As part of the business manager role, many FLMs are responsible for allocating district or regional sales goals to their people. Goal allocation is required at least annually in almost every sales force, and it often occurs monthly or quarterly, depending on the sales force incentive compensation plan. Getting the goal allocation right is critical; goals that are fair, and motivational to all team members stimulate peak team performance. Companies can support FLMs in the goal-setting process by providing them with a good starting point for their goal allocations. Headquarters can create suggested goals based on formulas that are applied consistently across the sales force, taking into account territory factors such as historical sales, market potential, and growth projections. Then using computer-based systems and tools (often web-based), FLMs can review formula-suggested goals and make adjustment based on local knowledge. They can submit suggested changes to their supervisors (and ultimately back to headquarters) for review and approval. Goal-setting tools, coupled with structured processes for goal review and approval, enable fast turnaround, good accuracy, and detailed documentation of goal adjustments. (See Figure 7-5 for a sample goal-setting tool.)