Creating a Powerful Sales Plan

by Dave Kahle

Field salespeople have a unique aspect to their jobs – they have the ability to decide what to do every moment of every day.  The need to make this decision – where to go, who to see, who to call, what to do – distinguishes the sales profession from most others.

I’ve often thought that the quality of this decision, more than any other single thing, dictates the quality of the sales person’s results.  Consistently make effective decisions, and your results will improve.  Make thoughtless, habitual or reactive decisions, and your results will be sub-par.

One of the ways to ensure that you make good decisions about your selling time is to create a comprehensive sales plan.

What’s a sales plan?  A written, thoughtful set of decisions about the most effective things you can do.  A sales plan should be the result of some good thinking, wherein you analyze and prioritize a number of different aspects of your job.

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A good sales plan addresses different time durations and different aspects of your job.

Annual Planning Retreat

Every salesperson should discipline himself/herself to an annual planning retreat.  Set a day or two aside, every year, to engage in some serious planning.  Turn off the phone, shut down the email, and immerse yourself into deep thought about the coming year.  Begin by specifying a series of annual sales goals.  What, specifically, do you want to accomplish this year in your job?  I recommend no more than five specific sales goals.  Typically, one of these goals describes the total volume of sales dollars you want to create; another may describe the number of new customers you want to acquire; yet another may relate to the number of high potential customers with whom you want to increase your business.  Regardless of what your goals are, an annual, written, specific set of goals is the beginning of a sales plan.

Next, give some thought ... READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.