Taking the Pain Out of Annual Planning By Frank Hurtte It’s November. Out here in the Midwest, Iowa’s trees are showing off, fiery reds, deep oranges, and every gold shade ever invented. A little warmth still hangs on, but Thanksgiving, December, and the holidays will sprint by before we know it. And with them come two unavoidable realities: yard cleanup and annual planning. As I write this, I can practically feel the blister forming from the rake I’ll be wrestling with on some future Sunday. You can recruit the neighbor kid for yard duty. Unfortunately, you won’t find an $8-an-hour stand-in for your End-of-Year Planning. But good news: planning doesn’t have to be the monster lurking behind the garage. Let’s break it down and remove the dread. Start Early Many leaders wait until the last moment to tackle planning. Some procrastinate so masterfully, they’ll reorganize their desk drawer before facing it. But starting early prevents last-minute panic and gives you space to think, really ...

SMART Goals: Your Mid-Year Reality Check By Desiree Grace You don’t need to be Einstein or Stephen Hawking to succeed in sales. What you do need is planning, discipline, and a little vigilance. Is this some scientific breakthrough? A new AI tool? Nope, it’s as basic as 1+1=2. Creating SMART goals and tracking your progress is the tried-and-true formula for breakthrough results. As we hit the mid-point of the year, it’s time for a little self-inventory. Are your goals still on track? Is your team performing as expected? Let’s start with the foundation, the goals themselves. They must be SMART: Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-Bound If your goals are missing any of these five elements, it’s time for a rewrite. Consider this example: Vague goal: “Increase cross-selling.” Not bad, but not necessarily  SMART .   SMART goal: “Increase product categories sold by at least two categories with your top 10 customers by the end of fiscal year 2025. Each new...