Did you miss quota again?

:-(

Chris Dankowski
August 31, 2024

I know most of you did, and I have the data to back it up.

There’s two ways to look at quota attainment…

1) The odds will never be in your favor. It’s impossible to hit every month. 😭

Giphy

2) The odds will never be in your favor. It’s impossible to hit every month. 😃

Giphy

It’s all about perception and expectations.

If you perceive that the only definition of success in your role is quota attainment, that a successful career centers on hitting quota every month, and that all of the “sales influencers” 🤮 who are loud and active on Linkedin are hitting their number each month (they aren’t), then you are going to have a really REALLY bad time.

If you can shift your perception to quota being one of several outputs that could be used to define success rather than the be all end all, then you could have a much better time!

Here are some things to focus on instead of hitting 100% every month…

How your performance ranks against the other reps in your segment
How you rank against the reps who started at the same time as you
How you compare to the average attainment % at your company, in your segment, and in your industry
What feedback are you getting from your prospects and clients? Do they like you?
What feedback is your manager giving you about your calls (if they’re not doing this, send then some calls to review)
How much of your territory you’re able to cover AKA, how many accounts and people are you touching? Is it enough? Focus on playing the number game

Regarding expectations, if on average 50% of your colleagues are hitting their number each month, expect that you have a 50/50 shot.

Concede that this is reality, and get OK with the fact that this may or may not happen for you.

Try to be neutral.

Giphy

^{Buddhist philosophy suggests that unfulfilled expectations can lead to suffering. This is because expectations are often the result of a "wanting mind" that is driven by desire, aversion, and anxiety. This "wanting mind" creates an illusion of control in a world that is constantly changing.}

Think of a baseball analogy.

If a player has 10 at bats with only 3 hits, then they’re batting .300 and are one of the best hitters in the league.

Same goes for closing rates, and the same goes for quota attainment.

Don’t let anyone gaslight you into thinking that the only way for you to be an awesome sales rep is for you to crush quota every month. It’s an unfair expectation and is unrealistic.

Now, all types of mindset shenanigans and goodness. Have a great month!

@dankow.ski
1st of the month, y'all! Win, lose, or draw August is a clean slate. #techsales #saleshumor

@dankow.ski
Know your numbers! Article link in comments. #greenscreenvideo #salestips #salestok #corporatetiktok #careeradvice #careertok #saas

Avoiding burnout

Episode · PIPs & Pivots · What do you do when you can feel burnout creeping over you? https://linktr.ee/cdankowski

open.spotify.com/episode/1tap1qFdXPONDQ28Y5U1rR?si=KVbEXjkYSY22wIO0Ah1KRg

Did you miss quota again?

Subscribe to keep reading

Reply

Keep Reading