This chapter focuses on setting sales force goals. Approximately 85 percent of U.S. companies establish formal goals for their salespeople. Experience shows that organizations and individuals who are goal-focused are more successful in the long run than those who do not set goals for themselves.

The chapter is designed to help you:

• Know when to set "soft" goals based on competencies and activities and when to set "hard" goals based on sales and profits
• Set goals in a volatile business environment with high uncertainty in predicting future performance
• Implement an objective, data-based process for setting territory-level goals that incorporates input from local sales management
• Realize the factors that correlate with territory sales and incorporate these factors into your goal-setting process
• Understand the best formulas and processes for setting territory goals using four potential goal setting-methods
• Involve field sales management in setting goals and tracking progress against those goals
• Ensure that goals are fair, realistic and motivational