12 Ways To Achieve Sales Goals Faster

Every January 1st brings with it a new round of resolutions, both personal and professional. You’ve made it through the first few days of the year, perhaps energized by your goals or already feeling the pressure to keep up. Suddenly, you’re looking for a way to step it up and achieve your sales goals faster. 

But think about it. Whether it’s January 1, July 13, or October 27, your sales goals are always hanging there, waiting for you to reach them. The challenge isn’t just setting your goals. The real challenge is finding a way to keep the energy alive and make steady progress. 

This year let’s leave behind the frustration of stalled pipelines, unanswered calls, and lingering proposals. Instead, let’s focus on actionable steps to hit your sales targets – starting now. While we’re at it, let’s throw in some ways to leverage AI to enhance your sales performance too. 

Sales Demotivation or Sales Motivation?

Sales can feel the same way. You set a bright, shiny optimistic goal, thinking that this year you really can exceed your quota by 20%, or earn 15% more than last year. You’re going to get out there, talk to more prospects, and win more clients.

By the end of January, you’re discouraged because it’s the same old story. Prospects are too busy to take your calls. December’s proposals are still lingering. Your pipeline is going stale. Your boss is standing over you – or if you’re the boss, you’re glaring at yourself in the mirror.

By mid-year, you’re scrambling to catch up. The lofty goals you set in January feel out of reach. Yes, you’d still like to earn 15% more, but you’re stuck in a cycle of chasing the same opportunities without results. Your sales efforts feel more reactive than proactive, and the pressure to meet targets is weighing you down. The pipeline isn’t as full as it needs to be. You’re running out of steam. 

And come, Q4, you’re ready to give up. But don’t! 

Okay. Enough of that. We aren’t going there this year.

Rather than set a lofty sales goal and then wait for The Power of Positive Thinking or The Secret to deliver, let’s do something different. Let’s set ourselves up for sales success now, when we still have 354 days left in the year.

Your revenue goal is a destination. Like any destination, you can get there with a sales plan. You can even get there early. 

12 Ways To Achieve Sales Goals Faster

Consider what your sales plan should be. Here are 12 actions that will help you achieve your sales goals faster:

1. Measure your sales activities.

You’ve probably heard that that which gets measured improves. It’s true. Choose 3 metrics and monitor them closely all year. Consider measuring your prospecting time, number of new appointments, appointments that convert, proposals delivered, and close ratio, to name a few. Then see how you can improve them. Here are the critical 15 Sales Metrics to select from.

2. Monitor your pipeline.

I look at my pipeline every day. I get nervous if it’s low, and that motivates me. The rule of thumb is to maintain 3 times your quota in your pipeline at all times. Watch your pipeline to see where you need to focus to stay on track.

3. Improve your close rate.

The better your close rate, the fewer new leads you need and the faster you’ll reach your sales goal. If yours is less than 50%, look for ways to improve it.

4. Reduce the length of your sales process.

Perhaps the fastest way to do this is to qualify opportunities consistently through the sales process, identify where the problem you’re focused on solving falls on executive’s value curve, and follow up more frequently. You’ll spend less time on opportunities that aren’t real.

5. Increase your average sale.

A simple strategy is to give your prospect something extra in their proposal. Include one additional item or a second option that you think they’d find valuable based on their issue.

6. Align with people who can bring leads.

Review your network and LinkedIn connections. Make a list of all the people who interact with your potential prospects, then network with them regularly. If you sell to only a handful of large accounts, create a network within those organizations. Now you’ve created your own leads group.

7. Ask for more referrals.

Referrals are the easiest way to get more business, yet the most frequently ignored prospecting strategy. Set a goal for yourself to ask for 2 referrals a week. That’s a pretty easy goal to achieve.

8. Don’t accept the first “no.”

Too many salespeople have lost their persistence. This is especially true with marketing qualified leads during follow-up and with proposals when prospects have gone dark on you. Stay fully engaged until you get a definitive “No thank-you.” Then set an activity to check in with the contact again next quarter.

9. Prospect consistently.

Regardless of your sales role, you need new opportunities. Schedule time every week to prospect and don’t allow anything to keep you from it. Use these games to make prospecting fun. Following up on marketing qualified leads, prospecting in a large account, and drop-by cold calling all count!

10. Align your sales approach with your company’s core values.  

Change how you sell to embody your company’s core values. Your prospects will experience firsthand what it’s like to be a client from the initial prospecting interaction through close. You create a trustworthy and consistent brand image that drives client loyalty and sales success. 

11. Create genuine client connections.  

People are thirsting for human connection. Focus on building authentic relationships that connect with clients and prospects. Share your personal interests, hobbies, and bits about your family in your interactions. Show genuine interest in prospects as individuals. While you’re building authentic relationships, you’ll discover more places you can assist – and make new friends in the process.  

