Last month I met with a client 2 days before the end of the month, and he
was three sales short of his quarterly target of 30 sales. We could have
been satisfied with that, but instead we decided to keeping going full out
for the target until the end of the quarter.

We came up with the great "Get my business coach off my back" sale. 

 My client sent out an email to all his prospects who were trialling his
product and considering buying it. He said something like "We're three sales
short of our target for the quarter. I think that's a pretty good result,
but my business coach is telling me its not good enough. So help me get my
business coach off my back! Until midnight on Wednesday you can buy the
product for x dollars." (And he offered a generous discount.)

The result? Six sales over the last two days of the quarter. Not bad out of
a quarterly target of 30.

I had another client send me an excited email in the last week of the same
month telling me that she had hit her target of 40 million for the month for
the first time (she's in Indonesia so unfortunately that's rupiahs, not
dollars).

I think there is incredible value in having a sales target, for two reasons.

Firstly, it puts your attention on sales, and keeps it there. And putting
your energy and focus on a certain part of the business will generally
produce results there regardless of anything else.

Secondly, sales is often an area that small business owners don't love, and
will avoid if possible (even while recognising that sales is the life blood
of the business). A sales target will keep us in action and stop us putting
off those calls that we've been avoiding. There's a good reason that all
sales team have targets, and even if you're the only member of your sales
team, I recommend you set a target too.

The photo is my display for my target this month - I'm launching a new
program on the first of May, and I've got 8 registrations so far towards my
target of 10. Let's hope my coaching is better than my drawing!

How do you go with sales targets (or the lack there of) in your business?