I’ll be honest—goal setting has always been a struggle for me. It’s not that I don’t accomplish things; I do. But if I’m really honest, a lot of my achievements have felt more accidental than intentional. I’ve often started too late, quit too soon, or moved forward without a clear plan in place. For me, the roadblocks usually boil down to two things: discipline and daily tracking. And if I’m being completely transparent, my emotions have too much say in my behavior. Some days I run on energy and excitement, other days I stall out because I don’t feel like following the plan.
If you’re in sales, you probably know exactly what I’m talking about. Some of you are wired to be disciplined, Type A, always-on, never-miss-a-step machines. Others are more like me—competitive, driven, but not always consistent. Either way, here’s the truth: without clarity and follow-through, our sales goals rarely turn into reality.
That’s why I want to frame goal setting through the Sandler Success Triangle—Attitude, Behavior, and Technique. All three matter, but today I want to zero in on Behavior. Because at the end of the day, what you do—consistently and on purpose—makes all the difference.
Think of this as a simple sales playbook you can return to when motivation fades or when emotions start to dictate your actions. These five anchors will help us both move from good intentions to lasting results.
Five Anchors for a Sales Goal-Setting Playbook
Know your values.
Before you set revenue or activity goals, get clear on your non-negotiables. If integrity is one of your core values, then you’ll never be comfortable using manipulative sales tactics. If family is a core value, then your schedule has to leave room for them. Values set the boundaries that keep your goals healthy and sustainable.Set personal goals first.
Sales professionals often jump straight to quota, but your personal goals should come first. Want to pay off debt, fund a college account, or take a dream vacation? Write those down. Then let your sales numbers serve those goals, not the other way around. When the personal “why” is clear, the business “what” has more meaning.Connect your business goals.
Once personal goals are in place, tie your sales goals directly to them. For example, if your personal goal is to save $20,000 in the next two years, you can reverse-engineer how many new accounts you need, what size deals to target, and how much prospecting activity it takes to get there. Business goals without personal context just become numbers; business goals aligned with personal goals become fuel.Build a behavior plan.
This is classic Sandler—create a “cookbook” of behaviors you’ll commit to daily and weekly. Let’s say you want to grow your business through referrals. Your cookbook might include asking five clients for referrals each week, tracking those “asks,” and also tracking the number of referrals actually received. By the end of the week, you can look at two simple numbers: Asks vs. Received. That’s behavior tracking. It keeps you focused on what you can control and gives you data to improve.Find an accountability partner.
In sales, accountability is oxygen. Find someone—a manager, a peer, or even an outside coach—who will hold you to your behavior plan. Meet weekly. Be honest about the numbers. Did you make the calls? Did you ask for the referrals? Did you follow up? A good accountability partner won’t let you off the hook, and that’s what keeps behaviors consistent long after the excitement wears off.
Here’s the bottom line: sales success doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you align your values, set meaningful personal goals, tie them to your business goals, and then execute the right behaviors with accountability.
The Sandler Success Triangle reminds us that Behavior is where the rubber meets the road. Techniques matter. Attitude matters. But without consistent, trackable behavior—like asking for referrals every week and recording the results—goals remain wishes instead of wins.