9/15/2023-Quota Negotiation

Your manager is not interested in hearing about how hard you’re working or your hard luck stories. If asking for quota relief, show your manager how you plan your territory for next year.

Before you start sweating over thoughts of a huge number on your head next year, understand your manager has leeway on how the quota gets distributed.

Yes, quotas always go up, but because extenuating circumstances are always at play, feel free to present your case for a fair quota.

If your company is going good this year, but you’re not, you might have a case for some relief next year. Of course, the opposite is true…if you’re killing it and the company is struggling, well, move on….there’s nothing to see here.

Choose your battles wisely.

The idea of haggling over your ’24 quota was first floated in August, but now that it’s mid-September, your time to act is now because the ’24 numbers will soon be put to bed.

Today, get on your manager’s schedule to discuss how you see next year unfolding.

You may not get quota relief, but at the least, having a productive conversation with your manager will set you on a good path for ’24.

Understanding the art and science of quota creation – especially yours – will help you feel engaged and motivated for the new year.

When the TOP 10% make a play for quota relief, they lead with numbers and facts; they never lead with extenuating circumstances (a.k.a. dog ate homework stories about why that account didn’t spend or why this account canceled their contract).

If you’ve watched the same folks on your team hit their numbers year over year – and you’ve struggled – you may have a good case to plead.

On the other hand, now is a good time to look in the mirror and appraise your skill deficiencies. You don’t want to engage in a conversation about performance with your manager without thought for your culpability.

Examining the facts about how your patch is performing this year compared with your team and the whole sales force is a good exercise, regardless of how the data is used for quota relief.

When you speak with your manager, bring only facts to the table and eliminate all references to others on your team. This is about you, your patch, and your competencies.

As you read this, your manager might be changing your number for ’24 – a good guess suggests it ain’t going down.

"Everything is negotiable," goes the age-old sales mantra. So…get in there and negotiate.

Maybe this 1-minute clip from a bygone sitcom will remind you that everything, indeed, is negotiable.

After your quick chuckle, review your historicals on your quota vs. actuals the last few years and bring the data with you when you sit down with your manager.

Only the hungry get fed.