In sales, clarity is fuel. Without it, even the most talented teams drift. I’ve seen it time and again here in Dubai sales reps who are hardworking, enthusiastic, and resourceful, yet never seem to hit their stride. And when you dig deeper, the reason is simple: there’s no clear, specific target.

No, I’m not talking about vague annual revenue goals or a generic “sell more” message. I mean precise, personal targets that every salesperson owns. When a rep knows exactly what they’re aiming for broken down by month, week, and even day it changes their mindset completely. They stop “winging it” and start working with intention.

A great sales leader, as I learned from my own mentors and reinforced by the principles Mike Weinberg has often spoken about, doesn’t just hand out numbers they create a scoreboard that matters. And they make sure every person on the team understands how their individual goal ties into the bigger company mission.

One of the most common mistakes I see is leaders giving everyone the same broad target, without accounting for territory, client mix, or product focus. That’s like asking every player in a football team to score goals, regardless of their position. It ignores strengths, roles, and strategy.

When your sales team has no clear targets, they’re like a ship without a compass. They might move, but not necessarily in the right direction. Activity levels might even look good lots of calls, plenty of meetings but without a defined destination, activity doesn’t translate to progress.

In Dubai’s fast-paced and competitive market, this lack of clarity can be fatal. There’s too much noise, too many opportunities pulling your team in different directions. Without an agreed set of measurable targets, they’ll spend more time reacting than executing.

The solution is straightforward:
• Define crystal-clear targets for each rep aligned with their strengths and market potential.
• Break those targets into short, achievable milestones.
• Review progress consistently not just at quarter-end.
• Celebrate wins along the way, no matter how small.

If you’re not hitting your numbers, don’t just look at effort levels look at the targets themselves. Are they clear? Are they realistic? Does every salesperson know exactly what “winning” looks like this week?

Because in sales, movement without direction is just noise. But give your team a target they can see, measure, and believe in and you’ll be amazed at how fast traction follows.