Why You Need Targets

Without targets, you have nothing to aim for.

There is a reason you need to carefully and methodically select your dream clients: You need targets.

• Targets limit your focus. Not every prospect is right for your company, and your company isn’t right for every prospect. Some of what might look like prospective clients in your territory won’t perceive value in your solution. By selecting targets, you thoughtfully limit your focus to the prospective clients for whom you can create value, and who will perceive the value you create as something worth paying for.
• Targets provide a foundation for consistent action. Some salespeople complain that they don’t have enough leads. They gripe about not having a large enough list of prospective clients. Sometimes this is true, but more often than not the same salespeople do not have a list of targets (dream clients). If they had a list of dream clients, they would know who they needed to call on, even if these prospective clients are difficult to win. A list of targets allows for consistent action over time.
• Targets ensure you direct your activity towards something strategic. When a company or sales force doesn’t have target prospects, they call on anyone and everyone. They end up winning clients that are too small and divert their limited time and resources to outcomes that don’t make a difference. And they end up spending most of their time with receptive prospects instead of high-value, high visibility prospects. Having targets ensures you spend your time with prospects that help your business obtain its strategic objectives.

If you don’t have a list of dream client prospects, make that list now. The more time you wait to focus on your dream client accounts, the longer it will take for you to create and win clients that matter–and for whom your work matters. The more you flail around with inconsistent and ineffective activity, the longer it will take you to develop the relationships you need to win your dream client accounts. The time you spend on smaller, irrelevant prospects is the time that you should spend on the most strategic accounts in your territory.

Choose your targets. Narrow your focus. Win big. And make a difference.