As we start the new year, businesses are presented with a new opportunity to set ambitious sales goals and devise strategies to achieve them. A well-thought-out sales plan is the key to a successful business, providing direction, focus, and a roadmap for growth.
Here are some best practices to make 2024 your most profitable year ever:
Reflect on the Previous Year
Identify key successes, challenges, and areas for improvement. Consider customer feedback, any new trends in the survey profession (and how you can incorporate them), and the effectiveness of your sales strategies. This will be the foundation for making informed decisions this new sales year.
Set Clear and Measurable Goals
Establish specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) sales goals for the new year. Whether it’s increasing revenue, or launching new products or services, always articulate your goals and sales vision with clarity.
Understand Your Target Audience
A successful sales plan is built on a deep understanding of your target audience and WHO your buyer is. Clearly define your ideal customer profile, including demographics, behaviours, and pain points.
Value Proposition
Outline what makes your BRAND and company unique. What do you have and offer as a surveying company that others don’t? This will be a crucial part of your marketing which will lead you to more Marketing-Qualified Leads (MQLs).
Sales Training and Development
Always keep learning. This is the one thing that will help you build and develop a sales process that works. Make sure you are providing sales information and training to your team daily. Reviewing sales training will help ensure your team is constantly learning what they can do better within the sales process.
Marketing and sales seem to be taboo topics in the surveying industry, but they shouldn’t be. You need to talk about sales and marketing — they are what make your business.
Monitor and Measure Progress
Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to track the success of your sales plan. (Common KPIs include leads generated, new contracts, average contract value, etc.) Regularly monitor and measure progress against these metrics, This will help you keep track of what’s working and what needs to be improved.
Be Consistent
Sales is all about repeating successful actions. Find what works, do it over and over again, and build a system that your team can duplicate as well. Use all the tips and tricks we gave you above — and REPEAT. At the same time, keep in mind that a sales plan is not static – it should evolve with the changing business landscape to ensure ongoing success.
By reflecting on past performance, setting clear goals, understanding your audience, and implementing effective strategies, you can position your company for an amazing sales year.