The 6-Point Checklist Every Seller Needs to Start (or Finish) Strong

We just hit Episode 50 of Building Your Sales Engine.

Mark McGraw and Josh Pitchford sat down to tackle something every seller faces this time of year: how do you actually prepare to crush your goals?

No fluff. No generic “new year, new you” nonsense.

Just six concrete items that separate sellers who hit quota from those who don’t.

The Reality Check Nobody Wants to Hear

Mark opened with something brutally honest:

“I don’t recall really in my history of sales and sales management, anyone ever getting their quota for the year and saying, ‘Oh, that’s not so bad.'”

Sound familiar?

That lump in your throat when you see next year’s number? That’s normal.

What’s not normal is having a system to turn that massive, daunting annual goal into something you can actually execute on.

Your 6-Point Checklist

1. Written Goals (Not the Ones in Your Head)

97% of Americans don’t have written goals.

If it’s only in your brain, it doesn’t count.

Josh compared it to personal budgets. People avoid them because of the accountability. But once you create one, you realize you have more resources than you thought.

Same with sales goals.

The move: Break that massive annual number into quarterly revenue maps. Back out your recurring revenue. Subtract your current forecast. See the gap, not the whole mountain.

2. Your Cookbook (Behavior Plan)

David Sandler’s cookbook isn’t about recipes.

It’s about the daily behaviors that compound into quota crushing results.

What goes in your cookbook:

• Prospecting blocks (time blocked, non negotiable)
• Pipeline review time
• Account planning sessions
• Skill development
• AI research time (yes, this should be in there)

Josh’s challenge: “Do you have AI time in your cookbook?”

30 to 40 minutes, three times a week, learning new tools. The ROI is staggering.

3. Account Segmentation (The CARE Model)

Not all accounts are created equal.

CARE Model breakdown:

Critical accounts: Your whales. Strategic, high touch, executive relationships.

Active accounts: Growth opportunities. Existing relationships you’re expanding.

Routine accounts: Maintenance mode. Keep them happy, but don’t over invest.

Exit accounts: Time to let go. They’re costing you more than they’re worth.

Mark’s insight: “If you have a territory of 100 accounts, you cannot manage them all equally.”

Figure out your critical 10 to 15. Then work backward.

4. Strategic Account Plans

For your critical accounts, you need more than hope.

You need a strategic plan that includes:

• Key stakeholders mapped
• Pain points documented
• Value delivered to date
• Expansion opportunities identified
• Competitive threats assessed

The question that matters: “What’s my plan to defend and grow this relationship?”

If you can’t answer that in 30 seconds, you don’t have a plan.

5. Skill Development

Mark’s example: He was learning iPhone shortcuts at 5:35 AM.

Why? Because small efficiency gains compound.

Your skill development plan should include:

• One skill you’re actively improving (prospecting, discovery, closing, etc.)
• Regular practice (role play, even if you hate it)
• Measurement (how will you know you’re getting better?)

Josh noted: “People come to Sandler for the skills, but we spend an inordinate amount of time on mindset.”

Which brings us to…

6. Mindset Evaluation (The Most Important One)

The Belief Wheel:

Your beliefs create evidence, which shapes judgments, which drives actions, which produces results.

Those results then reinforce your beliefs.

Example: “Clients won’t give me referrals.”

So you don’t ask. You don’t get referrals. Your belief is confirmed.

The fix: Change your actions first. Ask anyway. Get one referral. Watch the belief crumble.

Mark’s challenge: “What are your self limiting beliefs? Identify them. Then crush them like a grape.”

David Sandler used to say you should set goals so high that you’d only achieve them 25% of the time.

Why? Because even if you “only” hit 80%, you’ve gone further than you would have with a safe goal.

One CEO Mark worked with set a 10 year goal: $200M to $1B.

When asked what happens if they fall short, the CEO said: “We’ll be happy at $800M.”

Four times growth is still four times growth.

The Action You Should Take This Week

Pick one of these six areas where you’re weakest.

Not all six. One.

Create a 30 day plan to fix it.

If it’s goals, map out your quarterly revenue targets this week.

If it’s your cookbook, block out your prospecting time for Q1.

If it’s mindset, identify one limiting belief and decide on the action you’ll take in spite of it.

Small changes. Consistent execution. Massive results.

Episode 50 Takeaway

Josh said it best: “Start strong to finish strong. Finish strong to start strong.”

This checklist isn’t just for January 1st.

It’s for every quarter. Every month. Every time you need to reset and refocus.

Because the difference between hitting quota and missing it isn’t talent.

It’s having a system.

What’s Next?

Want help implementing these six areas with your team? Message me to explore how Sandler strategies can work in your organization.

Haven’t subscribed to Building Your Sales Engine yet? Find us wherever you listen to podcasts.

Here’s to 50 more episodes of helping you build a sales engine that actually works.

What’s the one area from this checklist you’re committing to improve this quarter? Drop a comment and let me know.