Here is a sales strategy example. A sales plan should be short, simple and to the point. It’s basically the strategic and tactical plan for acquiring new business, growing existing business and making or exceeding sales targets.
Typically, a healthy mix includes 75% of your sales target from new business and 25% from add-on business from existing customers.
In this article we illustrate how new business acquisition strategies and tactics could be deployed. The same incisive thinking can be applied to existing business growth.
Related: 3 Ways You Should Use Data Science to Skyrocket Sales
Include the following four strategies in your sales plan. Remember, these strategies are all designed to capture new customers and new market share.
1. Exceed my quota
- Send no less than 50 letters of introduction to new prospects each and every week
- Make no less than 50 cold calls of introduction to new prospects each week
- Make no less than 20 face-to-face contacts with new prospects each week
- Create no less than 10 proposals each week
- Make no less than five presentations each week
Your numbers will, of course, vary. What’s important here is that you calculate exactly how many contacts you’ll need to make in order to achieve your sales target.
2. Increase awareness in the marketplace of my products, services and solutions
- Join and participate in no less than three professional associations and organisations that my best prospects and customers belong to
- Attend any and all trade shows and conventions that my best prospects and customers attend
- Purchase the mailing list of each of these associations and organisations and send them either a postcard or a letter of introduction
- On a regular basis, contribute articles and white papers that address the interests and concerns of this population
3. Increase awareness in the community of my products, services and solutions
- Attend all Chamber of Commerce networking events
- Volunteer to speak at no less than 12 organisations in my area with an interest in my product, service and solution
- Join and participate in no less than three networking groups
4. Obtain referrals from all my new customers
Within 30 days of delivering my product, service or solution, I will ask each of my new customers for at least three names and phone numbers of someone they personally know who may be able to use my products, services and solutions.
Master Sales Strategy
Follow these four basic steps when creating your sales plan:
- New business acquisition strategies
- New business acquisition tactics
- Existing business growth strategies
- Existing business growth tactics
Strategies: The plans necessary to accomplish your goal
Tactics: The steps necessary to carry out the plan