Sales occur through a sales plan. A sales plan includes the strategies and the tactics to achieve consistent sales production. These strategies and tactics make up the sales infrastructure and sales operations designed to support and guide the sales team.
So Where Do You Start?
o Defined target market: What industry, geography, company size, company structure would benefit from your product/service and how many are there?
o Cross functional communication: Open feedback loop between sales and marketing, operations, leadership designed to support each department and their role in growing the business.
o The Market: It’s always changing. The sales team needs to be involved in Associations and networking groups that cost effectively drive revenue growth but also provides feedback to the organization about upcoming market changes.
o ICP (Ideal Client Profiles): What does your ideal client look like by need or size or some metric unique to you?
o Value Proposition: What is your level of uniqueness in the market and the value you bring your clients? This must be clearly defined and align with the sales process.
o Sales Numbers: What is the average size of a sale? How many new clients are needed to achieve quotas? Closing percentage? Number of proposals and outbounds needed?
o Current clients: Why did they buy from you? Not what you think, what they told you as the reason. Is it incorporated into your value proposition?
o PRSP (Proven and repeatable sales process): Clearly defined, well documented sales process. A series of steps, that all team members are trained for and follow for every sale.
o Top 3 clients: HOW did you acquire them? If you cannot emphatically state that your future top 3 clients will be acquired through the same means, then you don’t have a PRSP.
o Sales team structure: Sales and marketing roles are aligned with the sales process.
o IEP (Ideal Employee Profile): A defined personality and skill set profile for sales professionals that aligns with your sales process.
o Compensation plan: Aligns with the role of the sales team and production expectations.
o CRM: All sales activities are tracked and monitored.
o IDP (Individual Development Plans): Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each member of the sales team with coaching plans focused on areas of improvement.
o Scripts: Templates for outreach and follow up regardless of methodology. Properly utilizing AI to assist sales in writing.
o Pre and Post Call Review Forms: Conducting ride alongs with sales professionals and engaging in call reviews focused on sales results and Individual Development.
o Training: Initial training or onboarding that focuses on the sales process. Ongoing, constant and consistent training to reinforce key objectives.
Ongoing
· Performance: Reviewing the numbers to diagnose for areas of improvement and coaching sales professionals how to achieve goal numbers.
· Training: Constant and consistent training reinforcing key objectives.
· Ride alongs: Virtually and physically, joining sales calls to evaluate performance and identify areas for improvement