Examples of Sales Objectives

Sales objectives are one of the most important elements of a sales role. They set a clear path towards achieving success and, in turn, help you hit your targets. But not all sales objectives are created equal.

Some get thrown together at the last minute and have little impact on your performance, while others help you hit your targets repeatedly by keeping you focused on the most important things.

It’s up to you which type of sales objective you create! Keep reading to learn more about what they are, why they’re important, and examples of great ones you can use for your role.

What is a Sales Objective?

A sales objective is the “what” you want to achieve in your sales role. The sales goal will drive you to succeed and get you back in the game when things aren’t going as smoothly as you’d like. Without clear sales objectives, you’ll find yourself drifting away from targets without even knowing it.

With them, you can stay focused on what’s most important and measure your success by hitting those sales objectives. Successful sales objectives are SMART. That means they’re Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. A good sales objective will be more than just your annual sales target. It will be specific to your role and the team you’re on so that you’re not spitting out the same sales goal as everyone else.

It will be measurable so that you can track your progress against it. It will be attainable, so you can still reach it even if you’re in a tough market. It will be relevant to the type of client you’re serving and the business you’re in so that it isn’t a stretch goal but something that matters. It will have a clear time frame so you can see when you need to be done.

Why Are Sales Objectives Important?

Sales objectives are important because they act as a road map to success. When you can see the path you need to take to the finish line, it’s much easier to focus on the most important pieces of the journey.

That’s especially true in the sales environment. With the ever-changing landscape and new ways to sell emerging all the time, you can easily get sidetracked from the most important pieces of your role. Without clear sales objectives, you’re likely to get caught up in the busy sales work that won’t get you closer to hitting your targets.

That’s especially true when you’re first starting in sales. You don’t have the experience or track record of being able to say no to the less important work, so you end up taking on too much. That’s why it’s important to establish clear sales objectives as soon as possible to have a clear path toward success.

 

7 Tips for Creating Great Sales Objectives

There are a ton of sales objectives that you can choose from. They will all differ depending on the type of sales environment you’re in, your business, and your strengths, weaknesses, and interests. While they’re all different, they also share a few things in common. Here are some tips for creating great sales objectives to help you succeed.

Make sure your goal is achievable

If you’re in a new role, it’s easy to start throwing out sky-high numbers as your sales objectives, but that’s usually a recipe for disappointment, burnout, and failure. Start smaller and build your way up as you gain experience and confidence in your abilities.

Tie your sales objectives to your business’s overall objectives

You’re not working towards your individual sales goals in a bubble. All your work is tied to your company’s success, and your sales objectives should reflect that. Make sure they tie back to the company objectives and goals for sales so that you’re helping the company and your team hit their mark.

Make sure your goals push you outside your comfort zone

If you’re only setting goals you know you can hit, you’re not challenging yourself enough to grow. You want to ensure that you’re setting high-achieving sales objectives so that you’re always improving and growing in your role.

Create sales objectives that connect to your company’s goals

Some of the ways you can do this are by serving clients that are tied to your company’s mission, finding new ways to solve your customers’ problems, or coming up with new products or services to offer.

Bring your team into the process

This will help you build stronger relationships with your team members and make it easier to track your progress and hold yourself accountable.

Make sure your sales objectives are smart

They must be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

Examples of Effective Sales Objectives

There are tons of great sales objectives you can choose from, but these are some of our favorites. They’re all specific to sales roles and tailored to different sales roles. They’re also all measurable to track your progress against them.

They’re also relevant to different types of businesses, so you can find one that fits your type of sales. And they each have a clear time frame so you can see when you need to be done.

Setting a minimum number of appointments

When starting in sales, getting caught up in the number of meetings you take each day can be easy. While it’s good to meet with as many people as possible, appointments are what lead to closed sales. Setting a minimum number of appointments that you need to hit each week can help you focus on the most important part of the sales journey.

Setting a minimum number of meetings per appointment

This sales objective is something that you can add on top of the number of appointments you need each week. It’s a great way to ensure you’re closing the most meetings out of each appointment by asking for the sale at the right time.

Setting a minimum number of new customers

This is a great sales objective if you’re in a B2B sales environment. It’s easy to get caught up in the B2C side of sales, but it’s important to remember that your company needs new people buying from them, so setting a sales objective that focuses on new customers can help you get there.

Getting a certain number of referrals

This sales objective is another one that’s good for B2B sales. Getting referrals from your customers is a great way to expand your sales pipeline, so setting a sales objective that focuses on getting a certain number of referrals can help you get there.

3 Bad Examples of Sales Objectives

There are lots of sales objectives you could choose from, but not all of them are good ones. Here are a few likely to get you into trouble and should be avoided when creating your sales objectives.

Setting a sales goal based on your annual sales targets

While it can be tempting to just throw out the same sales goal as everyone else on your sales team, it’s not a very smart idea. Your annual sales targets are likely a little higher than your team members. That can be great, but only if you can hit them.

Setting a sales objective that focuses on volume

There’s nothing wrong with setting a sales objective that focuses on the number of weekly meetings you take. It’s good as long as you’re also setting an appointment goal. But if your sales objective focuses solely on the number of meetings, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

Setting a sales objective that is too vague

Every sales objective should have a clear goal, a number that you need to hit. But it also needs to be focused so that you can track it and know when you’ve hit it. “Close more sales” is too vague. “Close 5 sales per week” is better.

Conclusion

Sales objectives include long-term, broad objectives you want your whole sales staff to attain to propel your business. However, you must keep a close eye on collecting numerical data to ensure your goals are reached.

Metrics enable you to create processes and plans for your sales force to follow to meet your sales goals. Although certain goals may appear broad, such as boosting customer nurturing to increase upsells, applying analytics can make them attainable.