7 Pro Tips To Exceed Your Sales Goals

It's that time again. Time for another quarterly review.

And you're looking at the numbers, and you aren't happy.

The sales figures are low. Way below where they should be. Way below where your sales goals are.

Do you wonder what went wrong? How can your sales team meet its goals for the next quarter? How can it exceed them?

Don't worry! You can stop pinching the bridge of your nose and rubbing your brow like you're trying to scrub it off your face.

Below are 6 pro tips to help you exceed your sales goals.

What Are Sales Goals

So, what are sales goals?

Well, they're exactly what they sound like. They are your (and your sales teams') goals for selling.

But what does that actually mean? What does it look like?

Sales goals are the sales targets set to be met after a certain amount of time (monthly, quarterly, yearly, etc). You can set short-term sales goals or long-term sales goals, but either way, they should be realistic. When setting these goals, you'll want to consider what's achievable and balanced with what you need to be profitable.

Sales goals differ from sales quotas, as they can be about different aspects of performance, rather than just revenue. However, that's not to say that sales quotas can't be an important aspect of sales goals.

Why Sales Goals Are Important

There's not just one reason why sales goals are important. They provide a few key functions.

1. Your sales goals can be a good metric to see whether your sales team is on track. If you are repeatedly smashing them out of the park, congratulations, you've probably got a good thing going. However, if your team is repeatedly coming up short, it's time to re-evaluate your sales strategy and process to determine why.
2. Good sales are indicative of what a company needs to hit to continue being profitable, expanding, or whatever else the goal of the company may be.
3. They provide incentives to your sales team to sell. If they have a goal they need to meet, then they are going to want to meet that goal – the best and most ambitious of your sales team will want and succeed in surpassing it.

Types of Sales Goals

When looking at sales numbers, you will probably have more than one goal in mind you'd like your team to hit, and they're probably not all about the same thing, or should be gone about in the same way.

It follows, then, that there are different types of sales goals.

There are sales goals for different periods of time, like:

• Daily sales goals
• Weekly sales goals
• Monthly sales goals
• Quarterly sales goals
• Yearly sales goals

But there are other types as well, that get into different aspects of selling than simply a length of time.

Some of these different types of sales goals are:

How to Set Sales Goals That Drive Results

Setting sales goals is your roadmap to consistent revenue, high-performing teams, and smarter decision-making. But vague targets like “sell more” won't cut it.

Let's walk through a step-by-step process to set sales goals that not only sound good on paper but also actually drive results.

1. Analyze Past Performance

Before you can aim for the stars, you need to know where your feet are planted. Look at historical data: What did your team achieve last quarter or last year? Which reps hit their targets? What campaigns or channels delivered the most ROI?

When setting sales goals, past performance acts as your reality check.

For example, if your team averaged $100,000 in monthly revenue last year, setting a monthly sales goal of $300,000 with no additional support or strategy might just be wishful thinking.

Dig into:

• Conversion rates
• Sales cycle length
• Average deal size
• Seasonal trends
• Win/loss ratios

Use this data to determine what's realistic—and where you can stretch.

Stat to consider: Sales teams that leverage real-time data to set goals are 28% more likely to hit their targets.

2. Define Objectives Based on Company Strategy

Some sales goals are about revenue. Others focus on lead generation, customer retention, or market expansion. Your sales goals and objectives should mirror your company's broader strategy.

For example:

• Launching a new product? Set sales performance goals around adoption rates.
• Expanding into a new market? Consider long-term sales goals tied to regional growth.
• Improving profitability? Create smart sales goals around upselling and cross-selling.

Aligning sales team goals with company priorities ensures that your reps are not just busy, but busy with the right things.

3. Break Down by Individual and Team Targets

Big-picture goals are great, but they're useless if your team doesn't know how to contribute. That's why setting sales goals examples should include both team and individual sales goals.

Let's say your sales team goal is $1.2 million in annual revenue. Divide that by 12 months and then by the number of reps, adjusting for experience, territories, or product focus, to create realistic sales goals for everyone.

Personal sales goals and sales rep goals give individuals ownership. This boosts accountability and makes it easier to measure progress. And when people see how their efforts ladder up to a bigger win, motivation skyrockets.

4. Align With Broader Sales Management Goals

Your sales goals need to live in harmony with your management approach. That means syncing with KPIs, CRM system workflows, pipeline stages, coaching strategies—you name it.

For example, if your sales managers prioritize quality over quantity, then smart goals for sales should focus more on conversion rates than just outbound calls. Or, if team collaboration is a priority, add goals for sales reps that include mentoring or team-based selling.

Long Term Sales Goals vs. Short Term Sales Goals

When it comes to setting sales goals, the smartest strategy isn't choosing between long-term and short-term—it's knowing how to leverage both. Each serves a unique purpose in your sales playbook, and together, they create a powerful roadmap for sustainable growth.

Here's a quick comparison of the two types and when to use them:

Now, let's analyze each of the two in more detail.

The Big Picture: Long Term Sales Goals

Think of long-term sales goals as the North Star. These are your ambitious, overarching targets, the ones that take months or years to achieve. They're not about what your reps close this week; they're about the strategic direction your entire sales org is moving toward.

Long term sales goals examples:

• Building a $1 million qualified pipeline within 12 months
• Expanding into three new international markets over the next 18 months
• Increasing average deal size by 30% within two fiscal years
• Establishing a 25% YoY growth rate

These goals in sales require patience, resources, and long-term planning. You'll need leadership buy-in, operational support, and often a shift in how your team thinks and sells. But when executed well, they move the needle in a big way.

