Big January energy. New year, new me. Detailed plans. Lofty goals.
Then February hits and it’s crickets.
Here’s the brutal truth: 95% of your reps write PDPs like they’re drafting a love letter to their future self. The other 5%? They write them like GPS coordinates.
The difference is painful to watch.
Vision Board Energy:
“I want to get better at objection handling”
“I need to improve my prospecting”
“I should work on my closing”
GPS Energy:
“Practice 3 price objection rebuttals daily for 10 minutes until Q2”
“Send 20 personalized LinkedIn messages every M/W/F for 8 weeks”
“Record 5 demo calls monthly and review with manager”
See the difference? One sounds like a meditation retreat. The other sounds like work.
Your PDP isn’t a vision board you pin to your cubicle wall. It’s not a wish list for the Sales Santa.
It’s a roadmap with mile markers, specific exits, and a damn good reason you’re going there.
Most reps want to “level up” but refuse to do the actual work of measuring steps. They want the destination without the drive time.
Hot take: If reading your PDP doesn’t make you slightly uncomfortable, you’re not thinking big enough.
And managers? Stop treating PDP check-ins like corporate theater. Make them real. Make them regular. Make them matter.
Your reps will only take their development as seriously as you do.
