Hitting your Quota Early is certainly Cause for Celebration
Now that you’ve gotten to the top of your plan, the question becomes, what will you do next? A little bit of celebration is ok if you need it, but this is not the time to go on permanent vacation.
If you are in the Enterprise Software Sales game, you’ll know that there will be average, good, and great career years mixed in together. There could be even a few stinkers rolled in as well, but let’s steer away from the negative energy associated with bad runs. A sales year can be influenced and defined by a number of characteristics. Some of these are random, others are in your complete control, and there’s a third category where you can move the needle somewhat.
A great year for an Enterprise Software Sales Rep usually isn’t about just bagging the one elephant in your terrain. It is about having the right compensation plan, a “gettable” quota, solid products, a great team around you, ready customers, and accelerators above 100% of your plan that makes your sales job interesting. In reality, you may have spent the last year or two setting yourself up for a career year. Executing a sales pipeline with enterprise level businesses can take eighteen months to two years to complete. If you’ve put in your homework in selecting your employer to make sure that they have dominant technology and will pay for performance, you’ve solved some of the intangibles in your control. So, mix in a little bit of luck (bluebirds always seem to happen to the other guy/gal), along with the elements within your grasp to chart your course. Before you can hit the accelerators in almost all comp plans, you need to get there first.
Now that you’ve gotten to the top of your plan, the question becomes, what will you do next? A little bit of celebration is ok if you need it, but this is not the time to go on permanent vacation either. Will next year’s comp plan look like this years? Will macro factors like the economy become a headwind? Will your technology suddenly become obsolete? Resist the temptation to go dark, hold back from executing your pipeline or going into chill mode. This is money time.
Every sales year you should challenge yourself to hit your annual quota in half the allotted time. Granted, in some years that could prove hard, but you will never know if you don’t push yourself in the first place. Think about what you will do once you get up and over your number to leverage the sweet spot in your comp plan. Great sales reps are never in it just to make quota. Run your own compensation numbers as personal motivation and check your progress more often than that AI flyer stock your buddy talked you into buying. Negotiate your quota and territory 24x7/365 without being obnoxious with your management. Be prepared to take advantage of great sales years, they are never guaranteed to return, but they can set you up for long term success.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and is provided as a commonsense approach based on real life experiences. Any actions you take based on the information in this newsletter are your responsibility.