Sales Du Jour - Selling Aint Rocket Science

How to Exceed Your Sales Quotas

Posted by on 9/02/10 • Categorized as Determination & Persistence,Goals,Quotas

The company set my quotas, but I had goals. Quotas and goals are not the same thing. My Goals exceeded the company’s expectations.  The company’s vision was bottom line numbers, but I had a vision for my entire life and my sales goals were set to achieve that vision. Their quotas became irrelevant.

In 1983, the vision for my life was compacted into a short list, penned on the back of a photo of my future wife, and placed in a glass stand where I could see her and the list. Every item on that list has been accomplished or surpassed.

Sally Hart, my wife. Photo on my desk since before we were married.

  1. Have a family
  2. Work out every day
  3. Save $1,000 per month minimum
  4. Generate $40,000 per month in gross profit
  5. Open my own company
  6. Buy a farm
  7. Build a home
  8. Work with children

Sally and I married in 1984. She had a five-year-old son from a previous marriage who became my son and has my name.  We were blessed with two daughters born in 1985 and 1986.

Until Sally’s pregnancy with our third child, I belonged to a gym and worked out six days a week. Then I gained weight and became fat and happy; not the worst thing. Everyone said I had a rough pregnancy. So I built a workout room in our newly renovated home, got heavily into mountain biking, and worked out regularly until my first illness. That’s a story for another day.

I saved more than four times $1,000 a month and we moved into our first home in January 1985.

After reaching $40,000 per month in gross profit in my second year, I doubled that mark until I left the company.

In 1989, after looking at property for over a year, we bought a farm in Albemarle County VA, just west of Charlottesville.

In 1991, we moved into the old farmhouse and I opened my own company. Our offices were 100 Yards away in a rustic but charming white, clapboard sided feed store circa 1910. It has a green, standing seam tin roof with red shutters and a porch.  The company operated at a profit from the first year and became a cash cow.

Our Farm in Western Albemarle Count VAIn 1996, after more illness, we built a home with a 2 ½-story carriage house for our offices.

I coached baseball at every level from T-ball through high school for fifteen years and was president of the 16 to 18 year old league for five years. All three kids played baseball. The games were a family outing and we had a ton of fun flipping burgers and running the concessions stand. Whatever the kids were involved in, we were involved in.

Our home was the place the kids came to hang out. Twenty or more sleeping bags in our great room were common. Sally would make three-foot tall stacks of pancakes or French toast and our country kitchen would fill with hungry, giggling kids enjoying breakfast on the floor.

Sally danced for the Joffrey Ballet for five years during the 70s. In addition to being an incredible mother, she is a phenomenal teacher.  While the kids were growing up, she operated a part-time ballet school. In 2005, I opened a dance school for her in our modernized Mayberry named Crozet.
Albemarle Ballet performing Bolero in Crozet Parking Lot
Over 100 kids come through her school every week.  Sally teaches children with special needs and is God’s gift to children. Last year we awarded over $10,000 in need-based scholarships and nearly $40,000 since opening.

My duties encompass everything outside of the studio; I’m a walking hat rack. Yes, it was a huge career change, but my reward is having the kids here where I know they are having fun in a safe and loving environment. My favorite time is Saturday mornings when the preschoolers are here squealing in the studio.

List accomplished. I mentioned illness. Bad things happen like near death, bad enough to make you want to quit. Faith and goals kept and keep me going. Now there’s a new list that includes SalesDuJour, but the old one remains on my desk. It’s a beautiful photo with my list that reminds why I work and never quit.

So forget about the quotas. Why are you in sales? What are your life goals? What do you want your life to look like? Who do want included, do you want to have a family? Where do you want to live? How do you want to spend your time? What do you want to accomplish with your life?

Make a list and place it prominently. That’s your quota. Now do it and never quit

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  • http://twitter.com/Chris_Snell Chris Snell

    Awesome stuff Gary. This was not only a great motivational piece, but what a great way to open yourself up to your readers. Thanks so much for sharing!

  • http://www.salesdujour.com Gary S. Hart

    Thank you very much for your kind words Chris and I'm happy you found it motivating.

