Here's how you can set goals and track progress for your sales team as a team leader.

As part of a redeployment of our sales team I wanted to set activity goals rooted in modern market conditions. Were cold calls still the best use of time and energy? I wanted an approach that our maximized the skills. I found that if I leveraged the years of activity data and considered both pipeline health and sales revenue, some patterns began to emerge. One example is, it turned out quotes given early in the sales cycle were far less likely to succeed than when quotes were presented later in the process after a solid business relationship was built. With this understanding we built activity goals based on an individual rep's current pipeline not a simple contact requirement. The result was 14% increased sales over the next 6 quarters.

1. Define Clear and Specific Goals Set SMART Goals: Ensure goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Align with Business Objectives: Make sure the sales goals support the overall business strategy. Individual and Team Goals: Set goals for the team as a whole and for individual members to promote accountability. 2. Break Down Goals Monthly/Quarterly Targets: Divide annual goals into manageable monthly or quarterly targets. Daily/Weekly Activities: Identify daily or weekly activities that will help achieve the targets. 3. Communicate Goals Clearly Team Meetings: Regularly communicate goals in team meetings. Documentation: Provide written documentation of goals and expectations.

Investing in a robust CRM can be daunting because the results can take time to manifest. In my experience, you must have the fortitude to drive adoption at each level of the organization if you want an expected return. If you want to actively manage your reps, having real time data which feed analytics will make your coaching sessions more direct and impactful. Salespeople are typically competitive. Don't wait for the quarterly sales numbers to post before you harness this proclivity. Use your CRM to create scoreboards for activity that post in as close to real-time as possible. Display these scoreboards with plenty of company wide visibility not just in sales CRM views. Motivation and accountability can come from unexpected sources.

Meetings have a tone. Is the tone of your meetings conducive to vulnerable and honest communication? Having a team regularly share their wins as well as their losses with each other can speed maturation of reps as well as build heathy relationships. Take notes of what is shared then reinforce the valuable nuggets that come to light during training. As a leader make a habit of co-selling or riding along with your team. The truth about strengths and weaknesses of an individual with reveal themselves across from a customer more often than in performance reviews. I found setting small achievable goals per sales interaction based on the gaps in a skillset can help a rep experience your winning strategy concretely and not only abstractly.