Setting Realistic Targets

The Hearth Core — Metrics That Actually Work

Targets That People Actually Hit

Here is a truth that most management training skips over: Targets should be set collaboratively -- not handed down from above.

A counselor who understands why a target exists and had input in setting it will hit it consistently. A counselor who receives a number from a spreadsheet they never saw will resent it, game it, or leave.

This is not about being soft. This is about being smart. Collaborative target-setting produces better results because the people closest to the work understand what is realistic, what is aspirational, and what is impossible.

Starting Points That Work

If you are implementing a hybrid framework for the first time, begin with activity targets that are achievable and meaningful. Here is what healthy early-stage targets look like:

Two community partnership conversations this month -- not cold calls, but genuine outreach to organizations where families naturally gather (churches, senior centers, hospice programs, civic groups)
One new relationship built per week -- a real connection with a person, not a name in a database
One pre-need consultation this quarter -- yes, this quarter. Pre-need is a long game. Expecting weekly consultations from day one is the same trap that broke the team in our opening story

Notice the pace. It is deliberate. It is patient. And it works.

The Garden Principle

Pre-need is where independent homes build long-term stability and trust. Abandoning pre-need after one month is like abandoning a garden after one week because nothing has bloomed.

You planted the seeds. You watered the soil. Now you must give it time. The families who will sustain your home for the next generation are not going to appear on a spreadsheet in week three. They are going to appear when trust has had time to take root.

Growing the Targets Over Time

As your counselor builds community presence and relationships deepen, the targets should evolve naturally:

Months 1-3 (Foundation):

Focus almost entirely on activity metrics
Build community presence and visibility
Begin initial conversations -- no pressure on conversion

Months 4-6 (Growth):

Activity metrics remain, but relationship metrics begin to matter
Look for families moving from initial contact to active conversation
First pre-need consultations should start emerging organically

Months 7-12 (Maturity):

Relationship metrics become the primary focus
Referrals should begin appearing as trust compounds
Pipeline depth and quality become the headline numbers

This phased approach respects the reality that relationships take time. It gives your team permission to do the work properly -- and that permission is what keeps them.

Collaborative Target-Setting

Why does collaborative target-setting produce better results than handing targets down from above?

Because counselors will always set easier targets for themselves, making them happier Because the people closest to the work understand what is realistic, aspirational, and impossible -- and they commit to goals they helped create Because it eliminates the need for managers to track performance at all Because counselors who set their own targets cannot complain when they miss them

Healthy Early-Stage Pre-Need Target

When implementing a hybrid framework for the first time, what is a realistic early-stage target for pre-need consultations?

Five consultations per week to build momentum quickly Two consultations per month to keep the pressure manageable One consultation per quarter, recognizing that pre-need is a long game built on trust No target at all -- just let consultations happen when they happen

Phased Metric Progression

In the phased approach to growing targets over time, what shift happens between Months 4-6 (Growth) and Months 7-12 (Maturity)?

Activity metrics are eliminated entirely and replaced with revenue targets The counselor transitions from pre-need work to at-need support Relationship metrics become the primary focus as referrals appear and pipeline depth becomes the headline number Targets are doubled to accelerate growth during the maturity phase