Okay, sales managers: when is the best time to look at your sales performance planning?
Planning for success
Good managers know that planning in advance – and reviewing these plans on a regular basis to see what changes are needed – is important for success.
We encourage our small business owners to adopt a simple system in order to plan for their success. The simpler your plan is, the more likely you will follow it. When making your plan, keep in mind that most people will over-estimate what they can change in one year and under-estimate what they can do in 3-5 years.
What you need to look at
Your plan will need to look at a number of components to be successful. The following is a list of steps we recommend you integrate into your planning and development for the best performance in your small business:
- Do a business review of your current year’s statistics for your sales totals and for each sales person.
- Do a review of your personal and team S.W.O.T. (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats).
- Set your goals for sales and lifestyle first; then look at what needs to happen to accomplish them.
- Review your past sales/marketing plan and decide how your plan will need to change and adapt.
- Review areas for technical growth and ability.
- Set up your own Personal Implementation Plan. Without a comprehensive plan to make change happen, you could run into problems you never expected.
- Set up your tracking and monitoring system.
Timing your review
The best time to do your planning and review is after the first week in December. By that time, most of your clients and prospects will be busy with the holidays and contacting them may be tough. If you find yourself busy in December, work through your sales prospects and reschedule your planning for a quiet time in January. There are always times when things slow down in your businesses and it’s important to use that time to plan.
We personally like to plan a trip away to do planning. Even if it is a short day trip, a change of scenery will help you look at your small business and the possibilities that are available for you in the coming year in a different way. Regardless of how you plan, you need to plan for success. Take the time and schedule in your business review now, you will be taking your first step to a great future!