As a salesperson, you have a clear understanding of the sales quota results expected of you, but you’re unsure exactly how to produce those results. So you do what you think you should. You “make it up on the fly.” Then, because nobody tells you you’re doing it wrong you assume it is acceptable behavior. So you keep doing it, and form bad habits. It’s an unproductive cycle.
Every successful sale is the outcome of a series of behaviors (how something is done) as well as activities (how many times a behavior is performed).
When behaviors and activities are communicated and well defined by a sales manager, the sales team succeeds.
If you’re a sales manager, work with your team to define sales performance standards.