SMART goals are an outstanding way to hold your business and yourself accountable. The SMART framework was created in 1981 by George T. Doran as a better way to create more achievable, trackable goals.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. It’s a simple tool to turn vague ideas into actionable, trackable goals. Using SMART can be an outstanding way to improve your team’s efficiency and productivity. But if you’re not sure where to start, we’ve provided 15 SMART goal examples for different teams that you can use as inspiration.
Sales & Revenue Goals
These goals can help sales teams strive for greater efficiency and volume.
Lead generation: Increase qualified leads from the website by the end of Q3.
Closing rate: Increase the sales team’s closing rate on enterprise deals from 15% to 20% within the next six months.
Revenue: Achieve $200,000 in new recurring revenue by December 31st.
Remember to review sales and revenue goals quarterly to account for new information.
Marketing & Content Goals
These goals support more efficient, broad-reaching marketing initiatives that turn audiences into customers.
Engagement: Increase the average click-through rate (CTR) on all email newsletters from 2.5% to 4.0% by the end of the current quarter.
SEO/traffic: Increase organic search traffic to the company blog by 40% year-over-year.
Social media: Launch and optimize the company’s TikTok channel to achieve 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views within the next 90 days.
You can apply SMART goals across a variety of marketing projects, platforms, and mediums.
Customer Service & Satisfaction Goals
Improving customer service and satisfaction can have a strong impact on overall business performance.
Response time: Reduce the average initial customer response time across all channels from 1.5 hours to 30 minutes by the end of the month.
Satisfaction score: Increase the Net Promoter Score (NPS) from +40 to +50 within the next two fiscal quarters.
The better your business gets at service, the more likely it is that you can turn one-time customers into repeat ones.
Skills Development Goals
Professional development should be a constant goal, especially for entrepreneurs. Learning new skills will only benefit your business.
Certification: Dedicate 3 hours every Saturday morning to successfully complete the online QuickBooks Pro certification by November 15th to handle Q4 finances internally and reduce accounting fees.
Efficiency: Create 5 new reusable content templates (social posts, email subject lines) in Canva, reducing the time spent on weekly content creation from 3 hours to 1 hour by the end of this month.
Networking: Attend two local Chamber of Commerce events and secure three 1-on-1 coffee meetings with high-value prospects in the local business community before the end of the quarter.
Leadership: Delegate all administrative invoicing and bill payment tasks to a part-time virtual assistant by the end of the month, freeing up 4 hours per week for strategic sales work.
SMART goals can help you incorporate practical professional development into your working life.
Business Development Goals
Every small business requires patience and guidance. Business development goals can help you identify and achieve improvements in the way you operate.
Time management: Implement a 30-minute mandatory lunch break away from the desk four times per week to de-stress and improve focus during the afternoon work hours over the next 30 days.
Accounts receivable: Reduce the amount of outstanding accounts receivable (AR) over 60 days old from $12,000 to under $3,000 by implementing a strict 7-day payment policy for all new clients starting tomorrow.
Learning: Read two industry-specific books (for instance, on pricing strategy or local marketing) and implement one new strategy from each into the business process by the end of this quarter.
Business development goals are constantly changing, so remember to review regularly.
FAQs
“Save more money” is a good intention, but to be SMART:
Specific: Decide what you’re saving for or where the money will go (such as an emergency fund, new equipment).
Measurable: Set a dollar amount (e.g., $2,000 per month).
Achievable: Make sure it fits your budget and revenue.
Relevant: Tie it to a meaningful goal, like increasing cash flow by 20% this year.
Time-bound: Set a deadline, such as the end of the year.
A SMART version could be, “By December 1, my business will begin allocating $2,000 every month towards an emergency fund.”
Missing a deadline doesn’t mean failure — it’s an opportunity to learn and adjust. Consider why you missed it. Was it unrealistic, or did unexpected events occur? You might be able to just extend the deadline to something more achievable, or break down the goal into smaller steps. Any SMART goal should be flexible. The point is to keep improving them over time.
SMART goals help business owners turn big ideas into actionable steps. Instead of vague objectives like “grow the business,” SMART goals provide clarity and structure. By using SMART goals, business owners can improve decision-making, keep teams aligned, monitor progress more effectively, and increase the likelihood of success.
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