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No matter what type of product or service your company brings to the graphic arts marketplace, you won’t be in business very long without a steady influx of sales. With the end of the year fast approaching, you have an ideal opportunity to review your sales performance in 2007 and set some realistic expectations for 2008.
View from the field
As this year’s sales activity comes to a close, hopefully with a bang, not a whimper, assess each territory with appropriate team members. You should have all available data in hand, but in addition, take this time to discover which of your reps know the pulse of their territories and which don’t. Numbers and bottom line results are obviously important, but other feedback is as well.
Dig Out Last Year’s Sales Forecasts
Did your sales staff make good on their promises from a year ago? Were all generated leads appropriately followed up in a timely fashion? What balls were dropped? Take a look at each rep’s projected top accounts. How close was actual performance to early forecasts? As the year progressed, were you kept informed of sales plan variances? Was corrective action taken? Not every outcome is within a sales rep’s control, but every sales team member can keep their employer apprised of events as they unfold. Remember, you can’t decide where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been.
Size up your department
Sales are all about making your numbers. If your team met targeted goals, what were the key factors? Pinpoint whether success was accomplished through marketplace intelligence or getting back to the basics, like making more sales calls. Did you add any new services or equipment that helped reduce production bottlenecks? Is there an equipment investment opportunity on the horizon that might generate profitable revenue in 2008?
Supply the tools to do the job
Determine if your salespeople have all the tools necessary to reach their targets. Consider sales training, marketing support, customer service staff and productivity devices such as smart phones and laptops. If you made any investments in these areas in 2007, can you calculate a tangible payback? If so, consider boosting similar activities in 2008. If not, cut back on your unrewarded generosity.
Create a road map
Managers and salespeople must agree on overall sales goals. Once this is accomplished, set benchmark targets, either monthly or quarterly, otherwise you’re setting your company up for disappointment and potential financial hardship. Clearly define what’s expected from everyone on your sales team. Each sales rep should have a detailed business plan that clearly communicates:
- Overall sales goals
- Specific client goals
- Self-improvement action steps
- New customer acquisition including specific activities that will convert prospects into customers. Included should be targeted numbers for:
- New prospects identified each month
- Telephone “dialings” each day
- Telephone conversations with potential buyers each day (or week)
- Sales visits to new prospects each week (or month)
- New customer quotes each month
- New customers on the books each month (or quarter)
- Sales volume generated from new clients each quarter
- Number and names of former clients to be contacted.
In short, help your sales reps create a road map for their future success.
What Can Grow Sales, Inc. Do for You?
At Grow Sales, Inc., we specialize in finding the right marketing mix for each client, and making sure the plan is properly executed. Since 1996, we have provided marketing, public relations, web and graphic design and sales support to graphic arts clients nationwide. Think of us as your outsourced sales growth department. With our help, this could be a banner year for you and your company.
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