gig here. Don’t ruin it for everyone else. You don't want to make the rest of us look bad, do you?”

I told them I wasn’t going to stop – and sadly that didn’t make me any friends.

But that’s how lobsters pull you down; they act like they’re your friends, so that you'll join their little gang, do what they do.

Lobsteritis is highly contagious; it can spread like wild fire, one person quickly picking it up from another.

They’ll whisper in your ear, and invite you to walk next to them on the easy side of the street.

You see, they need to surround themselves with the camouflage of others who are acting in the same way – if enough join in, then their way will become the norm.

However, they’re constantly terrified that if you all climb up and out of the tank together, they will be exposed for who they really are.

So avoid the doomsayers and pessimists; the layabouts and the nearly men; surround yourself with successful, positive, like-minded people who are looking for ways to take advantage of every opportunity to grow their business and improve themselves.

If you’re a team leader or manager, and you're aware of one or two lobsters lurking in your ranks, introduce the concept at your next team meeting, tell everyone how they climb into a tower and then pull each other down.

Watch as everyone nods in agreement with the analogy, and how they point out individuals from other areas of the business.

Everyone knows a lobster, nobody ever admits to being one.

Recognition is curative – once your team are aware of the lobsters in their midst, they will do their very best to avoid appearing like one to their peers.

Once everyone understands what lobsters are really all about, like any type of bully, they lose all their power.

And there is a great strength of feeling to be gained from simply saying;

“Hey – stop being such a lobster!” to anyone who is holding you or your team back from a future you're all perfectly capable of achieving.

Listen - I don't doubt for a moment that the sales leaders I was in that room with went out every day and put in a really good shift for their employers.

In fact they were probably promoted to sales leadership positions because of that very work ethic.

But let me tell you something from bitter experience.

Once lobsters start whispering to their colleagues at the coffee machine about how pointless all this chat about "hitting targets" is - it will catch light incredibly quickly and the negativity will spread like you wouldn't believe.

On the other hand - if you want your sales team to be led by a group of positive motivators who know how to get the very best out of everyone involved, feel free to reach out to me (you can access my calendar and telephone number at this link here ) and we can discuss how I could help your leadership team reach heights previously thought unreachable.

If you're ready to do so, we can build a completely bespoke game plan and leadership workshop just for your team.

Alternatively - we've just released the next dates for my 1 Day Sales Leadership Masterclasses in the UK which are taking place in:

Manchester: 6 Places Left

London: 8 Places Left

Either way, I look forward to speaking with you soon

To your success

Chris