The New Year is a chance to start over; it doesn’t matter what the year before looked like. If a salesperson had a good year, then the New Year is a chance to have even a better year. If a salesperson had a rough year, then it’s a chance to start over and have a better one.

Regardless of the kind of year you had in 2014, 2015 starts with setting goals. With that being said, it’s a good time to review the things that are necessary when setting your goals.

Review your goals from 2014: If you reached your goals, then your goals in 2015 should be higher than what you achieved the previous year. If you did not reach your goals, then it’s time to review and determine what your goals should be in the New Year.

Make them attainable: Goals should challenge you and force you outside of your comfort zone, but they should be attainable. If you decide later in the year that you are easily going to reach your initial goal, then you can always adjust it.

Make goals measureable: Goals are only going to work if you can measure them and determine if they are being reached. For example, if your goal is to sell 10 necklaces a month, then that’s a measureable goal. If you goal is to sell as many rings as possible, how do you measure that? For goals to work, they have to be measureable.

Set both short-term and long-term goals: If your goal is to sell 100 diamond bracelets in 2015, then that’s your long-term goal. The best way to reach the goal is to break it down. It’s up to you how far you want to break it down, but just as an example, you would need to sell just over eight bracelets a month which would be about 2 per week. The short-term goals should be set with the idea of attaining the long-term goal.

Consistently review your set goals: Take the time every week or every month to review your goals and your progress towards them. Don’t be afraid to readjust the goals if necessary.

Setting goals is a great idea for every salesperson, they keep you on track and they provide you with a baseline for the future.

FINAO - Brad Huisken