A Solid Sales Plan Will Set Your Business Up for Success

When building strategic plans for businesses and non-profits the one strategic priority that always surfaces is revenue generation. Top notch businesses are constantly building sales processes withing their organization to enhance their opportunity to grow revenues. Without revenue growth - businesses can quickly become stagnant, or worse numbers can slide which is a slippery slope we never want to happen. Big or small, there’s really only two factors in running a profitable business - growing revenues and managing expenses. While managing expenses is important, I prefer having a growth mind set and will outline below why every business and non-profit regardless of size should have a solid sales plan.

A rock-solid sales plan is going to give companies clarity and a roadmap to follow that will lead them to success. Without out a map many sales teams falter and never seem to get the traction they need to succeed. Defining things like target markets, new growth opportunities, prospects, setting measurable goals, sales alignment and establishing team are all key attributes in building out the plan.

Building a sales plan is a good opportunity to think big picture and look outside the box for opportunities when you are doing your creative prospecting sessions. Take a half-step back and make sure your leads are qualified and your presentation skills, creative material and your sales support processes are up to standards. Your sales plan should have measurable goals that are realistic and attainable, and the key is making sure everyone including the sales representatives are aligned and believe in the plan. It’s imperative that your sales team is part of the process as their street-level experience is going to be extremely valuable.

After you discussed the above - take time to create “processes” that are going to establish action and accountability. A sales plan without action is a dead document. Remember, a process is a series of actions and steps taken in order to achieve an outcome. Ask good questions like …. How many calls and appointments do we expect to make in a day, week and month? Is the budget realistic? Do we use a sales management system to keep everyone aligned and on track? How do we best use our resources? Does it make sense to have a really good sales representative bogged down in administrative work six hours a day? How do we build out our sales funnel with potential clients? Do we use a sales management system to our advantage? When do we have our sales meetings? How do you currently service clients? Does our marketing plan align with our sales objectives? How do we use technology to support the sales process and make us more efficient? How do we create feedback loops with clients and sales representativs to improve our processes?

Once processes are established, make sure you include resources to support your salespeople in your plan. Being a salesperson is not an easy job and sales professionals need support. Do you have a rewards or bonus program? How do you motivate reps, keep everyone aligned and build team? Do you celebrate successes in your sales meetings? Do you invest in sales training? Do your sales managers have the proper training and resources? It’s often difficult for managers to train their own staff when they are dealing with their reps every day. Does senior staff recognize and thank sales staff for attaining measurable goals? This is a big deal - to have a senior leader to take time out of their schedule to be the ultimate cheerleader will produce life lasting dividends for your organization. Does your sales manager have the right sales team, or do you need to hire and increase your bench strength? How do we establish accountability and track progress in a supportive way?

Having a growth mind set and a robust sales plan in your organization is extremely important in this quickly changing world. It not an easy task and it can feel very overwhelming and complex to many people including senior leaders. If you don’t have the internal resources to build that magical sales plan and take your business to the next level - reach out and hire a business consultant who can help you look outside the box and give you that edge you are looking for to make this important process happen. Sales is the lifeline of your business and the main building block to attaining the growth you are looking for to launch your business to the next level.