4 Keys to a successful sales plan
Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2025 10:30 am
To achieve business growth, it is important to have a strategic sales plan that sets out the focus, priorities, customer volume, sales actions and indicators. However, in many companies, the sales plan is not always followed.
The success of sales planning depends largely on understanding the current situation in the company, the challenges faced in achieving objectives and the priorities of the management team, as well as the execution of actions .
In this article, we have divided the sales plan analysis process into 4 phases. Each phase has specific actions and goals.
inbound-marketing-what-is-origin-methodology
Phase One: Objectives and Approach
If you've reached this point, it's probably because your sales plan hasn't worked. When you realize that your business isn't going well, you should stay calm and think with a cool head.
Have you already identified the problem? Where do you want to go? How do you plan to achieve it? In how much time? Use these questions as a starting point to change your strategies and define clear goals. That is, SMART objectives : specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and set within a certain time frame.
4-keys-to-the-success-of-your-sales-plan
Phase two: understanding the market and potential customers
After defining what you want to achieve, it is important to find out where your customers are and if you have what they need . Using buyer persona profiles to keep track of their behavior and characteristics is not enough, you must constantly update them .
To achieve this, it is important to establish close relationships with colombia phone number data prospects from the first contact and advise them so that they themselves reflect on their problem, before making recommendations.
You must also evaluate your competition and your own organization . Do your teams obtain the expected results? Do they collaborate with each other to improve them? Is it possible to accelerate processes to optimize activities and resources?
Template-buyer-persona.jpg
Phase Three: Marketing and Sales Alignment
At this stage, you need to analyse your marketing and sales teams, as they often pass the buck when the expected results are not achieved. It is not about changing the rules or making demands, however, as a manager you must ensure that both departments work together to achieve business objectives .
Otherwise, there will still be a significant information leak and you will not be able to detect whether the bottleneck in your sales process is in the marketing or sales area.
To do this, it is useful to use an automation system that helps record the journey of each buyer, from the time they visit until they make the sale. At GrowX Agency, we use and recommend HubSpot CRM , as it fosters the relationship with clients and between work teams , through the monitoring of prospects and constant feedback on the actions of each department.
marketing and sales alignment
Phase Four: Standardizing the Sales Process
Now, the sales plan is not just a guide of steps to follow, it must be repeatable, measurable and scalable . Otherwise, your sales reps will keep making the same mistakes.
Standardizing the process provides direction and structure to executives , increases revenue and shortens sales cycles . This will help you establish the actions to be taken, how they will be executed and the time frame in which they must be completed.
The key to achieving this is to use sales funnels , as they act as mirrors of the prospects' purchasing journey and help sales reps design and customize their strategies . Download the guide to create your sales plan effectively, it's free!
The success of sales planning depends largely on understanding the current situation in the company, the challenges faced in achieving objectives and the priorities of the management team, as well as the execution of actions .
In this article, we have divided the sales plan analysis process into 4 phases. Each phase has specific actions and goals.
inbound-marketing-what-is-origin-methodology
Phase One: Objectives and Approach
If you've reached this point, it's probably because your sales plan hasn't worked. When you realize that your business isn't going well, you should stay calm and think with a cool head.
Have you already identified the problem? Where do you want to go? How do you plan to achieve it? In how much time? Use these questions as a starting point to change your strategies and define clear goals. That is, SMART objectives : specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and set within a certain time frame.
4-keys-to-the-success-of-your-sales-plan
Phase two: understanding the market and potential customers
After defining what you want to achieve, it is important to find out where your customers are and if you have what they need . Using buyer persona profiles to keep track of their behavior and characteristics is not enough, you must constantly update them .
To achieve this, it is important to establish close relationships with colombia phone number data prospects from the first contact and advise them so that they themselves reflect on their problem, before making recommendations.
You must also evaluate your competition and your own organization . Do your teams obtain the expected results? Do they collaborate with each other to improve them? Is it possible to accelerate processes to optimize activities and resources?
Template-buyer-persona.jpg
Phase Three: Marketing and Sales Alignment
At this stage, you need to analyse your marketing and sales teams, as they often pass the buck when the expected results are not achieved. It is not about changing the rules or making demands, however, as a manager you must ensure that both departments work together to achieve business objectives .
Otherwise, there will still be a significant information leak and you will not be able to detect whether the bottleneck in your sales process is in the marketing or sales area.
To do this, it is useful to use an automation system that helps record the journey of each buyer, from the time they visit until they make the sale. At GrowX Agency, we use and recommend HubSpot CRM , as it fosters the relationship with clients and between work teams , through the monitoring of prospects and constant feedback on the actions of each department.
marketing and sales alignment
Phase Four: Standardizing the Sales Process
Now, the sales plan is not just a guide of steps to follow, it must be repeatable, measurable and scalable . Otherwise, your sales reps will keep making the same mistakes.
Standardizing the process provides direction and structure to executives , increases revenue and shortens sales cycles . This will help you establish the actions to be taken, how they will be executed and the time frame in which they must be completed.
The key to achieving this is to use sales funnels , as they act as mirrors of the prospects' purchasing journey and help sales reps design and customize their strategies . Download the guide to create your sales plan effectively, it's free!