Many sales managers become so entrapped in their own team’s goals that they forget that the primary objective of a sales department is to help the overall organization meet its goals. You serve a specific purpose: to sell the company’s products or services through strong and effective customer interactions. But you are only one piece of the overall puzzle, and you need to recognize the larger objectives of your organization.

Often sales managers and their sales team members talk about the company only wanting more sales or revenue. In fact, increased sales are often only one component of some larger objectives of the organization. What is your organization’s vision of what would be gained from increased sales? Let’s look at a few examples:

• Profitability improvement

• Increased shareholder value

• Strengthening brand identity

• Increased geographic coverage

• New market-segment expansion

• Deterrent to growing competition

• Acquisitions

• Increased professionalism

• Broadening product or service lines

• What else?

Corporate objectives are usually much clearer than you think. Consider developing a few questions you might like to ask your leadership. Here are a few ideas:

• What are the greatest opportunities in the organization’s future?

• What are the greatest challenges to the organization’s future?

• Who is creating long-term strategic plans for the organization? (This can be, and probably is, more than one person.)

• What are their stated short- and long-term objectives?

• How could their objectives be prioritized?

• What do they see as the sales organization’s contribution to these objectives? (Make sure they are as specific as possible.)

Spend time with your senior management and executives to get answers to these questions. Remember, you are looking for answers pertaining to the organization as a whole. It will be your job to narrow the required action down to a sales plan. Approach such a discovery interview just as you did when you were out selling. Listen for the emotions and intent behind the words, not just the words themselves