12. Have fun.

Life is too short not to, and the more fun you’re having, the more your prospects and clients will want to work with you. If it’s not fun, step back and examine #1–11. Figure out what’s not working. 

7 Ways To Leverage AI To Enhance Sales Performance 

Using these strategies, you’re on track to achieve your sales goals faster than ever. No more wondering if your team can hit its targets. 

Now let’s add in AI. By integrating AI into your team’s sales efforts, you can work smarter and streamline key activities like sales analysis, writing, and prospecting. That means there’s more time to focus on what you want to do to achieve your sales goals: building relationships and closing deals. 

1. Save time with automated sales tasks. 

Automate repetitive tasks like email follow-ups and scheduling with AI tools within your CRM. With templates, sequences, and workflows, reps can quickly dash off emails without spending valuable time grappling with what to say. 

2. Refine your sales approach with AI insights. 

Analyze sales call recordings and email interactions using AI to get immediate actionable feedback. Refine messaging, tone, and approach to better resonate with prospects. 

3. Drive faster sales with predictive analytics. 

Use AI to analyze historical sales data and identify future trends in your market. This allows your sales team to prioritize high-value opportunities and focus on closing the best deals. Don’t overlook the other opportunities in your pipeline, but now you can easily assess how much time to spend on them.  

4. Increase prospect engagement with AI-powered chatbots. 

Use AI-driven chatbots to communicate with website leads 24/7. Prospects are more accustomed to them, and you are providing instant, personalized responses to their questions. Be transparent that your chatbot isn’t a real person to build trust and manage expectations. 

5. Improve lead scoring with AI. 

Program AI within your marketing automation system to improve lead scoring by analyzing behavioral patterns and engagement metrics. Your sales team can focus their efforts on prospects most likely to convert. The more precisely you can score leads, the better reps’ conversion rates will be. 

6. Design campaign journeys tailored to prospect preferences. 

Work with your marketing team and AI tools to design campaign journeys based on a prospect’s preferences and behaviors. AI can analyze data to determine the best content, timing, and communication channels to drive engagement and conversions. Combined with improved lead scoring, you’re warming up new leads faster for your sales reps.  

7. Create consistency with shared marketing and sales dashboards. 

Use AI to align sales and marketing data in dashboards both teams share. Marketing will quickly see what adjustments to make to the website, campaigns, assets, and sales tools for more effective sales. Reps will see which things are performing best for them. With these changes, the overall sales process will be more effective. 

Team Up With Marketing 

The 12 ways to achieve sales goals faster that I just shared are all things your salesperson can do on their own. But don’t forget, there are other people who can help you achieve your goal.  

Email Campaign Support 

Team up with Marketing for support in creating email campaigns for your target markets and clients. Allow the campaigns to shoulder some of the burden with consistent communication. It won’t take the place of a real person who follows up, but it will reduce the frequency required.  

Ask Marketing to set up templates and sequences your salesperson can easily use throughout the sales process. 

AI Marketing Support 

Get Marketing involved in setting up AI to automate key activities like email personalization, lead scoring, and campaign optimization. With AI, Marketing can create smarter workflows that support your sales team and free up time for higher-value activities. With Marketing and Sales collaborating, you’ll be amazed at how seamlessly these workflows can integrate – consider reaching out to explore how to bring this synergy to your team. 

Get Moving Right Now 

No matter how much time you have left in the year, these actions give you the sales plan to make your goal. Choose three actions and get moving right now. 

If you would value having a sales coach to work with you one-on-one to achieve your sales goal faster, contact us. Having a coach in your corner may be just what you need to go even further and exceed your goal.  

Top Questions Asked About Achieving Sales Goals Faster 

How can AI tools transform my sales performance and drive better results? 

Answer: AI can automate repetitive tasks, analyze sales data, improve lead scoring, and enhance customer engagement to make your sales efforts more effective. 

Why is tracking sales metrics essential for achieving my revenue goals? 

Answer: Monitoring metrics like conversion rates, lead generation efforts, and pipeline size is critical for identifying gaps and driving continuous improvement in your sales process. 

What is the best way to collaborate with Marketing to support sales goals? 

Answer: Marketing can help create email campaigns, automate lead scoring, and design shared dashboards that improve alignment and increase sales success. 

How can I reduce the sales cycle while maintaining high-quality client interactions? 

Answer: Qualify leads effectively, focusing on executive priorities and building trust to close deals faster without sacrificing relationship quality. 

What techniques can increase my average deal size and maximize revenue? 

Answer: Simple strategies, like offering value-added options in proposals and upselling relevant solutions, grow the size of each sale and boost your bottom line. 

How do predictive analytics improve sales forecasting and pipeline prioritization? 

Answer: AI-powered predictive analytics can identify trends, highlight high-priority deals, and guide sales teams to focus on the most valuable opportunities for success.