There may still be time to add to your sales this year
NOW is the time to put together your plan for next year’s sales
I meet many businesses that, if doing well, make no plans to ‘feed the pipeline’, to seek and win new business on a regular basis. At some stage, the feast will stop and famine will take over. At that stage it may be too late to ask these questions;
- Where will my sales come from?
– have you targeted specific markets and customers?
– have you followed up all previous opportunities?
- How will I make contact?
– and be sure you’re given the chance to quote
– are you talking to the decision maker?
- Am I sufficiently skilled in pitching, negotiating and closing?
– enough to win the business?
– enough to ensure the best deal?
Did you have a sales plan for this year? If you did make a plan; you have now reached the fourth quarter of the year. Are you on plan?
DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING?
You did make a plan? Good move; not enough businesses do. Too many rely on the ‘Field of Dreams’ principle of ‘If you build it they will come’. Unfortunately, business is never as simple as that. Building a business ready to supply the market is one thing, but;
– making it attractive to those who may buy from you
– developing an interest from those who could use your products and services
– showing how well you can fulfil their need
– securing the business by gaining their commitment, and
– delivering and exceeding their expectations
…are all skills that can be learned, developed and embedded into your selling process.
Selling need not be difficult, stressful or something to avoid! Selling can be ethical, simple, even fun! Being better at selling means winning more sales. But, you do need some useful skills and techniques to help ensure this happens.
So Plan – Action – Review. Review means measuring your progress against plan and making any changes needed to remain on, or exceed your plan. You cannot measure everything, but knowing where you are against your sales plan will help you to ensure positive progress and achievement.
So, you have a plan for next year? How about aligning it with you 5 year and 10 year plans?! Don’t rely on the short term view; turn that wish list into reality by making longer term plans for it to happen. Make sure you know where you’re going!
Salient Sales & Training – taking the pressure out of selling
(If you are not happy with your answers to any of the above questions, why not book on our next seminar? Details are on the website, under ‘Events’.