Every month,we begin the climb towards achieving our monthly sales budgets.  We all know that it's impossible to achieve those goals when we enter the month with no business on the books.  We must have a base of business from which we can build each month.  To make certain that we achieve our goals, how much base business do we need?  How do we pace our progress?

We need to monitor our progress for the current month, the next month and the month after that.  By looking forward over the next three months, we can spot potential problems.  Here are some simple formulas to help you hit budget:     

By the first Friday of each month, your billing should be at 82% of budget for the current month, 45% of budget for the next month, and 25% of budget for the third month out.

By the second Friday of each month, your billing should be at 92% of budget for the current month, 60% of budget for the next month, and 25% of budget for the third month out.  

By the third Friday of each month, your billing should be at 100% of budget for this month, 68% of budget for the next month, and 30% of budget for the third month out. 

By the fourth Friday of each month, your billing should be at 105% of budget for the current month, 75% of budget for the next month, and 37% of budget for the third month out.   

Achieving these percentages will assure that you hit your budgets.  Instead of playing "catch up" the last week of the month as you frantically try to find enough business to meet budget, you will already have made your budget by the third Friday of the month and now can move on to selling the upcoming months.     

Planning ahead pays big dividends.  Selling long-term business assures us that we will not have to start over each month.  Knowing where your numbers need to be each week of the month will keep you ON TARGET to reaching goals!