When it comes to preparing for next year, regardless of the product or service you represent, we are all gated by three Universal Truths.
· We have a defined market which we sell into
· We have a quota or objective we need to hit or exceed
· We all have 24 hours a day
How we utilize the hours of the day we dedicate to business activities will ultimately determine how successful we are at achieving our annual objectives.
That is why it is critical to take the necessary time to PLAN your course of action for the upcoming year.
As you reflect on your success from this past year, or perhaps lack of success, ask yourself the following questions:
1) Which accounts would have generated more revenue if you would have invested more quality time?
2) Which accounts did you spend too much time with in light of the revenue they produced?
3) Did you lose business in certain accounts because you took your eye off the ball and a competitor ate your lunch?
4) Are there prospects in your territory that you dedicate little time to because you feel you have little chance of winning the business?
5) Think of a single thing you can do different in the upcoming year that will improve your productivity.
6) What lessons did you learn last year that you might deploy this year to maximize your success?
7) What internal resources are available to you that will make your job easier and potentially improve your hit ratio?
8) Can you learn from other successful sales execs in your office, district, or region?
These are only a few of the questions you can ask yourself as you plan for 2014. I’m sure you can come up with many others as you reflect back and prepare your plan.
The fact of the matter is we all have a limited amount of time. How we make use of this time will ultimately determine your level of success.
I’ve always been a big believer in preparing an annual business plan. The plan will most likely be modified as the year progresses however it is important to begin the year with a well though out plan of attack.
In September 2012 I wrote a post on the topic of the annual business plan. You can read it here:
https://universalsalestruths.com/do-you-have-a-plan-or-are-you-hoping-to-make-your-annual-quota/
The bottom line—Use this time of the year wisely to prepare your plan for success.