If you read our post a couple of weeks ago "Ten Steps to Effective Sales Strategy" you will know that we promised to load up some tools to help the newly appointed Sales Manager. Part 1 of our eBook by the same name is being downloaded steadily, and Part 2 is not far away. So we are now pleased to release the first in a series of Planning Tools and Templates for Sales and Key Account Managers. This post discusses how using a spreadsheet based tool can make your job easier, your learning faster and the results more rewarding.
Of course it's not really as easy as "joining the dots". Anybody who suggests that a sustainable competitive advantage can be delivered by filling in some forms is frankly deluding themselves! K
But one of our core beliefs at Harrison is that "best practice leaves clues we can learn from", and there is no doubt that the best Sales Managers and Account Managers are systematic in their strategic approach, even if it is not their natural core competence. They have discovered that having a consistent framework, perhaps supported by checklists of items to consider (or not!) can be very helpful; it means they do more of what works and less of what doesn't.
But one of our core beliefs at Harrison is that "best practice leaves clues we can learn from", and there is no doubt that the best Sales Managers and Account Managers are systematic in their strategic approach, even if it is not their natural core competence. They have discovered that having a consistent framework, perhaps supported by checklists of items to consider (or not!) can be very helpful; it means they do more of what works and less of what doesn't.
"In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable"
Originally attributed to Napolean but paraphrased by Dwight D.Eisenhower,
1890-1969 Thirty-fourth President of the USA, as follows
"Plans are nothing; planning is everything"
This is one of our favourite quotations. Neither fellow is around to elucidate, but I reckon the point is that the mental discipline and process of planning, if properly applied, is infinitely more valuable than the written output. So let's not get seduced by the idea of templates and tools to almost "automate" the process, because that won't work either!
The Sales Planning Process
We think of the planning process as a series of steps that we can take to get to our destination. In this case our destination will be a specific sales objective to be achieved by the organisation. By breaking down the task into steps it makes it easier for us to achieve a workable plan. We are not just jumping in the deep end and hoping we land okay, because as we all know, "Hope is not a strategy".
It is hard to refute the obvious logic of:
Good planners take the view that if you set the goals (objectives) without a truly objective view of your current position, there is a danger you will second-guess your situation analysis to support the validity of the objective. In managing a sales team however, the reality for many managers is that the objectives are set by senior management, often with only token “bottom-up” engagement of the sales managers, let alone the team members! So you need to be honest and objective in the “where are we now?” step, and be prepared to “push back” assertively and appropriately if your Situation Analysis cannot support the Objectives and Strategy.
Why Use Templates or Checklists?
Our e-Book on Sales Strategy and our White Papers on SWOT Analysis are all useful sources of information for the budding strategist, but we reckon some of you will find StratPlan© easier to digest.
What we have done is combine a powerful set of benefits into one multi-tab workbook, explained below.
The sequence of tabs
...provides the discipline of the planning process, giving you repeatability, consistency and confidence
The templates
...provide a place and space to write your narrative, customisable and scalable according to your needs
Business models and diagrams
...provide tried and tested strategic tools, from published sources, adding weight and credibility
Built in checklists
...drop-down lists of items to consider, also customisable, to make sure you cover all the bases
Cell comments
...helpful guidance on how to use each template or tool, pretty much a training program in a spreadsheet
Overall, the customisability means that StratPlan© can be used at pretty much any level in the sales organisation: National, State, Province, Prefecture, Region, Area, Team or even Territory. In fact, we will soon be releasing a version called StrAcPlan© or "Strategic Account Plan" which applies the same process and discipline to a single Major Account. If you are interested in this variation, make sure you register for updates - you can do this at the bottom of every page!
The Sales Planning Process
We think of the planning process as a series of steps that we can take to get to our destination. In this case our destination will be a specific sales objective to be achieved by the organisation. By breaking down the task into steps it makes it easier for us to achieve a workable plan. We are not just jumping in the deep end and hoping we land okay, because as we all know, "Hope is not a strategy".
It is hard to refute the obvious logic of:
- Where are we now? Situation Analysis
- Where do we want to go? Objectives and Strategy
- How shall we get there? Tactics and Action Plans
- How will we know we are on track? Control Mechanisms
Good planners take the view that if you set the goals (objectives) without a truly objective view of your current position, there is a danger you will second-guess your situation analysis to support the validity of the objective. In managing a sales team however, the reality for many managers is that the objectives are set by senior management, often with only token “bottom-up” engagement of the sales managers, let alone the team members! So you need to be honest and objective in the “where are we now?” step, and be prepared to “push back” assertively and appropriately if your Situation Analysis cannot support the Objectives and Strategy.
Why Use Templates or Checklists?
Our e-Book on Sales Strategy and our White Papers on SWOT Analysis are all useful sources of information for the budding strategist, but we reckon some of you will find StratPlan© easier to digest.
What we have done is combine a powerful set of benefits into one multi-tab workbook, explained below.
The sequence of tabs
...provides the discipline of the planning process, giving you repeatability, consistency and confidence
The templates
...provide a place and space to write your narrative, customisable and scalable according to your needs
Business models and diagrams
...provide tried and tested strategic tools, from published sources, adding weight and credibility
Built in checklists
...drop-down lists of items to consider, also customisable, to make sure you cover all the bases
Cell comments
...helpful guidance on how to use each template or tool, pretty much a training program in a spreadsheet
Overall, the customisability means that StratPlan© can be used at pretty much any level in the sales organisation: National, State, Province, Prefecture, Region, Area, Team or even Territory. In fact, we will soon be releasing a version called StrAcPlan© or "Strategic Account Plan" which applies the same process and discipline to a single Major Account. If you are interested in this variation, make sure you register for updates - you can do this at the bottom of every page!
| So What is "Narrative"? Ah yes - this is an important point. Over the years in our consulting practice, we have asked many clients to show us their plans! And we have lost track of the number of times those clients handed over a spreadsheet of numbers! "Thanks for the numbers" we say, "but where are the plans?" |  |
It takes some people a little while to get the point that plans are about words as much as they are about numbers. So, yes, if you are serious about constructing a professional strategic sales plan, you might as well accept that it needs to be written. Here are two more adroit quotations:
"Reduce your plan to writing. The moment you complete this, you will have definitely given concrete form
to the intangible desire."
Hill, Napoleon. 1883-1970 American Speaker Motivational Writer
"Think and Grow Rich"
"Thinking is the hardest work there is,
which is probably the reason why so few engage in it."
Henry Ford
