How to Write SMART Goals to Achieve any Goal

HOW TO WRITE SMART GOALS

Hey there, it’s Coach Nate! Do you struggle to achieve your goals? Do you find that you lack clarity on what success looks like, or that progress often falls by the wayside? If so, you’re not alone. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution that can help you turn things around: SMART goals. In this article you will learn how to write SMART Goals.

WHY SMART?

SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. This framework provides a clear set of criteria for setting objectives that are both realistic and attainable within a given time frame. By using SMART goals, you can eliminate guesswork and generalities, set a clear timeline, track progress, and identify missed milestones.

Let’s take the example of John, a sales manager at a mid-sized tech company, who has been tasked with increasing the sales of the company’s mobile app. In the past, John’s team had struggled to achieve their goals due to a lack of clarity around what success looked like. This time around, John decided to leverage SMARTgoals to set an action plan and stay on track.

WHAT’S IN A SMART GOAL?

To create a SMART goal, you need to work through each of its components. Let’s break it down step by step.

S: Specific

Firstly, you need to ensure that your goal is specific. This means asking yourself questions like:

• What needs to be accomplished?

• Who’s responsible for it?

• What steps need to be taken to achieve it?

• By when?

For example, John’s specific goal might look like this:

Grow the number of monthly sales of TechCo’s mobile app.

M: Measurable

Specificity is a good start, but you also need to quantify your goals to make sure they’re measurable. This makes it easier to track progress and know when you’ve reached the finish line. John and his team want to grow the number of their mobile app sales, but by how much? To make their objective more impactful, they need to incorporate measurable, trackable benchmarks.

Increase the number of monthly sales of TechCo’s mobile app by 1,000 by increasing our conversion ratios +10%.

A: Achievable

Your goals need to be realistic, not impossible. Ask yourself whether your objective is something your team can reasonably accomplish. In John’s case, increasing the conversion ratio by 10% might be too much to handle. He decides to scale back to 500 app sales by increasing the conversion ratio by 5%.

Increase the number of monthly sales of TechCo’s mobile app by 500 by increasing our conversion ratios +5%.

R: Relevant

Your goals need to be relevant to the bigger picture. Why are you setting the goal that you’re setting? In John’s case, he knows that an uptick in app sales could mean big things for the company’s net profit goals and employee bonuses. He revises his statement to reflect that context.

Grow the number of monthly sales of TechCo’s mobile app by 500 by increasing conversion ratios by 5% to increase net profit and employee bonuses. 

T: Time-bound

Finally, your goals need to be time-bound. This means setting a clear deadline for when you want to achieve them. John decides to set a 90-day deadline for her SMART goal.

Grow the number of monthly sales of TechCo’s mobile app by 500 within the next 90 days by increasing conversion ratios by 5% to increase net profit and employee bonuses. 

I’VE GOT A SMART GOAL, NOW WHAT?

As mentioned above under “Specific”, you need to lay out the bite sized steps that will be required to achieve the overall goal.  Set time to brainstorm this. Who do I need to speak to or collaborate with to achieve the goal?  When will I work with these people?  What time will they deliver their parts of the goal? When do I need to have my parts completed?  What is the order of operations required to stay on track? By setting these mini goals within the overall goal, you turn an insurmountable task into an achievable one spread out over a length of time. Below is a checklist of common steps.

HOW TO WRITE SMART GOALS CHECKLIST

• Brainstorm Steps required to achieve the goal
• Breakdown completion dates for each step
• Decide if you need help from anyone for each of these steps. 
• Set these helpers as gatekeepers
• Reach out to all gatekeepers
• Estimate when you will need to meet by to stay on track and document this beside each step
• Estimate how long each step with take
• Make sure every meeting and deliverable has a completion date set

Click here for our Free Template that breaks this down in a simple, easy to use excel spreadsheet. 

SUMMING IT UP!

Goal setting is essential to success but it’s not enough to just shoot for a target.  You have to know what achievement looks like and lay out a plan to get there.  SMART goals are a method that I constantly use and trust me they work.  Without them there is no way that we would have 5X’d in 5 years.  Give it a shot and crush your goals!

The Sales Blog | Professional Selling | Sales Management | Essential Tools and Tips SalesTrainers.ca