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Individual Purpose Statements

Guest post by: Greg van der Linde

Article Overview: Sales reps have their own personal goals and motivators for success, but they often do not align with corporate goals. When an individual purpose statement is created that aligns these goals, reps demonstrate improved morale, better results, and fewer performance issues.

Individual Purpose Statements

Sales Reps and Their Goals

Sales reps are decidedly driven, competitive people. Their performance is primarily compelled by their own personal goals, not those of the company.

• e.g. Typical: "This is what I'm doing as a job to reach my personal goals."

NOT

Desired: "As I do my job it will help the company reach their goals, and I will also reach my goals of _________."

Reps often feel separated from the rest of the company. They fail to link their set targets to how they are contributing to reaching the overall goals of the company and to other non-monetary benefits. This is particularly true for field reps that operate as if they are their own business, and are simply paid by their parent company. This perceived disconnect often leads to performance issues, low morale, unhappiness with their job, and employee churn. Creating an individual purpose statement that aligns personal rep goals with those of the company is the first step to eliminating the disconnect, and improving the relationship between rep and company.

• Individual Purpose Statements
• Sales Leaders and Purpose Statements

Individual Purpose Statements

An individual purpose statement is a document constructed by the rep that states what they plan to accomplish within a given period of time (usually 1 year).

These documents:

• Define qualitative goals for the rep which are aligned with sales department and company goals.
• Indicate how achieving the rep's goals will contribute to the fulfillment of department and company goals.
• Outline the actions necessary to achieve these goals within the given time frame.

The following are several parameters for creating an individual purpose statement:

• Created for a specific individual - not for a company.
• The individual purpose statement must be derived from the overall goals of the sales department which have been based on the annual targets for the company - this guarantees that the individual purpose statement is aligned with both department and company goals. (e.g. "What should my goals be for the upcoming year that will ensure that my efforts are directed and focused on achieving the overall targets for my company?")
• Goals should be measured qualitatively - this way the purpose statement does not have to be changed due a quantitative change such as new targets. (e.g. "I will reach 100% of my quarterly/yearly target." NOT "I will reach $XX in the next quarter/this year.")

The individual purpose statement must be:

• Specific to the sales rep.
• Clear, simple, and concise.
• Comprehensive regarding what needs to be accomplished.
• Must clearly state how the rep is contributing to reaching the goals of the company.
• Written in plain language so that a non-employee could understand it.

Sales Leaders and Purpose Statements

The success of sales leaders is directly related to the success of the sales team. Having reps construct individual purpose statements that are aligned with department and company goals will increase the performance of the sales team as a whole. Sales leaders are responsible for ensuring that these statements are revisited routinely during coaching or feedback sessions. This reminds the rep that their performance has a direct impact on the department/company, gives the rep a chance to review their current progress, and reinforces positive behaviors.

Creating the document is only the first step. Continually revisiting it is what makes it an effective tool.

• Have each rep construct an individual purpose statement that is aligned with department and company goals.
• Clearly demonstrate the link between the reps performance and the success of the department/company.
• Review the purpose statements and use them as living documents during coaching sessions.

Bottom Line & Business Impact:

A well constructed individual purpose statement that clearly demonstrates an alignment between the sales rep, sales department, and company goals will create accountability, improve performance, and boost morale.

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Article Tags: corporate goals, motivators, performance issues, personal goals, purpose statement, purpose statements, sales reps



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