Hitting the Now: Short Term Sales Goals

Short-term sales goals, on the other hand, are your sprints. They create immediate momentum and give reps clear, actionable targets they can knock out daily, weekly, or monthly. These are the measurable sales goals that help keep energy high and performance visible.

Short term sales goals examples:

• Book 15 product demos per week
• Close 5 new deals each month
• Follow up with all inbound leads within 24 hours
• Upsell to 10% of existing clients this quarter

These goals are perfect for daily coaching, tracking sales performance, and keeping the pipeline humming. They're also a great way to measure sales rep goals individually and build healthy internal competition.

Why Balancing Both Matters

Here's the trick: you need both. Focusing only on short term sales goals can make your team reactive—constantly chasing quotas but lacking direction. Meanwhile, only setting long term sales goals can leave your team uninspired and unsure of what to do today to reach that big five-year plan.

Think of short-term goals as bricks and long-term goals as the blueprint. The blueprint gives you vision. The bricks? They're how you build.

That's why sales management goals should always include a healthy balance of short and long timelines—strategically aligned and clearly communicated to the team.

7 Pro Tips On How to Meet and Exceed Sales Goals

Setting sales goals is step one. Meeting them is step two. Exceeding them? That's where the magic (and commissions) happen.

So, the following strategies will help you crush your sales goals and objectives with confidence.

1. Adopt a Sales CRM

Nothing makes meeting sales goals easier than adopting a sales CRM. As well as being great for monitoring sales goals progression, CRMs are also incredible tools for making sales more efficient to accomplishing. You can use CRMS to automate different processes, like emails, generate new leads, collect client data, etc.

Ringy, for instance, offers features such as SMS and email drip campaigns, lead management, click-to-call dialing, and more. These are all features that will help your sales process move smoothly, so you can make more sales and exceed sales goals.

No more sticky notes. No more mental reminders. Just data, strategy, and seamless execution.

You can request a free demo to learn more about what Ringy offers.

2. Set Micro-Goals Within Macro-Goals

Want to achieve a $100K monthly sales goal? Don't just stare at the number—reverse engineer it. Break it into weekly then daily targets. These micro-goals are your breadcrumb trail to big wins.

For example:

• Macro-goal: Close $100K in new revenue this month
• Micro-goals: Book 3 demos/day, send 20 personalized emails, follow up with 5 leads

Micro-goals help you stay motivated, accountable, and focused. They turn your long-term sales goals into daily action plans.

3. Monitor Progress with Regular Check-Ins

If you set it and forget it, you won't meet it. Schedule weekly or bi-weekly check-ins to track your progress against KPIs and adjust the course as needed. These reviews create a culture of accountability around meeting sales goals.

Ask:

• Am I pacing toward my goal?
• What's working well?
• What's slowing me down?

Managers: this is also a great time to review sales rep goals and give focused, actionable feedback.

4. Personalize Your Outreach Strategy

Generic outreach is dead. If you want to achieve sales goals, you have to make prospects feel like people, not just pipeline entries.

Tailor your emails. Reference industry-specific pain points. Mention their latest product launch or press mention. When you personalize, you build trust—and trust closes deals.

Pro tip: Research found that personalized emails improve open rates by 29% and boost click-through rates by 41%.

So, make personalization part of your sales team goals, quality beats quantity every time.

5. Keep Learning and Refining Skills

The best salespeople are lifelong learners. Whether it's a negotiation workshop, a new book on psychology, or coaching sessions with a sales manager, skill development should be baked into your routine.

This is especially true for personal development goals for sales reps. Want to improve your close rate? Practice objection handling. Struggling with prospecting? Master cold call scripts.

Sales change fast, so should you.

6. Align Incentives to Goals

If your team's compensation doesn't match your sales goals, don't expect top performance. Incentives drive behavior. So tie commissions, bonuses, spiffs, and recognition directly to specific, measurable outcomes.

Examples:

• $500 bonus for hitting weekly demo targets
• Extra PTO day for exceeding monthly sales goals by 10%
• Tiered commissions based on sales rep goals success

Make your rewards meaningful and closely linked to the behaviors you want to encourage.

7. Use Data to Optimize Your Approach

Gut instinct is great, but it's no match for cold, hard data. Analyze your pipeline metrics, conversion rates, lead sources, and sales activities. Use this info to refine what's working and ditch what's not.

This turns every mistake into a learning moment and every win into a repeatable play.

If you're not using data to guide your strategy, you're just guessing your way through setting sales goals, and that's a fast track to missed quotas.

In Summary

So, to sum up, if you want to smash your sales goals this year, make sure you're making realistic, good sales goals by:

1. Analyzing past performance
2. Defining objectives based on company strategy
3. Breaking down goals by individual and team targets
4. Aligning with broader sales management goals

And then, exceeding those sales goals by:

1. Using a sales CRM
2. Setting micro and macro goals
3. Monitoring progress with regular check-ins
4. Personalizing your outreach strategy
5. Learning and refining skills
6. Aligning incentives to goals
7. Using data to optimize your approach

Sales goals are an important part of creating a comprehensive plan of attack in sales so the members of your sales team can perform to the best of their abilities.

And with these seven tips, you know that they will be.

So get out there and start selling! Put these tips to the test and exceed your sales goals. You can make this quarter your best yet.

And psst! If you need a place to start, how about with a sales CRM that offers a free demo, and agent coaching upon subscription.