Why goal acceptance is important for the success of your sales staff

When we at Goalplan talk about our recipe for success in sales organizations, we often refer to four crucial ingredients that are needed. Each ingredient is as important as the last in making that final product that is smooth and pleasant, and as close to perfection as you can get. Without one or more ingredient, the rest of the recipe just doesn't quite work the way it should. That's why employee goal acceptance is a critical component of the ingredients for success. The problem is, too many organizations focus on the goal setting for their staff, rather than ensuring their staff is all on board. Without goal acceptance, you're missing a crucial part of the total recipe - which is how failures can happen in sales organizations.

What is employee goal acceptance?

Often in sales organizations, it's people in leadership positions that set and manage goals for their employees. Rarely are staff part of the goal setting process, and rarely do they have the comfort - or even ability - to discuss with their managers what they need to achieve this goal. They can even feel unable to articulate that they feel they may not succeed. Without a discussion regarding goals in an organization, staff can feel simply delegated to, and not in control of their own responsibilities.

Employee goal acceptance occurs when employees are actually part of the process when making decisions about targets. In this individualized approach, realistic goals are agreed upon by both managers and staff. If a goal suggested by a manager is too aggressive, employees can then work with managers to find available resources to help them, or explain why the goal may not be realistic.

What happens when employees accept goals?

Employee goal acceptance makes room for dialogue and trust between management and staff. Goals may still be set by management, but when an employee is able to take ownership of that goal, be in agreement - or not - then that employee can feel more empowered in their role, and their abilities to hit sales targets.

When lofty goals are set for employees without acceptance from them, they can feel anxiety or pressure that may not be motivating for success. When employees are part of the sales goals process, they instead can feel confidence in themselves, and encouragement and support from their leaders.

You may think that encouraging employees to be a part of the goal setting in your organization's sales process could lead to setting lower goals and underachieving sales associates, but that's actually not the case. Empowering employees in any department of an organization is shown to drastically improve performance over time. When employees feel a part of the decision making processes, when they feel in control of their results, and when they feel they can openly and safely talk to their managers together to find opportunities or discuss ways for improvement, their overall job satisfaction and motivation become much higher.

Employee goal acceptance is the second crucial ingredient in the recipe for sales organization success. Without it, goal setting, goal monitoring, and further coaching for employees don't work quite as well as they should. You can ensure that your final sales process is complete by implementing each ingredient at the right time, and ensuring your sales staff are empowered and motivated through goal acceptance.

Want to learn more about our recipe for optimizing sales? Take a look at our 4 Ingredients for Sales Organization Success infographic.