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Have these systems in place for a successful 2022

We talk a lot about goal-setting here on the blog. Now that we are in the final weeks of 2021, it’s time to start thinking about what 2022 will look like professionally. If you have big goals for next year, you’re going to need to get a few things in place to get on the right path. The biggest thing you need is to create a power circle of influence. I talk about this a lot in my book Catapulting Commissions, and an article I saw recently reinforced this for me. The article said that you need certain fundamentals in place in order to increase your chances of meeting your goals. In fact, if you have these in place, you have a 95% chance of meeting your goals. As a sales professional, those are the kinds of odds I like. Let’s take a look at those foundational pieces and see how they fit in with my power circle of influence.

The article explains that The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) laid out goal achievement odds based on the results of a recent study:

  • Idea for a goal: 10% chance of meeting goal
  • Take action idea: 25% chance
  • Create a deadline by which to achieve it: 40% chance
  • Create a detailed plan for achieving it: 50% chance

For some people, a 50% chance of meeting a goal may be enough. But when you’re looking to catapult your commissions, 50% chance isn’t what you want to take into 2022. The study went further.

  • If you commit to one individual person who will hold you accountable: 65% chance of meeting your goal
  • If you set a specific accountability appointment with an accountability partner: 95% chance

This final element is essentially a power circle of influence. In my book, I discuss what I call the power circle of influence quadrant to really solidify the chances of meeting your goals.

Quadrant 1: A family member

Pick someone you trust in your family to whom you can talk frequently. You want to let them know you have this big goal and ask them to check in with you. Make it clear that you want their support. Coach them a bit to let them know how you want to be talked to, what might trigger a negative response, and what you want to hear when you’re having a tough day or are celebrating a milestone. You want to trust that person to be totally honest with you and be there for you frequently.

Quadrant 2: A work friend

Pick someone who is at a similar level as you in your industry or your company. This person should also have a goal of their own, and you make an explicit agreement that you’re going to support each other. Get together with that person for a weekly influence meeting, and take turns talking for about 20-30 minutes each about your goal progressions.

Quadrant 3: A group of like-minded people

This could be a mastermind or simply a group of 3 or more people who agree to meet weekly and hold each other accountable for the success of their goals. Each group member should be in a similar place in their career and have a big goal they are trying to achieve. This could be a voluntary thing where it’s a formal meeting you’ve agreed upon, or it could be involuntary where you as the sales manager facilitate these kind of discussions in your weekly sales meeting.

Quadrant 4: A sales or executive coach

A sales or execute coach is fully committed to seeing you achieve your upcoming desired results. The reason people don’t get the specific accountability of a coach in their corner is they don’t like accountability. They don’t like being told their ideas aren’t working, they’re not being efficient with our time, or their skills aren’t as sharp as they think. I look at my athletic career, and some of the best coaches I had were the ones who demanded perfection from me. They weren’t demanding perfection in my performance, but perfection in practice, perfection and execution. They held me accountable. When you take that component and apply it to business, you’ll get closer to meeting your goals.

Not all sales coaches are created equal. Find somebody who actually knows what they’re doing. Feel free to reach out to me, reach out to my team, and we would love to help direct you. If you want to get on my calendar, feel free to do that as well.

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