Strategic Planning For Your Business

For the most part, salespeople are not concerned with or committed to corporate initiatives in which they had no input. Their real commitment is to generating sales and earning commission- end of story. If a salesperson falls short of his “new business” quota, for instance, but is above quota with existing customers, in his mind, he is still “hitting his numbers.”Therefore, if you are a sales manager for a business your responsible for translating corporate initiatives into specific department goals, it is imperative that you invest time developing a detailed plan of accomplishment to accompany the quotas you assign. Most importantly, make it a point to involve your sales team in the planning stage. After all, they will be responsible for making the plan work.
You can’t have all the answers and knowledge regarding markets, customers, and products. Involving the people in your business in the planning process can provide you with additional perspective and insight. And, more significantly, their participation in the development of the plan gives them ownership in it which increases their buy-in and commitment to it