How to make a revenue plan. How to create realistic and achievable sales plans

To be able to set up a sales plan correctly is a very important function of any leader. The plan should motivate the employee to work and help improve his performance. At the same time, the plan should coincide with the interests of the business and the current market situation. It is not always easy to fulfill all these factors. In this article, we will talk about how to correctly set a sales plan for a specific employee, sales department, retail store. We will also touch on the issues of setting short-term and long-term plans a little.

Methods for setting plans

There are some common methods for setting sales plans. Each of them has its pros and cons, and each is applicable in a particular situation. It is worth noting that the implementation or failure of the plan affects the salary of your subordinate. Long non-fulfillment leads to a lost bonus and negatively affects. Unreasonably low plans jeopardize the business, I have often come across that the business is working in the red, and at the same time all employees receive a big bonus.

In my opinion, the implementation of the sales plan should correspond to the success of the business. In this case, it is permissible to take into account the experience and qualifications of the employee. It makes no sense to put the same plan on the newly accepted seller and on the experienced one. The following are examples of setting sales plans.

Short and long term plans

The plan can be put up for a year or even a decade, or maybe for one day or even an hour. The method of setting it up depends on how long-term the plan is. Plans for short periods of time are considered operational and it is desirable that their exposure should be regulated. For example, all beginners are given the same plan for the first month. The development of long-term planning is carried out by the top management of the company, such plans are called strategic. Long-term plans are very individual and depend on variables such as the market situation, which is very difficult to predict over a long period of time.

ambitious plan

The essence of this technique is to put the plan twice as high as necessary. The calculation is made on the fact that the employee will certainly make 50% of the set plan. In short, this technique lays all the risks on the subordinate.

An ambitious plan is difficult to use consistently with the same employee. The employee will be in constant stress because of his non-fulfillment. Then the employee will get used to his lack of success and his motivation may decrease significantly.

Also, an ambitious sales plan is not set for someone who obviously cannot fulfill it for objective reasons. These may be: lack of resources or lack of competencies. You need to be very careful when setting an ambitious plan for newly hired employees. If an employee from the first days understands that he is not fulfilling your plans, either accustom him to constant failures, or he will simply quit.

Compare your plan with the salary of the employee, in the case of constant ambitious plans, staff burnout often occurs, and employees leave due to lack of bonus due to permanent.

An ambitious plan is good at startups when all employees have eyes on fire. It should be used only in conjunction with a highly motivated employee and the availability of the necessary competencies and resources. For the implementation of an ambitious plan, it makes sense to promise in excess of profit and put it on strong money-motivated sellers.

Always a workable plan

A plan that is always carried out is the dream of any subordinate. Many salespeople and managers will not believe that there are companies where employees are given a clearly feasible sales plan. But I came across such people, the seller in such a company has a bonus reminiscent of an accountant's bonus. I must say right away that I have not met many such companies and, as a rule, these are medium-sized firms.

The biggest drawback of a plan that is always feasible is the lack of employee motivation to find and develop new sales tools. In sales, you need to constantly be on the lookout for new customers. In order to advance in this search, you need to constantly try different methods and evaluate their effectiveness. By setting a plan that is always feasible, you teach employees to do the opposite. I actually saw a company that sold in, only sending it to the post office and waiting for a response. No, no, just a constant expectation that the client himself will find them. Managers were directly told that if the client did not call himself, then he did not need it. The company has already gone bankrupt and ceased to exist. The company died due to incorrect planning, but it happens that such a plan is set for individual employees. This does not destroy the company as a whole, but because of this, a separate link slows down the overall development. For example, the head of the sales department should be motivated to develop the sales department, and not just to always fulfill the same plan 100%

But if you thought that a plan that is always feasible is always bad, then it is not. There are times when it will help you. First of all, I recommend setting a feasible plan for employees who have just started working in their not highly qualified conditions. For example, if a salesperson with no work experience came to you, you should not set a big plan for him, set the plan that he will fulfill. This is especially true for daily plans, for example, if your task is to make one sale per day, then demand 1 sale from the intern in 3 days, and every day he must collect 5 warm contacts. And you, or help make sales out of these contacts.

Also, more than once I came across situations when the company or the market changed dramatically in a negative direction for the seller. Such changes often lead to, in order to avoid it, feasible plans can be made and thereby support the staff. The plan is good because it can be gradually increased or decreased, it is very problematic to review the material motivation system every month.

tight plan

If the plan is always slightly higher than the previous fact, then it is called tense. An employee needs to do a little better each time. This is probably one of the most common methods of setting a plan. Everything is logical and the plan is achievable for the employee and growth is laid down. In general, such a strategy for setting a plan is good when an employee is just starting to work; growth compared to the previous period is quite logical and justified here.

But there are difficulties with experienced employees. Probably, you have met such a method of manipulation on the part of employees as purposeful non-fulfillment of the plan in order to reduce it. There is an opinion among sellers that if the plan is greatly overfulfilled, then it will be greatly increased, so it should not be overfulfilled. Experienced employees are well aware of the method of setting a plan and understand how to break it.

How to meet business needs

The above methods of setting sales plans do not take into account a very important thing - the needs of the business. Business lives with long-term plans and strategies, the budget is made for at least a year. , in which all actions are described in detail and a forecast of the results is made. And sometimes it happens that the laid plan ceases to be fulfilled and the backlog begins to accumulate. What to do with this backlog? The easiest way is to put it in the plans for the next months, but then there may be risks that we considered when setting up ambitious plans. At the same time, if you leave the plans unchanged, then all hope will fall on overfulfillment, and it does not happen so often.

There is no single answer to the situation described above, since there are a lot of additional criteria. However, it should be borne in mind that it is important to soberly assess the reasons for not fulfilling the plan and share responsibility between all participants in the process. It is important that responsibility is borne not only by subordinates involved in operational activities, but also by strategic management who were involved in planning. There are situations when the sales plan is in no way associated with the resources that are available for its implementation.

Presenting the plan to the seller

A plan that is billed to a specific seller is an example of a short-term plan. And I recommend setting a plan not only for a month, but also for every day. As mentioned above, it is best to develop a clear regulation for setting sales plans and bring this regulation to all employees. This will give the seller guarantees and stability in the future.

Conducting interviews with experienced salespeople, I can say that every second complains about the correctness of the sales plan. Therefore, I recommend that you be very careful about setting plans for sales consultants and closely link this process with staff motivation.

Presenting a plan to the sales department

Setting a plan for a sales department or a retail store has its own specifics. The main point that should be paid attention to is bringing a long-term development strategy. Each month, the sales team must take a step to achieve a long-term strategy. Therefore, the presentation of a sales plan should coincide with the preparation of a plan of measures that will allow this plan to be fulfilled. The head of the sales department needs to develop, so he needs to be taught long-term planning and connect it with his career and professional growth prospects.

How to set a plan for high sales season

Almost all sales have a season and an off-season. The season of high sales is when the market comes to life and the demand for the goods sold increases sharply. For example, they buy more air conditioners with scrap, and heaters in winter. Naturally, seasonality is important to take into account when setting plans. An incorrectly set plan for the season can lead to too high or, on the contrary, low salaries for salespeople and managers.

Many executives find it difficult to set a plan during the high sales season. First of all, it is difficult for those who did not have work experience a year ago. Because if there was such an experience, then you can simply track the dynamics of sales last year. If there is no such experience, then I recommend talking with more experienced colleagues, as well as using open data on the Internet. For example, many large companies publish data on revenue in the public domain, it’s not easy to find monthly data, but there are quarterly data.

Sales department development plan

The task of effective management of the company's sales department is constant monitoring and planning. The ability to develop development plans and motivate employees to fulfill them is the basis for the prosperity of the company.

Sales Development Plan - what is it and why is it needed?

To develop a sales development plan for a company division means to describe the methods, principles and tactics for achieving goals identified from the overall strategy of the company. The introduction of the document simplifies the audit, leads to an increase in profits and the formation of a positive reputation in the market. The secret of effective sales lies in the ability to manage and predict.

Development tactics are a significant lever of employee management that guides and motivates both newcomers and managers.

The absence of a document in a company leads to inevitable problems:

Lack of motivation among employees. In the absence of a development project, employees do not see goals in front of them, and therefore do not feel the results of personal labor.
Department leaders are unaware of the actual goals of the company. Employees cannot work simultaneously to increase all indicators: expanding the client base, increasing profits or sales. The sales development plan describes specific tasks and how to achieve them.
Regular loss of customers and profits due to the lack of formalized tactics for concluding a deal.

Any of these problems negatively affects profits. If management regularly encounters such circumstances, you need to move on to developing a plan today.

Sales territory development plan - development example

At the first stage of creating a document, an audit of a previously formed system is carried out.

Information about the following four points will be useful in the future:

Tactics for attracting new customers;
Statistical data on the results for the reporting period;
Correctness and content of service instructions;
Ways to motivate employees.

The listed indicators should be studied to highlight the main purpose of the document, to make it understandable and effective.

As a result, the company will receive a sales development plan, a sample of which is created in several stages:

Definition of the main goal that meets the overall strategy of the enterprise. The project may be aimed at increasing sales, attracting new customers or increasing profits.
Development of a system for monitoring the implementation of the project. During development, several benchmarks are identified that will need to be achieved within the reporting period.
Description of the tactics for the implementation of the plan. Employees should be instructed to consistently achieve their goals within the reporting period.
Enumeration of specific actions required to be performed by each employee of the department.

At each stage of the project creation, it will be necessary to make additional clarifications related to the specialization of a particular company. Management appoints employees responsible for achieving benchmarks and implementing tactics. Both the heads of the department and the most proactive employees from among the subordinates can monitor the implementation of the points of the document.

Sales department development plan - a sample implementation in practice

After the completion of work on the project, it must be presented to employees and management. Before proceeding with the implementation of a new tactic, it is discussed with employees, objections are accepted and processed. Joint work on the final version of the document makes the development plan of the department understandable and justified for each employee.

By the way, how effective is your sales department? I suggest you check, for this I will leave you the self-diagnosis questionnaires of the sales department. Enjoy!

Get questionnaires

The final version of the document is issued for signature by all employees, from management to subordinates. With their signature, the fighters prove their readiness to start working on new tactics.

Management needs to notify employees of how progress against the plan will be assessed. A good option would be to hold regular meetings where everyone reports on the work done. Responsible employees evaluate the overall results, correct further actions of colleagues.

Sales territory development plan - an example of creating a new division

Creation of new subdivisions is a significant stage of business development. An increase in staff automatically leads to an expansion of the client base and an increase in profits. The company consolidates its place in the market and improves its reputation. A sales department development plan, a sample of which is suitable for new employees and managers, might look like this:

Creation of a documentary base describing the tactics of negotiating and concluding deals. Depending on the specialization of the company, the number of documents can vary from 10 to 30.
In the third or fourth week after the founding of the unit, the leaders draw up lists of candidates for positions. After testing applicants, a personnel reserve is formed.
An employee is appointed responsible for developing working standards, organizing training sessions and formalizing business processes.
The qualifications of young fighters are improving. To do this, they conduct trainings of various formats, exchange experience with colleagues from other departments.

Within four months, the formed division will bring a stable profit. Thanks to constant training, the qualifications of young fighters will grow, which will have a positive effect on the number of meetings and contracts. New employees are more motivated: they carefully perform personal duties, try to achieve better results than more experienced colleagues.

Sales development plan - a sample of technology for entering other regions

As it develops, the company expands geographically. The opening of branches in other regions testifies to the prosperity of the company, opens up new opportunities for mastering related specializations.

The issue of opening a branch is associated with a number of concerns. Unknown competitors, market policy and the target audience force us to postpone plans for the development of the company every now and then.

The owners of large enterprises mention two main problems in the regions:

Consumers do not intend to enter into contracts with an unknown firm;
Employees go to competitors, transfer information about customers for a monetary reward.

Two basic technologies for developing new regions will help to avoid unwanted problems when opening a branch.

1. Preliminary remote discussion of the prospects for cooperation with prospective clients in the new region. The first consumers are large firms, or vice versa - newcomers who have not had time to become regular customers of competitors.

To interact with each of the clients, a separate group is formed, which travels to the region to conclude a contract. If negotiations take more than 10 working days, it is advisable to open a headquarters in the region. Communication with the client at all stages will be under the control of the management, and work in the region will not require extra investments.

2. If several contracts have already been concluded in the region, it is advisable to turn the headquarters into a sales office. At this stage, the number of customers should include at least a hundred medium-sized customers and at least ten large customers. The firm moves on to opening an office and hiring employees. If necessary, part of the production is transferred to the region.

Managers sent to work with large clients establish personal connections. So merchants will expand the customer base and protect the new branch from the influence of competitors.

The two listed technologies will help to expand the geographical position of the company without unnecessary investments of finances and personnel. Management will be able to control the actions of employees at each stage and detect deviations from the previously approved strategy in time.

The best way to quickly master and implement the technology of building a sales department is to visit K. Baksht's sales management training "Sales System".

From this article you will learn:

How to implement a sales plan in a company

What are the methods of fulfilling the sales plan

How to quickly execute a sales plan

One of the signs of a successfully built business is the presence of strategic planning. However, in addition to being able to set tasks, one must know how to execute a sales plan. In the article you will find information about the ways in which you can achieve your goals.

What are the objectives of the implementation of the sales plan

Every day, your product appears on the shelves, sellers help you make a choice, and cashiers make purchases. Your product is definitely selling, but are these volumes sufficient? Or can they be increased? Can salespeople not only meet the plan, but also increase the number of sales?
To answer these questions, you can calculate your profits and costs by determining the share of income in turnover. But in this way, you will not get an idea of how sales volumes have changed, what problems exist in the company's work, and how to motivate employees to work even better.
The sales plan will be the solution to your problems. Planning is not only the definition of goals and objectives, but also the process of allocating resources to areas of work.

Summing up, we formulate the main goals of sales volume planning:

How to fulfill the sales plan in the store? First of all, determine the volume of goods that need to be sold in a certain period. The sales plan can be general (set for the entire team), or individual (calculated personally for each salesperson).
There are several important points to consider when developing a sales plan:

Feasibility. If it seems to you that the manager is not fulfilling the sales plan, and you want to improve performance, assess the feasibility of achieving your goals at the moment. It would be a mistake to take into account statistical data only for the past period, since many factors affect sales volumes. This may be seasonality, market relevance, competitive offers, the economic situation in the country. Take these aspects into account when drawing up your sales plan.
Flexibility. In order to fulfill the sales plan, you must take into account that it can be adjusted if necessary.
Specificity and measurability. In order to accurately fulfill the sales plan, it must contain specific numbers.
Time limitation. Without a lead time, it is you who will be to blame for the fact that the manager does not fulfill the sales plan. Always set specific deadlines.
Sufficiency of resources. When drawing up a monthly plan, you decided that the seller should sell 150 microwave ovens, but it is physically impossible for one manager to sell such a volume of products.
Unity of purpose. You should develop a certain system when drawing up a sales plan and consider your company as an interconnected structure of all departments.
permanence. Planning should not be interrupted. After the expiration of this plan, you should create a new, up-to-date sales plan.

Algorithm for the implementation of the sales plan

Stage 1. Distribute tasks.
To effectively fulfill the sales plan that was provided by management, you need to isolate its structure according to various indicators. This will allow employees to clearly understand how to fulfill the sales plan in the store.

Possible sales plan criteria:

Regions - how many will be sold in each region.
Deadline - How long does it take to complete the targets?
Products - what and in what volume will go on sale.
Customers or distribution channels - buyers and quantity of goods sold.
Sellers - personal sales plan.
The nature of sales (guaranteed and planned) - what volume of products and how will be sold.

Guaranteed sales do not depend on who represents the company, the demand for these products has already been formed. With planned sales, the profit depends on the actions of the seller. Considerable attention should be paid to this aspect if you are planning to introduce a new product to the market, choose a new target audience, or plan to enter a new wholesale or retail market.
Stage 2. Set a goal and increase motivation.
The manager does not fulfill the sales plan? But is he motivated to do so? Any employee of the company should have an incentive to do their job well. To do this, a direct dependence of his salary on the implementation of an individual sales plan is determined, while also taking into account the income of the company as a whole. Upon reaching the required indicators "in the assortment groups", the employee should be rewarded with a separate bonus. The sales plan can be considered fulfilled at 90-105%, with indicators of 105-120% it is considered overfulfilled.
Stage 3. Supervising and coordinating sales activities.
It is necessary to constantly exercise not only control over the implementation of each item of the plan, but also to check the very quality of planning.
If real sales for a certain indicator are significantly higher or lower than the set values, this may be the result of incorrect planning. In this case, it is worth conducting a causal analysis and making changes to the sales plan.
The reason that the plan manages to be overfulfilled may be an underestimation of the potential of the product itself, a particular region, a seller, certain marketing steps, or a plan was drawn up based on past performance. The reason for non-fulfillment of the plan may be that the manager does not fulfill the individual sales plan, he is not active enough and is not interested in its implementation. Only “guaranteed demand” does not need the “efforts” of salespeople; in other cases, it is possible to fulfill the general sales plan only with the effective daily implementation of the personal sales plan of each employee.

For sales managers, there are some effective tips on how to execute a store sales plan.
Tip 1. Sales funnel. Analyze how many people entered the store and how many became customers. For example, 100 people visited your store, and this indicator suits you, but only 10 made a purchase. If this figure does not correspond to the planned one, then you need to start working with the sales funnel - converting visitors into customers. If the problem is the low attendance of your point of sale, then you should start working from the first level of the funnel and engage in active customer acquisition.
Tip 2. Segmentation of buyers. After carefully studying the psychological types of buyers, group them and work with the most promising in terms of profit. With the right analysis, you will show the best sales volume by the end of the month.
Tip 3. Increase the average check. Another powerful piece of advice on how to meet your sales plan is to sell an additional or pre-checkout item. The cost of the offered products must be lower than the main purchase of the client.
Tip 4: Attentive customer service. According to statistics, only 30% of buyers coming to the store know exactly what they want to buy. Use it. Present your assortment to them, determine how much the client needs your products, actively work with objections.

Tip 5 Sales channel optimization. First of all, it is necessary to abandon the cost of not advertising, which does not allow you to fulfill the sales plan. The result is considered optimal when the cost of a given conversion (a call, a completed application, an item in the cart) is not higher than a given indicator. If you sell household appliances, then you can determine the optimal cost of advertising for a particular product, for example, you are ready to pay 500 rubles for a call from a website selling a microwave oven, and 50 rubles for a hair straightener. For the conversion, in each case, the maximum amount at which the sale is considered profitable is determined. These indicators need to be closely monitored. If a sales channel allows you to get a lot of conversions at a low cost, then you should refinance and allocate additional budget for the development of this channel.

Tip 6. Action "Bring a friend". You can implement this promotion in any way, the main thing is that you provide your customers with the opportunity to receive discounts and bonuses for bringing a new buyer.
Tip 7. Sale of related products. A fairly simple way to achieve a sales plan in a store is to sell related products, such as razor blades. It can also be selling in a set of goods that complement each other. Here it is very important to make really interesting offers to the buyer, because in any case he will buy this product. So why not have him buy it from you?

3 Methods to Fulfill Your Sales Plan Fast

Sales department competition

This method is effective if the department needs to organize an atmosphere of productive rivalry. As a rule, successful sellers are creative people, but at the same time a little selfish and capricious. Therefore, they periodically need to be "shaken", to encourage them to take action.
In each sales department there are periods when the mood of salespeople falls, faith in their own strengths, in the reality of fulfilling the monthly sales plan, disappears. At this point, it is good to hold an event that will allow each seller to show their abilities and prove their advantage over others. And if you promise an extraordinary award or gift, then the competition will be held with even greater activity. This will allow you to complete your plan on time.
Sometimes there are cases when the manager deliberately holds back the payment of customers. This is because in the current month he has already fulfilled the sales plan, achieved the required result, so he transfers all processing to the next reporting period in order to receive a guaranteed bonus. As a rule, every salesperson eventually comes to this scheme, regardless of the motivation system in the department. The task of the manager is to closely monitor the state of affairs and monitor the dynamics of the work of each employee. With constant observation, you can easily notice changes.

How to fulfill the sales plan in the store using competitions?
Option 1. General team competition in the department.

If the department was able to meet the sales plan with processing - free admission to the bowling alley.
With an increase in a certain indicator throughout the department, for example, overfulfillment of the call plan by 30%, each employee receives a bonus of 3,000 rubles.
If the income of the department exceeds a significant amount, for example, 10 million rubles, then the corporate party will take place in a fashionable restaurant (or it can be an entertainment trip, going to the theater or to a concert by a famous artist).

Option 2. Competition among sellers for a valuable prize.

The seller who is able to exceed the sales plan receives an additional 15 thousand rubles (a certain percentage if the sales plan for all sellers is individual, and in rubles if the plan is the same).
An employee who concludes more than 50 agreements is presented with an expensive modern phone.
The seller who makes the most calls will receive the company's products as a gift.
Anyone who makes a 140% sales plan in two months will fly to Greece on vacation.

Option 3. Superiority among sellers for an intangible prize.

Additional days off at any time for a weekly sales volume of 400 thousand rubles.
The title of the best seller of the month for exceeding the plan.
Interview in a corporate publication under the heading "Our Pride" with the largest number of meetings held.
Reducing the length of the working day by an hour, subject to the signing of five agreements with VIP-class clients.

Promotions and special offers

This tool is one of the fastest and most effective if you are faced with the question of how to fulfill a sales plan. But they must not be abused. Therefore, it is necessary to perform a calculation of the effectiveness of this method.

Its advantages:

Ease of implementation.
The total profit will be calculated from the total sales volume. Therefore, even if you lower the price, by increasing the quantity you will be able to fulfill the sales target.
Buyers always positively perceive promotions and sales.
People are ready to receive information through which they can save.
With the help of special offers, you reduce the time of the transaction, get the buyers' money faster, which allows you to fulfill the sales plan.
Promotions and discounts increase the number of unplanned purchases (the so-called effect of spontaneous purchases).

How to execute a sales plan in a store efficiently and quickly? Use the following suggestions:

Reduced price for a specific item.
If you pay for the goods within three days - a 30% discount.
Buy products from 50 thousand rubles - a 15% discount within a month.
When buying one product - the second one is the same as a gift (promotion "1 + 1").
If you pay for household appliances within three days, you will receive a bonus of 100 rubles. to buy next time.

Special promotions for the set:

When buying a sofa - an ottoman as a gift.
Buy one product - get three similar ones for free.
Paid for the purchase before the end of the month - received a two-year warranty as a gift.
When you pay for the connection within a month, you get a year of subscription service for free as a bonus.

Promotions by payment terms:

Within three days, make a 30% advance payment, you can pay the remaining amount after 30 days.
If half of the cost is paid immediately, the remaining amount can be paid after 3 months.
You can pick up the goods now and complete the payment within 10 days.
Get a loan for the purchase without interest, overpayments, prepayments and guarantors.

Active work with the customer base

This is the most effective of all available tools for working with customers. How to fulfill the sales plan in the store? Leverage your existing customer base. Once you have already spent money on compiling it, not so that it now "lies dead weight."
Most companies have a fairly extensive, but somewhat neglected list of buyers. The customer base is your past, present and potential customers. All of them (warm, cold or hot) are recorded by you in Excel / Word, in various documents, business cards or just in a diary and worked out using CRM.
If the manager does not fulfill the sales plan for the database, then it's time to put things in order in it. You must be aware of its value, because it takes a lot of time and effort to find any potential client. First you need to search for the right client, find out who is responsible for making the decision, then establish contact with him, determine his primary needs.
This is a rather long and laborious process, which most likely takes about 30% of the total payroll of the sales department. Therefore, your customer base is simply invaluable, regardless of whether the potential customer is ready to buy your product. Take care of it, systematize it and use it to develop your business.

The goal of any business is to make money. Without this connecting moment, it is impossible to organize the growth of an enterprise, control sales ratings, and develop. Sales planning, in turn, is the most important tool in business management, it allows you to realistically assess production capacity, the relevance of entrepreneurship and its competitiveness.

Business development can be carried out without sales planning, however, in this case, all processes will be rather chaotic. The planned volume of sales of products can be calculated by several methods, which are determined, rather, by the specifics and focus of the enterprise itself.

The purpose of sales planning is to study profitable trends in the future in order to complete tasks in the allotted (period) period of time. Forecasting implies a logical sequence for budgetary consideration and implementation of forecasts in actual reality. The task is directly or indirectly dependent on the marketing (including advertising) activities of the company. With an active advertising campaign, the forecast sales volumes can be predicted in more detail.

So, some products of the production group are seasonal or strategic, while others are in demand all year round. However, in any case, the organization of the effective operation of a developing enterprise without the implementation and miscalculation of sales planning will not be able to cover the main areas: sales, purchases, and the systematic sale of manufactured goods.

Sales planning takes into account the forecasting of needs, payback, analysis of the existing resources of the enterprise, the specifics of its development and prospects for the future. The essence of this process is the establishment of specific realizable business goals for a fixed period, the calculation of the way to implement them, the resource turnover support.

Sales planning helps to reduce the risk of costs, the level of downtime, coordinate the activities of individual departments of the enterprise or the entire business as a whole. And it is also possible to reduce the time for the sale of goods, optimize or group stock balances, simplify the production process as much as possible, make it profitable and easy to manage. In general, the efficiency of the object (enterprise) under consideration increases.

Sales plan: an overview of the main stages

Some experts argue that planning sales of any quantity and quality is like guessing on coffee grounds, because you can never predict market trends, calculate risks. However, without such planning, doing business will be rather chaotic, expressive.

It is more expedient to compare sales planning with break-even analysis. In the event that the estimated sales volume is less than “0” or below this estimated break-even point, then this strategy will not benefit the company, that is, it will be a burdensome investment for the entire period.

In order for planning to be not only effective, but also as close to the truth as possible, it is worth observing the following stages of its preparation.

First stage

Before developing and approving a planned sales plan, it is necessary to initially establish the volume of resources, determine their suppliers and compare with the figures that exist today. This will give a stable basis for further movements. Comparison of existing and required resources enables the responsible personnel (management department) to assess the flow of material opportunities, the volumes under consideration for the period under consideration.

When an insufficient amount of resources is formed, it is necessary to further clarify, find out the plan and scale of production, which takes into account the sale of goods, taking into account financial and security (technical) priorities. Simply put, if there is not enough equipment for increased sales of the equipment that manufactures this product, then it is worth considering the option of additional investment aimed at increasing production capacity.

Second phase

There is a formation of a program for the movement of the logistics network (delivery and optimal conditions for the end user). Production facilities, shopping malls, consumers of a derivative product/service are evaluated. The calculation of sales volume planning at this stage is complicated by the need for storage facilities, transport delivery options.

Again, there is a need to take into account the amount of funds from the analytical side, as well as internal capabilities in a particular planning period. If there is a lack of transport, the necessary premises, then it is recommended that the developers of the sales plan review the drawn-up programs for the distribution of goods. The possibility of correcting an already drawn up sales plan (actual sales of products) is considered and taken into account.

Third stage

The final stage (development of a strategic plan) is drawn up taking into account the program of mass movement of industrial goods. In addition, the scheme of transport flows, distribution of storage facilities is optimized, calendar graphic plans are formed to prepare the goods for shipment. At this stage, there is no plan correction due to the large amount of work performed earlier.

Effective and commonly used forecasting methods

Forecasting methods differ in strategy, calculation specifics and error scale, the smaller this error, the more accurate the plan. In some cases, empirical (simplest) calculation methods are used. Forecasting can be carried out taking into account the characteristics of a particular business, the timing of its development, the specifics of the direction. Commonly used and effective:

Market forecast;
Extrapolation;
Analogy;
Expert assessments;
Mathematical modeling;
normative method.

The most complex planning calculations are the calculation of indicators based on complex mathematical models based on statistical data. Such planning can only be carried out by a specialized, specially trained employee.

Extrapolation

The extrapolation method determines or shows on the graph, in dynamics, the same dynamic development of the direction in the future. The average annual growth rates of sales carried out are taken, which are then compared with indicators of favorable demand in the market for special-purpose products as a whole.

In essence, this method is a reformatting of current sales trends for the future, however, its effectiveness has been proven for short-term, periodic or non-permanent non-term forecasts. In turn, the method under consideration is divided into formal and predictive varieties. In the first case, the preservation of past and present directions for the future is envisaged, in the second - development against the backdrop of dynamics (physical or logistical basis).

Normative method

Planning the sales of an enterprise by the normative method allows answering urgent and popular questions: by what method, and under what standards, it is possible to achieve a conditionally expected (desired) result of increased sales in a particular market. The essence of the normative method is to establish norms and standards that help calculate the subject's need for financial sources. The regulatory calculation and planning system includes:

unified federal regulations;
regional or regional;
industry;
production standards of a particular enterprise.

At the same time, the volume of sales in the planned normative method is regulated by demand and market opportunities.

Expert review

Analysis and planning of sales with the help of peer review is used when the sale of a new product is introduced or planned, and the market has been little studied by the company up to this point. Expert assessment is used for long-term projects, allows you to get high-quality calculations and evidence of the feasibility of introducing the market. In turn, this assessment is divided into several types, which allow us to consider the relevance of the proposal from the prism of a different (opposite) opinion:

individual assessment;
collective;
analytical method;
expert commission;
collective generation of ideas;
psychointellectual generation or a complex collective idea.

Analogy

There is a mathematical and historical method of calculation and calculation. With a historical analogy, a calculation model is used, where the object is significantly ahead of similar models in development. In this case, the main task is to identify and define a trending product that has not been previously sold, but will be in demand due to its need in the market.

Mathematical analogy involves calculation using mathematical formulas and calculations, which are based on the economic and mathematical modeling of a well-known product. Next, we consider the option of studying and more accurate mathematical study of the planned, but similar product.

Step by Step vs Target Planning Methods: What's the Difference?

The organization of the sales process and its planning can be carried out by several methods, which are based rather on the specifics of the enterprise. However, it is conditionally possible to divide all methods into target and step-by-step options.

Target methods are based on the calculation of sales benefits upon their implementation. That is, initially the task is to sell 100 thousand units of goods in a particular store in a year. After this period, the feasibility of such tactics is considered, the costs of delivery, production and preservation of products are taken into account. In this context, the company can afford the costs, the costs in advance.

The second option - step-by-step planning is radically opposite to the first. Initially, costs, delivery, product features are calculated, and only then a decision is made to introduce the product to the market. Such sales planning is more appropriate for supplying enterprises, and not for product manufacturers, since the risk is minimal. The calculation of this nature can be applied to wholesale or retail sales.

Why do sales planning?

Since any business cannot develop and grow in the future without tangible or intangible benefits, it is advisable to look at the risks that become possible for yourself. The market in any industry is an unstable plane that needs constant evaluation, review and calculation.

You can use several methods of sales planning at the same time or use only an expert assessment in a particular market, but the fact that such actions are extremely important is obvious. Without evaluation and planning of sales, it will be practically impossible to calculate the benefit, to formulate further development.

Commercial organizations are created with one goal - to maximize profits. To this end, tools for planning and optimizing labor processes are being introduced. The manager's task is not only to effectively manage the personnel, but also to plan the company's sales for the near future.

Today we will talk about what a company sale plan is, consider the characteristic features of the procedure, development rules.

Planning is an effective tool for achieving your goals and running a successful business.

A sales planning plan is a document that implies the development of a general strategy for the company's development. The department of the same name cannot work effectively without a description of the general provisions and the direction of further professional activity.

The development process is accompanied by the preparation of accompanying documentation and an analysis of the current situation. Life often brings surprises, which are not so easy to manage.

It is important to know! An experienced manager is obliged to calculate the reasons for not fulfilling the tasks set, to minimize their destructive impact on the professional activities of the company.

For a step by step guide to creating a sales plan, watch this video:

Features, goals and principles of planning

The task of authorized persons is not so much to predict the future, but to assess the available resources. Based on them, a preliminary model for the further work of the organization is created.

However, the main feature of the process is to create a motivating effect on the staff. Make the immediate goals of the company their tasks, stimulate the activity of the work process.

Sales planning has several goals:

development of logistics for the distribution of available resources to priority areas. Coordination of the work of subordinates in the field of optimization of the actions performed;
assessment of the abilities and performance of persons responsible for sales;
control of the overall activities of the organizational structure;
creation of effective management methods, development of a strategy for further development. you will learn what conflict management strategies exist in an organization.

It is important to know! The document indicates the volume of goods that need to be sold for a certain time period.

Depending on the direction of the impact, there are: general (designed for all subordinates), individual (corrects and sets the rhythm of work for individual workers) plan.

A professional manager adheres to the following principles when drawing up a company's sales plan:

Attainability - at the stage of setting goals, it is important to take into account the capabilities of the team and the potential of the product being sold. At the same time, one cannot build on the indicators of the previous period, since the situation on the market depends on many factors: the popularity of products, their seasonality, the activities of competitive structures, the improvement or deterioration of the country's economic indicators. It is important to take into account all of the above nuances when drawing up a document.
Concreteness and measurability - the plan must operate only with numerical indicators, perhaps it is unacceptable here.
Time constraints - the presence of clear deadlines for the implementation of tasks stimulates employees to achieve a positive result. Evaluate the capabilities of each manager, otherwise the miscalculation will be written to the account of the responsible person.
Resource availability - setting unrealistic deadlines or tasks does not help motivate subordinates (the sale of 100 TVs in less than a month is an unbearable burden).
Unity - the sales plan provides for clear cooperation and symbiosis with the rest of the departments of the object in question. The provisions of the document should not conflict with the real situation within the structural parts of the company.
Continuity - the interchangeability of tasks for the sales department is necessary to maintain the efficiency and working "tone" of subordinates.
Flexibility is a bad plan that does not tolerate correction. During the development phase, it should be possible to change some aspects of the plan.

It is important to know! It is not enough to draw up a high-quality document, the company's personnel should have the opportunity for the practical implementation of the plan.

An example of filling out a sales plan.

Rules for performing assigned tasks

Consideration of the topic of sales planning requires a view from not only the manager, but also his subordinates. For them, it is stressful and at the same time motivation to increase personal effectiveness.

Here are a few basic rules that will help you achieve a positive result:

inventory available tools that are potentially suitable for the implementation of the plan. If the manager sees that his capabilities are not enough to complete the tasks, you need to contact the higher management. What is it you will learn in the publication at the link;
use the potential of the "sales funnel". It consists in converting ordinary visitors to the outlet into buyers;
Segment the most profitable customers and pay maximum attention to their service. The success of the operation will bring a promotion for the current month;
work on increasing the average bill - complementary goods will help here, the cost of which allows you not to think about the seriousness or importance of the proposed purchase;
inform potential buyers about the company, main activities, product range;
calculate the percentage of completion - to do this, divide the actual indicators by the planned ones and multiply the value by 100.

It is important to know! According to statistics, only 30% of citizens clearly know what they want to buy. The vast majority rely on the support of sales managers.

Why the plan fails

There are quite a few reasons, but marketers consider a few of the most popular options:

the presence of gross errors at the planning stage - these include: incorrect statement of the problem, its unattainability in the current conditions;
low competence of subordinates - managers do not have sufficient knowledge and skills to sell their goods. It will help to conduct training courses for staff or to monitor their work, testing. you will find out what factors and circumstances influence the increase in labor productivity;
insufficient motivation - the introduction of a rating system, bonuses and competitions will awaken the hidden potential of employees, make them more proactive. The interest of managers in achieving results is the main task of the manager.

It is important to know! The above list of "sharp corners" is far from complete, but reflects the complexity and high level of responsibility at the stage of developing a company's sales plan.

Checklist for creating a plan

The document development process itself consists of many steps and operations, the consideration of which will provide the following numbered list:

Goal setting - the manager indicates the tasks, the implementation of which is a priority for the staff or a particular manager. The list and achievability of the goal should be consistent with the SMART strategy, which reflects relevance, time frame, achievability and measurability.
Analysis of market opportunities - the person in charge analyzes the situation of the macro and meso environment, the market and the niche occupied by the company. Taking into account most of the risk factors will significantly increase the "survivability" and relevance of the plan.
Analysis of indicators for the last month / quarter - the operation will help determine the optimal seasonality of the goods sold, identify additional factors that affect sales performance.
Forecast - drawing up an objective and subjective opinion about the further development of events. The second is based on expert assessment, the first operates on historical reports.
Adjustment of the sales forecast - comparison of the results of forecasting and previously defined goals.
Planning for the sale of goods is a step-by-step instruction for achieving the desired result, setting tasks according to a scale of importance and priority.
Practical implementation of the plan.
Control and adjustment - support of the plan at the stage of its implementation, smoothing out "sharp corners", mistakes made at the development stage.

It is important to know! The deviation of actual indicators from planned ones is a sign of mistakes made by the responsible person. His professionalism or capabilities were not enough to take into account all the factors that affect the final result.

Characteristics of indicators and analysis of the results

Experts identify the following sales indicators that characterize the productivity of the staff:

the number of goods sold per hour;
average sales figures;
the number of items purchased by one consumer;
conversion rate and quality of service ratio;
the ratio of wages and sales volume.

It is important to know! The above example is relevant for the retail sale of products of a low or medium price category.

Company sales plan template.

Any use of materials is allowed only if there is a hyperlink.

The analysis of the received data and results is carried out by entire departments using specialized software and approaches. The procedure involves the passage of several stages:

characteristics of changing market conditions;
calculation of profitability of regional sales;
consideration of up-to-date information about the sold goods;
comparison of marketing activity and the results obtained (sales volume);
correction of pricing factors, commercial conditions;
modifying the plan and creating a backup strategy.

Conclusion

The company's sales plan is an effective tool for motivating mercenaries to achieve their goals. Clearly defined tasks set the vector for the company's development, create conditions for increasing the efficiency of the labor process.

You will learn how to correctly build a sales plan for a company here: