Time is always flowing.  It’s always getting away from us.

The other day my bride and I saw a rerun of a George Carlson standup.  In his comedic routine, he did a few moments around this theme … TIME.  And, one thing he did was particularly funny.  It was about the concept of NOW.  He pointed out to the audience as only Mr. Carlson could do that, “NOW is never HERE …  If you ever mention it … it’s GONE … NOW … is GONE … there it goes again.”  NOW … There it goes again!!

A sales team is of course made up of 2 or more salespeople.  And, time is always moving on.  So, what we do with TIME as a team and individuals is critical.

It’s “now” time to put together our sales plan for 2009.  We need to begin the 2009 planned actions in the last quarter of this year.  Then, we will build as much momentum as possible into the new year.  So, here’s a good and simple model for a typical sales plan.

Sales Planning Flow in Good and Bad Times

 

Set Goal

 

1st – What’s your income goal and sales goal.  Sometimes this requires a lot of discussion.  But, the goal is first.
2nd – What’s your mean (average) sales size?  How many sales will you need to do next year, quarter, etc.
(Note: For very large sales and long sales cycles > than 90 days … down to each quarter is enough.  Other sales teams may want to take it down to the month and perhaps week or day.)
3rd –  What will be your win % on the quotes you do?  How many quotes will you need to do next year, quarter, etc.
4th – What and how much do you plan to sell?
How and to whom will you communicate what the goals are?

 

Plan How

 

1st – What are your target accounts for your 2009 sales goals – new and old customers?  Prioritize these.
2nd – What approach method will you use to contact them for appointments?
3rd – How will you strengthen your networking and lead generation for 2009?  What will you do?  When?
4th – When will you call for appointments each week or follow up on leads – a “sacrosanct time!”
5th – What strategies will you use to approach major accounts and get interest or first appointments?
6th – What weaknesses do you have? What training will you need in 2009?
7th – What’s unclear or missing in your plan?  What will you do to clear it up or make it no longer missing?
8th – What support will you need – marketing, tools, clerical, financial, etc.  How and when will you get it?
How, when, and to whom will you communicate the entire plan?  How, when, and to whom will communicate the relevant parts?

 

Monitor Progres

 

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1st – How will you measure progress?  What measurements will you make?
2nd – When will you report progress, review the plan, and make adjustments?
How, when, and to whom will you communicate the new plan adjustments during the year?

 

Celebration

 

Celebration occurs throughout the effort – during planning and execution.  Find things to celebrate … new appointments, making short lists, getting through to decision makers, new opportunities, etc.  Always find things to celebrate.  Especially, celebrate progress.

Get your plans done ASAP.  And, get moving at 2009 pace in 2008.  Do great things – better things.  Lance.

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