Great Strategic Sales Plans Don’t Write Themselves

Great Strategic Plans Don't Write Themselves

Whether you’re intent on starting up your own business or you plan to assume control over an existing one, you’re going to need a strategic sales plan. Call it your “marketing strategy” or your “business strategy” or whatever works for you, but the fact remains that you need a plan for making the most out of what you have.

Your sales plan is the GPS that your salespeople will use to meet your overall business goal(s) within whatever time frame you select. If you don’t have a strategic sales plan, it’s time to take a seat and get it written! Great strategic sales plans don’t write themselves.

I have to write what?

What do you do if you don’t know how to write a strategic plan for sales ? Sit down with your business partners or other stakeholders and discuss what you want to accomplish over a given period (generally a year or two). Once you have a goal for your business, you’re ready to formulate your plan for sales.

Your sales plan should include at least two strategies you plan to utilize to reach your sales and marketing goals. You’ll need to list some specific tactics to go along with each approach.

For example, if your sales goal is to “make sales commissions,” that’s much too broad. Narrow it down, giving your salespeople a specific focus: “I will generate twice as many sales commissions as I made in the last quarter.”

You can then include specifics on how you plan to accomplish this goal, such as setting up a booth at trade shows, networking through online sources such as LinkedIn,Facebook, or Twitter. You should consider joining your local Chamber of Commerce and partner with local schools as a way to give back to your community while increasing the visibility of your business brand.

Tactics for improving sales

This is where most people get hung up when creating a sales plan, whether it’s a personal plan or one for the whole team or business. Keep in mind that the goal is to increase sales, then think about your business’s location and marketing capabilities.

· Don’t neglect cold calling tactics. Set a goal to make 50 or more cold calls per week. Cold calling may not be the most exciting aspect of sales, but it is a proven method of generating sales leads.

· Email potential new customers. Don’t use the deceptive tactics of “spammers” when you’re emailing prospective customers. Make the emails personal, calling the customer by name, and inviting them to inspect your product or try your service.

· Don’t forget to follow up on existing sales. Give your customer a call a few weeks after they purchase to find out if they have any questions. Ask how family and friends have received their purchased items or services. You may be able to generate other sales leads from this information.

Executive summary

When all your salespeople or sales teams have completed their strategic sales plans, then it is time for you, the business owner, to do your part.

Using the information from each of your employees’ sales plans, write up an executive summary to summarize the original ideas and goals. Include how each will dove-tail into your overall business strategies and objectives. This will help your employees and investors (if applicable) understand where your business is heading and how it plans to get there.