Dabo Swinney, of the , once said, “There are no elevators to success, you have to take every step.”

Swinney knows a thing or two about success – after a hard fought game against the Alabama Crimson Tide, his team brought home the 2017 National Championship.

Now, Swinney didn’t just show up one day and say, “I hope this is a good year.” He made a plan that included recruiting the best players, providing them the best training, crafting the best playbook and, after all that, he challenged his team to work harder than any other team in the NCAA!

As we wrap up our 2017 sales season, I truly hope that you have all had a great year and are already on the hunt to make 2018 a championship year! This poses the question though – regardless if you just had your best year ever or if you struggled this year, do you have plan in place to assure that 2018 will be a championship year?

Any great success begins with a plan. Last year, an AVP Advice article outlined how to create your activity playbook with outlines for weekly, monthly and annual activity plans for every sales representative. It is all about knowing your numbers and building a plan around them. As we move into 2018, I challenge each one of you to go through this exercise and create your own championship playbook. Agree with your leadership on a 2018 goal and set your targets based on your actual results in 2017. In this exercise, the Sales Planning Tool will help determine how to hit those goals.

Now that you have a plan, it is time to work your plan. Another great man, Thomas Jefferson, once said, “I find the harder I work, the more luck I seem to find.”

In the sales world, nothing could be truer, and your playbook should always be based on past proven results. Once you have your plan in place, review it weekly and hold yourself, and your team, accountable.

Sales is a tough job – one that takes a lot of self-motivation, drive and determination. Just like any champion, you must have a clear plan and focused training. I encourage each of you to set these targets in TEGGPro by updating your Sales Professionals’ annual sales quota and break point in User Management. Consistently monitor, track and manage performance weekly by using Sales Activity reports TGS-155, TGS0033, and TGS-241. They will do two things:

1. Assure you are keeping on track with the goals 2. Demonstrate to your leadership and the rest of the organization all your efforts that are invested.

If you are a leader, this report is about communication and accountability. You need to know what your sales team is focused on, and how you can support them. After all, their success is your success, so review the results weekly and make adjustments when necessary.

I am confident that if each of you will take the steps to make your 2018 sales and activity plan, work the plan, and hold yourselves accountable to those objectives, 2018 will be a Championship year!!