What is exactly a sales plan? It is a plan that lists down a company’s sales strategies and tactics in detail. The length of a sales plan sample depends on a firm’s sales activities.
Some sales plan may last for merely week, or may last long as an entire year. To help you create a sales plan, we have provided some templates that you can download for free. We also provided some simple tips in creating a sales plan.
1. New business acquisition strategies: Take note that business acquisition does not only mean acquiring a new company or corporation. Business acquisition can also pertain to attracting new clients or customers. A business acquisition strategy is an overall or a general plan on what the company wants to achieve.
2. New business acquisition tactics: The difference of a tactic and a strategy is that a strategy is an overall plan while a tactic is a means of achieving a strategy. Basically, a tactic is more specific and more concise.
3. Existing business growth strategies: Existing business growth strategies are strategies that the company is currently using. Existing business growth strategies are being used by the company or firm on a consistent basis but need to be improved based on the sales plan that is being created. You may also see strategic sales plan examples
4. Existing business growth tactics: As previously mentioned, strategies and tactics are different. Existing business growth tactics are similar to the new business acquisition tactics where tactics are more specific and focused.
When creating a sales plan, you need to define the deadlines or goals that you will be working on. These deadlines are also called “milestones” which are very helpful in keeping track of the sales plan you are creating. You can refer to your team on the tasks they are doing so that you can better manager their tasks. Also, this will give you a realistic overview on what they can potentially achieve and what milestones you are going to set.
A niche is a market segment where you will be selling most of your products. Having a niche will help your business focus on the strengths of your company and what you can offer to the market. The more visibility you can have in your niche, the greater the chance that you will hit your financial goals as well as the milestones listed in the sales plan.
The company should also create competitive advantage over other competitors. This is something that sets a company or firm apart from the competition. To create a plan to fit your customers’ needs, you can ask these questions:
Before you start creating a sales plan, you first need to do research. Gather the necessary information, and if you will be using respondents, use established data gathering methods such as conducting interviews and questionnaires.
Once research has been accomplished, you should create goals so that you can be guided on the sales plan you are creating. It is ideal to create short-term and long-term goals for the sales plan.
Strategies and tactics are the main component of a sales plan. Make sure the strategies and tactics you use can maximize the sales activities of your company.
Before you print out and submit the sales plan, double-check for grammatical errors or information that you might want to add in the sales plan. Remember that the sales plan serves a greater purpose for the company, so make sure the sales plan doesn’t comprise any errors or issues.You may also see daily sales plan examples
There is really no type of sales plan size as all types of business documents are only written and printed on a piece of paper. Here are the US paper sizes you can use when creating a sales plan: