Developing the go forward plan

- You've now spent time surveying the marketplace, you've researched what the competition is doing, met with a variety of customers to get their critical feedback, reviewed your existing expenses and staffing, and then prepared an honest SWOT analysis. There it is, you've got the answers, and you're ready to take on the world, right? Not quite yet. You may be the sales manager or VP of sales, but like all good salespeople, we're anxious and excited to take on the marketplace and jump right in. Frankly, it's an issue we always face. However, the next step of sales channel management is probably the most important and it drives all of the activities going forward. It's not glamorous and it requires you to stop for a while to put together the go forward plan. We can't do everything at once, because if we did, we could run the risk of overspending. being unprepared for what our customers need, and do damage to our brand that might take years to repair. A sales channel business plan is necessary. This is one of those cases in sales management technique and style where we could differ in approach. This is my view and what's worked for me, but you should evaluate a few ideas on sales business plan preparation and, of course, follow the guidelines from your company. However, there should be no disagreement that a plan is necessary. I'd recommend getting feedback along the way from key stakeholders, from marketing, business development, operations, and especially finance. Not only do you need their buy-in on your plan, but having them onboard right from the start can only be beneficial to you since it will eliminate any questions later on. A plan begins with an executive summary, but you don't write that until your entire document is completed. This covers the key aspects of your sales channel plan, staffing and other resource needs, timeframes for implementation, and revenue forecasts by channel that need to be realistic. The plan will have four to five sections that will include a review of your product or service. You'll need to give details about pricing, pros and cons about the feedback that you're hearing from the marketplace, and why you're supporting this channel plan for what you're selling. This is the section that the sales department really owns. The assessment of the competition is important for everyone to be aware of. You need to be forthcoming with not just the opportunities to succeed against competitors, but the obstacles you'll encounter are even more important to note. The marketing team can be really helpful in adding details and substance to this section. The sales channel plan is all about customers and clients. You can approach it in a variety of ways, but I'm of the school of thought that you need to break it down by specific channel and this is where I believe a lot of detail is warranted. Be clear with the names of key accounts, distributors, corporate opportunities, direct sales avenues you'll be targeting, and even each partner you'll be working with. The strength of the information makes or breaks your plan. We're in business to make money, so the financial section of your plan will either lead to a green light or a trip back to the drawing board. You could separate this section into two pieces with one being focused on sales forecasts and the other on expenses. Either way, you'll be foolish if you don't have a financial manager own this with you. This way, when your plan is presented, you can say you have them onboard and agreeing with the numbers. Whether you go with my recommendation on the format of this or not, we all have to been in agreement of the importance of the go forward plan. It will take you time, a few rewrites, and maybe even some heated discussion along the way. However, the sales channel business plan is your implementation document and your roadmap for your sales organization to follow.