What will you say to your revenue goal when you finally meet it?

You've got options. You could go with something zen, like, "Namaste." Or maybe you'll go with the masculine, celebratory fist bump?

Or you could just say "Nice to meet you, but I gotta go now!"

After all, revenue goals are made to be met and moved beyond, and to do that, you've got to put yourself out there, have a plan, and work a sales process that puts you in position to achieve your goals.

Here are four keys to designing a sales process that will keep you and your revenue goals meeting throughout this year, next year, and beyond:

1) Keep looking forward

The quickest way to make a stranger out of your revenue goal is to look for it in the rear view mirror. If you spend all your time looking backwards, two things are likely to happen:

• You're going to focus on how poorly things are going now in comparison, which may convince you that your goals are pointless.
• You're going to focus on how well things are going now and simply become complacent.

Neither is good for your relationship with your revenue goals.

Instead of looking backwards, you need to be looking forward. Anticipate sales cycles. Understand historic close rates and project them onto upcoming months. Looking ahead is the only way you'll make sure you can finally meet, or continue meeting, your revenue projections.

2) Be better about knowing your customers' business

A sales process that is only focused on product and price is a sales process that is destined to fail. Today, the sales processes that resonate with customers are those that are focused on customers' businesses.

Eschew the pitches about product and price, and focus instead on offering tangible solutions to the personalized business problems your customers are facing. Being customer-centric is key to building their trust and confidence. Demonstrating that you understand your customers' business and then offering viable fixes builds instant credibility and makes it a lot more likely that you will close your sales.

3) Don't just be a busy body

This tip is pretty simple. It involves doing things just for the sake of doing them. Busy bodies make phone call after phone call, as quickly as they can, without ever getting a decision-maker on the phone. They are constantly pulling together quotes and proposals before anyone has given them the green light to do so.

Intentional-action sales people, however, focus on a sales process that works on the things that matter most. They don't simply go through the motions. They plan their work and work their plans. And they put their efforts into proven techniques.

4) Consider your customers

The sooner you realize that people process information differently, the sooner you will become well-acquainted with your revenue goal.

Know your customers. Understand their businesses. Determine how they process information, how they communicate, and how they make decisions. Then provide them with relevant, problem-solving information about your products and services in ways that are personalized to them. Use Whole Brain Thinking.

Greetings, namaste, and goodbye

If you and your revenue goal are not well-acquainted, it's time to take action. Follow the four tips provided above and get ready to tell your goal "Greetings, namaste ... and goodbye," because you'll be moving on to introducing yourself to your next goal.