How to Create a Sales Plan: Template + Examples
Do you have a sales plan? Entrepreneurs, sales executives, and sales managers all benefit from writing sales plans — whether for their business, department, or team. You must know where you’re going before you can hit your key targets, and from there, you must break down the strategies and tactics you’ll use to do it.
All of this information can be included in a sales plan (and more). Read on to learn how you can draft a sales plan that’s right for your organization.
Free Download: Sales Plan Template
In this post, we’ll cover:
- What Is a Sales Plan?
- What Is the Sales Planning Process?
- What Goes In a Sales Plan Template
- How to Write a Sales Plan
- Sales Plan Examples
- Strategic Sales Plan Templates
What is a sales plan?
A sales plan lays out your objectives, high-level tactics, target audience, and potential obstacles. It’s like a traditional business plan but focuses specifically on your sales strategy. A business plan lays out your goals — a sales plan describes exactly how you’ll make those happen.
Sales plans often include information about the business’ target customers, revenue goals, team structure, and the strategies and resources necessary for achieving its targets.
An effective sales plan should do the following:
- Communicate your company’s goals and objectives to your sales team.
- Provide strategic direction for your sales team.
- Outline roles and responsibilities for your sales team and leadership.
- Monitor your sales team’s progress on organizational goals.
Sales Planning Process
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that sales planning doesn’t just encompass the creation of a sales plan document. In order for that document to be more than something that gathers dust on the bookshelf, a high-level strategy is required.
You should:
- Gather sales data from the previous year and search for trends.
- Define your objective and create sales targets that meet your revenue goals.
- Determine the metrics that will be used to gauge success.
- Assess your current situation, including weaknesses that will act as roadblocks and strengths that will help.
- Start sales forecasting based on demand trends and historical data.
- Identify any gaps that need to be filled to achieve your targets.
- Ideate new initiatives based on opportunities you may have passed on in previous years.
- Involve stakeholders from departments that affect your outcomes such as Marketing and Product.
- Outline action items based on capacity and quota numbers.
One thing to keep in mind is that sales planning shouldn’t end with the creation of the document.
You’ll want to reiterate this process every year to maintain your organization’s sales excellence.
Now that you’re committed to the sales planning process, let’s dive into the written execution component of sales planning.
Featured Resource: Sales Plan Template
Ready to write your own plan? Download HubSpot’s Free Sales Plan Template to get started.
What Goes in a Sales Plan Template?
A typical sales plan includes the following sections:
- Target customers: Who your company aims to serve with its products and services.
- Revenue targets: How much revenue your team aims to bring in each period.
- Strategies and tactics: The specific actions your team will take to reach revenue targets.
- Pricing and promotions: Documentation of your offering’s prices and any upcoming promotions that can convert customers.
- Deadlines and DRIs (Directly Responsible Individuals): Outline any important dates for deliverables and list who is accountable for their completion.
- Team structure: Who is on your team, and what their role is.
- Resources: The tools your team uses to reach revenue targets.
- Market conditions: Pertinent information about your industry and the competitive landscape.
Now let’s walk through how to write a sales plan — and don’t forget to follow along with HubSpot’s free Sales Plan Template to make the most of this blog post.
Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/ultimate-guide-creating-sales-plan