Mid Year Sales Planning

The following was written by my good friend Chip Doyle, a Sandler Sales Franchisee.
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He who fails to plan is planning to fail - Winston Churchill

Prospecting plans are more than a necessary part of a salesperson's tool kit. The planning process creates accountability and a sense of teamwork for salespeople. Good plans also improve the salesperson's outlook and motivation. By measuring the results of a plan, salespeople can identify what's working and what isn't and adjust accordingly. And last but not least, planning and accountability insures activities that fill the pipeline are not subordinated to client fulfillment work. This one drives me nuts. As an example, seller-doers (people like CPA's, consultants, architects, engineers, etc) pray for business but as soon as they get some, they complain that they don't have time for business development. This is just a sophisticated way of admitting they don't have a plan.

You can be a part of your own plan or part of someone else's - David Sandler

The year is almost half over and odds are you've made some progress towards your prospecting and sales plan. If you don't have a prospecting plan yet, stop reading here and start planning!

Planning has Pitfalls

Unfortunately there are predictable traps that I see clients fall into related to planning. Occasionally they will use the planning process to procrastinate action. I also see salespeople that fail to adjust plans over time based on new information or tracked results. Planning is not a one-time activity. It's a recurring process. Not every week, but certainly every six months.

More frequently I see plans with no priorities or activity sequences specified. John Argenti, author and founder of the Strategic Planning Society said "A plan is a list of actions arranged in whatever sequence is thought likely to achieve an objective." Make sure you assign priorities or some sequence in your planning process.

"It is almost always the decision maker that makes the decision work, not the choice which makes the decision work." - David Sandler

I also see companies attempt to build consensus around an ideal plan. It never happens. There's no need to try to build the perfect plan. The key is to get your salespeople on the right course so they can realize the benefits of the planning process.

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We are halfway through the year. How are your sales? How are they compared to plan? What are you going to do to modify or create your plan?