Below are 10 questions you need to ask yourself about your 2015 sales plan.
1. Do you have enough solid customers to allow you to not just achieve your goals, but also to power past them? (Plan now to power past your goals to help offset any fallout along the way.)
2. Is your business driven by a select number of customers? What would happen if one of them slowed their buying or stopped buying completely? (Too many salespeople allow their business to be far too reliant upon a few accounts.)
3. What are you doing to expand your relationships within your big accounts? (Having multiple quality relationships within an account can help protect your business and, at the same time, help open up new business.)
4. What is the average discount you’re having to give to secure your business? (What is the impact of the discount on both your short-term profit and long-term sales?)
5. How aggressive is your competition and what is your plan to not lose any business to them?
6. What new channels/industries can you move into and what is your plan to do so? (Selling to mulitiple channels can be one of the most effective ways to protect your sales long-term.)
7. What changes do you need to make to your sales process to allow you to be 25% more effective? (If your competition is getting more effective in how they use their time and you don’t, you will be at a disadvantage quickly.)
8. What is it you need to do in the 1st half of the year that will be sure to generate results in the 2nd half? (Big sales require time, and that means you must have a plan you believe you can execute.)
9. How prepared are you if a competitor suddenly does something drastic to impede your business? (Last thing you want to do is not be ready. Decisions made in haste can cost you a fortune long-term.)
10. How confident are you? Are you as prepared as you know you need to be?
How did you do answering the questions? Here’s my suggestion: Check out Breakthrough Sales University.
It is a monthly program that will keep you on track for 2015. Your competitor is checking it out….need I say more?
Copyright 2015, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Selling: Win the Sale Without Compromising on Price.
