Sales Strategy Template - The Digital Sales Institute

Sales Strategy Template - The Digital Sales Institute: Sales strategy template with examples for creating a realistic sales strategy or sales plans to win more customers and profitable sales.




A sales
strategy template sounds like an activity only large companies would
consider doing. The reality is very different as everyone in business,
from a small business to entrepreneur and salespeople can benefit from
understanding the workings of a solid sales strategy.
The motivation or
reasons to create a sales strategy template is that business success is
tied to the ability of the enterprise to generate sales. The revenue and
profits that are generated from the sales activity of the business is a
direct result of the effectiveness of the sales strategy.
sales-strategy-template

Why create a sales strategy?

The sales strategy
template will outline the step-by-step plan for salespeople and the
business to follow in order to sell their products or services, with the
stated purpose of generating revenue and profits. It is the plan that
enables everyone involved in customer acquisition, development and
retention to successfully sell the company’s products and service over
and over. Once the sales strategy is in place, it then can be
re-valuated, and optimized based on results, to ensure the desired
results are being achieved.
So, to create a
sales strategy template will enable everyone to understand the unique
selling points, in identifying the target market and customer profiles,
developing the value propositions and selecting the right sales channels
to engage clients. The outcome is a sales engine with a clear focus on
the optimal way to create and close sales opportunities.

Sales strategy template questions

A good starting point is to ask yourself questions such as;
The purpose of the business is for what?
How effective is your current sales activity?
What are the market trends shaping your industry?
How strong is the sales skills across the team?
What is your current market position (new, disrupt, cost leader etc)?

What is your business purpose?

To create a sales strategy plan that will be a living document, it’s important to first know what is the business purpose;
The Business Vision: Where does the business want to go in the long-term.

The Business Mission: the business purpose and the reasons WHY for existing.

The Business Values: What the business stands for, what sets you apart from the other vendors.

Building Blocks to create a sales strategy template

The reality is
that each one of the following or a combination of them will most likely
determine the success or failure of your sales strategy.
1.The team driving the business, customer engagement and the sales effort
2.The company’s product or service being promoted to the target market
3. The target market including trends, demand data and size.

A well crafted sales strategy plan will contain some or all of these elements.
A different slant on the business model and compelling value proposition.
The business has desirable products or services that appeals to the market.
There is a large enough market to target.
The business has a cost-effective method to drive leads and sell to customers.
That the sales strategy is aligned to the companies’ position, values and strengths.

Identify the target market you want to sell to.

Probably the 1st
step in creating a sales strategy plan is to research, size and select
the target market you intend to commit time and resources to. This is
the guiding path for all the other aspects of the plan. Research has
shown that lack of market size and lack of market acceptance of a
product is the biggest cause of business failure. So, take the time to
get this right. What market or segment of a market will your product or
service offering have most appeal?

Identify and Create your Ideal customer profiles.

Now you need to
focus in on the profile of the people and companies within your target
market you will approach 1st, 2nd etc. The outcome is a customer profile
with an identity rather than a compilation of figures. Profiles that
tell a story that everyone involved in sales and marketing can quickly
understand. The way to achieve this is to create “Ideal customer
profiles or “buyer personas”. Begin by looking at your current customers
and understand who is actually buying your product. When you create a
sales strategy plan, you need to be able to visualize your ideal buyer’s
demographics across areas such as location, job title, turnover,
employee size, age range, technology stack and other purchasing
motivations.
Visualizing your
ideal customer’s will help to create better sales and marketing value
propositions and sales messaging. Once you know what they might want to
gain or the pain they may be experiencing, you can create a sales
process for the steps you need to follow to win over more customers.

The Value Proposition for your customers.

Now you need to
outline the unique value your business brings to the market in order for
you to get buyers to listen and care about what you have to say. What
is your value proposition and how does it set you apart from your
competition? Your value proposition should tell customers and prospects
why they should consider doing business with you rather than your
competitors. It makes the advantages and benefits of your products or
services clear from the beginning of any sales interaction.

Sales Strategy Template Implementation

Earlier in sales
strategy questions, we asked you to consider “What is your current
market position?” as this most likely will define your sales strategy
implementation plan. To create a sales strategy with a clear focus, most
companies will select from one or two options from the following;
Penetration Sales Strategy: Selling more of the same products to the same customers
Development Sales Strategy: Selling more of the same products to different customers
Product Sales Strategy: Selling new products or services to the same customers
Diversification Sales Strategy: Selling new products or services to different customers

Sales Strategy Plan of Action.

Nothing happens
with a sales strategy template until you put it into a plan of action.
The action plan should match all of the sales goals with action steps.
Think of this as a sales playbook that contains all the Who, When, and
Where sales activities. You can then put milestones and success
indicators beside each sales goal and steps in the sales process.
It is also
important to remember that your sales strategy action plan requires
resources to be deployed. These include – Money to fund activities,
headcount, tools and materials, Information – on the market, data on
competitors, insights into market trends, the market size and creating
customer profiles. PLUS, People – the right salespeople needed to
facilitate the growth plan, to execute the plan, to ensure the expected
results happen.

Sales Strategy Template Tactics

When you create a sales strategy template or sales strategy presentation, these are some planning tactic tips to consider;
What business strengths do you want to Leverage: Three to five key strengths you will need to use to achieve the plan.
What business strengths will you need to develop: Three to five strengths you will need to develop to achieve the plan.
What will be your selling priorities (based on your sales strategy implementation): List out the priorities you will focus on.
What are you action plan selling priorities: Three to five monthly priorities that support the sales and business action plan?
To create a sales
strategy template is to understand that every sales strategy involves
having to invest. Investments about deciding where you want to spend the
effort, time, money and energy to get the best return for the business.
This means the sales strategy plan must be constantly reviewed and
refreshed. Set out a series of review meetings be they quarterly,
monthly, weekly and daily. Evaluate the sales plans, what’s working and
what needs to be updated.
Anchored by your values and purpose, a sales strategy example should also account for what sales training
or sales skills need addressing to achieve the goals. The outcome you
seek is a real plan that maximizes the likelihood of achieving sustained
profitable business success and minimizes any wasted resources.

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