What successful companies are doing now to meet next year's sales goals

Finish the year strong, plan to execute fast in the new year

Top business leaders know the importance of finishing the year strong and building plans for strong execution right out of gate in January.  Successful companies are focused on being ready to start the new year with a clear vision of success and a focus on the first quarter.

December provides a valuable opportunity to review your sales goals and commitments and to build engagement with your Team. BluePrint Growth Consulting recommends the following key action items to help business leaders get ready for a strong start to 2017:
 
Communicate your plan

Your sales plan is a playbook for your sales team as well as for everyone in your company who interacts with your customers.  Your Sales Plan defines how you will beat your competition by adding value to your customers, and it captures what your customers expect and how you can deliver on your promises.   Therefore, it is important that your plan is well-communicated throughout your organization.

Make a commitment now to keep your plan fresh and visible in the new year.  Commit to bringing your sales plan to every sales meeting, to reviewing it quarterly, and adjusting it as needed to keep on track. This will ensure that your plan is not just a book or binder, but becomes way of doing business that arms everyone in your organization to help win new work. 
 
Review your goals

Successful leaders know the importance of establishing accountability and commitment with their team, so it is essential to make sure you have buy-in on the Sales Plan from everyone who is accountable for meeting goals.

Review what you want to achieve in the new year and make sure you have defined SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) so you can measure progress toward your goals.  Make sure you have clearly identified and written down who is responsible for what and by when.   Goals should be clear and visible to everyone so it will be obvious if you are on track to meet your goals or not.  
 
 
Enable your team to win

Make certain your team is playing a winnable game in the new year. Take a close look at how the people who will be responsible for winning new business will be armed and supported.   Do a sanity-check with your business development and marketing team as well as your seller-doers to make sure they have the time, resources, training and authority they need to meet their goals.  Now is the time to plan for additional resources or change the goal, not when you have fallen behind in your progress toward your goals.

Plan now to win

A well-prepared sales and marketing plan is meaningless without a well-planned execution.  December provides an opportunity to review and adjust your plan, and to empower your team to soar into the first quarter with confidence.

To learn more about how you can develop a Strategic Sales Plan to beat your competition, join us for one of our Workshops at the Society for Marketing Professional Services (eligible for 1.5 CPSM credits and 1.5 AIA CES LUs); or at Associated Builders and Contractors.  If you need some help getting started, contact us today.

About BluePrint Consulting

​BluePrint Growth Consulting helps Organizations in the Building Industry position themselves ahead of their competition by developing great sales strategies and great sales plans.  www.BDBluePrint.com

For more about the essential steps in creating a strategic sales plan contact us for a free copy of our Sales Planning Blueprint.