  • http://twitter.com/Mike_Kunkle Mike Kunkle

    In 1985, I wrote some huge goals down on a piece of paper. In the back of my mind, I thought they were crazy but pushed that thought away, as the stuff I was reading and listening to, coached me to do. I read those goals every day, did affirmations, envisioned success, and worked hard.

    In 2 years, I achieved them all, including doubling my income. I continued the practice for a good number of years afterward, each time with surprising success. Somewhere in the middle of life's road, I finally wandered away from this practice. Recently, I've had a reminder of how important this goal-setting is, and I've gotten back on the horse. Thanks for the great reminder and support of the path.

    In addition, your experience is a tribute to several things, Gary:

    * Your character
    * The importance of goals over quotas
    * How easy it is to hit the moon if you focus on the stars
    * The value and reward of life goals, not just career goals

    Thanks for the good words, my friend.

  • http://www.salesdujour.com Gary S. Hart

    When our dreams appear crazy to others and ourselves, fear sets in, but you challenged and overcame. Everyone falls off the horse at one time or another, getting back on is a unique reward, and it’s never too late. Thanks for sharing and for your very generous words Mike.

  • http://www.partnersinexcellenceblog.com Dave Brock

    Inspirational piece Gary! Thanks for sharing. It's amazing how much things change when you focus on life goals and what you want to accomplish and contribute in life. Quotas just become one of those things you pass on the way to doing the work you are intended to do.

    Thanks for reminding and inspiring all of us. Regards, Dave

  • http://www.salesdujour.com Gary S. Hart

    Your conversations continue to stir good thinking, which is a welcomed habit. Imagine if sales managers embraced the power of harnessing personal motivation, as opposed to negative prodding.

    Thank you for your much-appreciated feedback and for your visit David.

  • http://twitter.com/donfperkins Don F Perkins

    Gary

    Life throws a lot at us sometimes. It's unfortunate that some get crushed while others roll with it. In your story I sense that you took a lot of time to reflect on what's really important and translated that into principles from which you formed goals that have served you very well over the years. No one is immune to the difficulties of life. The good news is that we all get to choose how we will face them. Will we choose to stand with dignity on solid principles or wallow in panic and dismay at every bump?

    What about those goals? Your story serves as a great reminder about the impact our vision has on the outcomes of our lives. The laughter of a child, the beauty of a farm field, the love of a good woman; are these not the reasons why we do what we do? They are the things that energize us to keep getting up and never give up. May we all get our priorities straight and achieve the balance and contentment evident in the strains of your post.

    Don F Perkins

  • http://www.salesdujour.com Gary S. Hart

    Don, thank you for an impeccable embellishment.

  • Jim "Littlegus" Anderson

    Some Truths never grow old. They only grow Richer.

  • http://www.salesdujour.com Gary S. Hart

    Andrea, thanks for your comment and visit.

  • http://twitter.com/GoforNo Andrea Waltz

    Great lessons Gary!

  • http://www.salesdujour.com Gary S. Hart

    Andrea, thanks for your comment and visit.

  • http://www.salesdujour.com Gary S. Hart

    Jim thank you for the visit and good words. Hope to see you again.

  • Sharondrew

    Gary: thank you so very much for sharing your life. what a wonder, and how much happier the world is with you in it. i'm proud to know you. and keep the sharing coming – too many folks use the net to just take data or earn money. as we're all now connected, it's vital that we all share our stories. it keeps us human.

    thanks again for being the human that you are. bravo.
    sharondrew morgen

  • http://www.salesdujour.com Gary S. Hart

    Sharon Drew, your supportive and flattering comment means a great deal to me. I’m proud to know you too and looking forward to our friendship growing. Thank you for being you and a becoming a part of my life. Your friend, Gary

  • http://www.bizsugar.com/story/869318 BizSugar.com

    How to Exceed Your Sales Quotas…

    The company set my quotas, but I had goals. Quotas and goals are not the same thing. My Goals exceeded the company’s expectations. The company’s vision was bottom line numbers, but I had a vision for my entire life and my sales goals were set to achiev…