A Roadmap to Sales Success

See below for expert advice on your Successful 2006 Sales Plan. Plus, for 2 other offerings to immediately help your sales results, see:

http://www.salespartnersinc.com/sales-feedback.html http://www.salespartnersinc.com/virtual_sales_manager.htm
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“Have a plan. Follow the plan, and you'll be surprised how successful you can be. Most people don't have a plan. That's why it's is easy to beat most folks”.
- - Paul "Bear" Bryant (1913 – 1983), Head Football Coach, University of Alabama

Ask your Sales Partner:

Submit your questions to
info@salespartnersinc.com.

Carl asks: “What exactly is the value of a Sales
Plan?”

SP: “To identify/prioritize necessary goals and action steps and to verify their effectiveness through meaningful measurements.”

About the “Roadmap …”

This month’s topic is:
"Creating and Implementing a
Successful Sales Plan "

Ask any Sales Coach/Consultant what are the
Single biggest Sales issues their customers have.

The chances are pretty good that the answer will be:

1. They don’t have a Sales Plan.
2. When/if they get a Sales Plan,
they don’t follow it.

This Month’s Sales Tips …

“A plan is a list of actions arranged in whatever sequence is thought likely to achieve an
objective.” - - John Argenti, author and founder of
the Strategic Planning Society

PLAN AHEAD
Upcoming Events Involving Sales Partners:

Nov. 10, 2005	-	Triangle Technical Recruiters Association 11:30 a.m. - “Hire Slow; Fire Fast”
Nov. 10, 2005	-	St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church 7:30 p.m. - “A Roadmap to Sales Success”
Nov. 30, 2005	-	Apex Chamber of Commerce 11:30 a.m. – “Sales for People WHO Don’t Like to Sell”

Please see:
http://www.salespartnersinc.com for details.

Vol. 6 No. 1 November, 2005 – “Creating and Implementing A Successful Sales Plan” – Part 1 of 2

“Whatever failures I have known, whatever errors I have committed, whatever follies I have witnessed in private and public life have been the consequence of action without thought.”
- - Bernard Baruch (1870-1965)

Like many (most?) new salespeople, your writer once hated planning, paperwork, reporting, forecasting, and the like. However, it soon became apparent that, to have time to be successful with the “fun” part of selling (working with the customer), a good deal of planning, etc. was critical.

Successful sales planning starts with understanding your prospects/customers and your offerings and how
the two beneficially relate.

Those areas were addressed in a previous Roadmap. Please see:
http://www.salestraininginc.com/newsletter/2003/october/

Once we are confident that we know who we can help and how, the next most important part of our plan is
where do we find them? In Sales Planning, that’s called “prospecting.” For some ways to do that, see:
http://www.salestraininginc.com/newsletter/2003/november/

Then, how do we keep track of them? The answer: by using a Contact Data Base. Please see:
http://www.salestraininginc.com/newsletter/2004/june/

“Good plans shape good decisions. That's why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true.”
- - Lester Robert Bittel (b. 1918), writer

After we’ve entered the prospects into our Contact Data Base, and done our “homework” so as to gain insight into their possible challenges, it’s important that we know what to say when we do make contact. Some ideas can be found at: http://www.salestraininginc.com/newsletter/2003/december/

Let’s assume for a moment that we have the necessary skills to move the prospect through the “sales cycle.” Whether we close the sale or not, it is vital to maintain a mutually-beneficial relationship. Please see: http://www.salestraininginc.com/newsletter/2004/april/

“You got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there.”
- - Yogi Berra

Be on the lookout for the next issue of "Roadmap" where we’ll finish crafting your Successful 2006 Sales Plan. (And, for those of you so inclined, identify a very comprehensive one.)

Until then, Good Selling!

Please note: We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as
Sales Partners’ name and contact information is included: info@salespartnersinc.com
http://www.salespartnersinc.com


Helpful Hints this month: Need to alleviate the burdens of HR regulations while maintaining direction and control?See: http://www.castletongroup.com/ And, of course, to improve your sales situation, please see: SALES PARTNERS, INC. ^SM http://www.salespartnersinc.com/	SALES PARTNERS, INC. ^SM Sales Coaching, Training and Consulting to help companies and individuals: * Grow Revenue * Improve Sales Productivity * Enhance Customer Relationships Submit your question/comments to: info@salespartnersinc.com Subscribe to the “Roadmap …”