Sales leaders are the driving force behind any successful sales strategy. When it comes to sales planning, best-in-class managers have an operating rhythm that defines the actions, tools and success metrics for:
- Quota Attainment
- Pipeline Health
- Rate of Cross-Sells and Up-Sells
- Territory and Account Coverage
- Forecasting Accuracy
Effective sales planning is rooted in consistency and accuracy. Highly effective managers rely on great planning tools to execute their strategies, and they know how to coach their reps to do the same.
Do the sales managers in your organization have the skills and tools they need to build a solid plan and consistently measure its impact?
3 Sales Planning Habits of Highly Effective Managers
1. Highly effective managers understand how to build value into their sales plan. They believe that value comes from helping their reps understand and engage in the process. They coach sellers on how to improve their position within accounts and opportunities, instead of just stepping in and doing it for them.
2. Highly effective managers coach their reps to maximize the value in their territories. They coach their sellers to build high-quality pipelines at the territory level versus the opportunity or forecast level. They also expect sellers to create and commit to an actionable plan for their entire territory. Effective sales planning should not only set expectations, but also encourage sellers to take ownership of their plan and the outcomes in their territory.
3. Highly effective managers are great at enforcing and inspecting best practices. They consistently work with sellers to ensure the "health" of their pipeline, the "qualification" of their deals, as well as how to mitigate as much "risk" as possible.
With a predictable sales planning process, these management tasks become habit and build consistency. Ultimately, you'll improve territory and account coverage, create better balance between new and existing accounts and ensure productive pipelines for your entire sales team.
