Now that you have developed your Marketing Plan, you can put it into action through the Strategic Plan and Sales Plan.  This overview of the Strategic and Sales Planning Process is divided into Eleven Sections, which are presented in a particular, building-block order.

Potential Problems and Company Objectives: First direct and rank your Potential Problems in your Company Operations:  Cash Flow, Market Changes, Competition, Costs, Distribution, Productivity, Employee Turnover, Regulation, Market Acceptance, Pricing, Quality, Capital, Service, Control Systems and Facilities are some of the areas you should examine in identifying potential Problems.  With your Problems identified and ranked in importance and severity, you can develop Company Objectives you aim to obtain.  These Objectives should strive to minimize and manage the identified Potential Problems, while emphasizing your Company’s Strengths.

Risk Analysis: Building on your Potential Problems identified in Section One, this Analysis produces Expected Risks.  Look at Litigation Threats, Liabilities, Regulatory Issues, Major Risks and Problems and answer the following questions:  When are Problems expected to occur?  What can you do to mitigate the potential risks and problems?  How will you deal with these problems?  The last part of the Risk Analysis looks at how you can turn these problems into opportunities, which parlays into the next Section.

Company Strategies, Strategic Tactics and Strategic Programs: First develop your Strategies, then the relating Strategic Tactics and then the resulting Strategic Programs.

• Strategy is Focus.  Strategy consists of key factors that distinguish your Company and are most expected to contribute to your success.  It is important that your Company Strategies complement each other so you are not sending your business in separate directions.
• Tactics are used to implement strategies and relate to a specific Strategy.
• Programs are specific business activities which have concrete dates, assigned responsibilities and developed Budgets.  Programs relate to Specific Tactics of a Specific Strategy.

Sales Strategy: Remember that sales close the deals which Marketing opens.  Sales are dealing directly with your Customers.  Develop the Sales Strategy as it specifically relates to the Marketing Strategies you have set forth.  identify and develop the different sale methods and channels you will use to sell your Products and Services.  Determine your Sales Goals and your Sales Process.  Develop an effective Salesperson Training Program and Compensation Structure.  You should also look at order processing optimization, sale milestones expectations, price maneuvering, sales leads propagation, distributor roles; credit and collection policies; how the Internet will be utilized; and so forth.

Sales Programs: After developing your Sales Strategies, it is time to define your resulting Sales Programs.  The Sales Program addresses how your Sales Strategy will be implemented.  Once implemented, you should have systems in place to measure the Strategy Implementation and support your sales efforts.

Strategic Alliances and Joint Ventures: Define your Keystone Strategic Alliances and Partnerships.  Identify and develop Co-Marketing and Co-Development Opportunities; Product Help; Commission, Cooperative and Product / Service Agreements.  Is the fate of your Company tied to another Company?  Explain how these Alliances help your Company and any integral risks.

Operating Budget — Rolling Monthly Outlook (Yearly Basis): The Operating Budget is a Planning and Control Mechanism which helps you develop the next section, the Sales Forecast.  It should be on a Rolling Basis, Outward looking for one year and the format on a Monthly Basis.  Rolling Basis means after each quarter you Budget for the next three months.  The Budget should be twelve months forward looking.  You should have a Target and Actual Column so you can track results and adjust throughout the year as necessary.  Your Operational Budget should directly reflect your Strategic Planning Goals.  Determine whether it is best to use a Top-Down, a Bottom-Up or Blended approach for your Operational Budgets.  Ask yourself:  How will your Budget be used as a Control Measure?  How will your Budget be used to judge Company, Management and Key Employee Performance?  Your Budget is a of value tool to use for Employee Management, Education and Delegation; Managerial and Executive Goals.

Sales Forecast: Based upon your developed Sales Strategy and Programs, along with your One Year Operational Budget, develop a Five Year Projected Sales Summary Forecast.  This Forecast, in turn, will be used to develop your Detailed Profit & Loss Statement in the Financials Section of your Business Plan.  If you are an existing business, be sure to highlight your Historical Sales Trends going back three years.  It is important to show how you will fulfil your Annual Sales Volume Goals, and the Assumptions used to develop the Sales Forecast.  What Growth Rates are you projecting and expecting for your most Vital Products and Services?  What are the major driving forces behind the Forecast?  Is your Sales Forecast believable?  What risks are involved?  It is very important to show how your Sales Forecast relates to your Market Analysis, Target Market Segments, Sales Strategy and Marketing Strategy.   This ensures your Marketing Plan is a direct influence on your Strategic & Sales Plan, resulting in a Synergistic and Focused Company-Wide Strategy.

Milestones Table: Provide your Future Company Goals, Milestones and Strategies, along with your Marketing and Sales Program rollouts.  For each Milestone Event provide:  Quantitative and Qualitative Descriptions; Start and End Dates; Budget Numbers; Manager and Department Responsibilities. During the Milestone Table Development, it is important to answer the following key questions:

• What are the decisive Checkpoints as your Business develops?
• What specific Milestones will mark the lowering of risks due to the increased viability of your Company?
• If you need to deviate from your Plan, can your resources surmount these plan variations?  What contingencies are built into your Strategic Plan?
• What Systems are in place to gauge your Company’s progress in achieving the prescribed Milestones?
• How are your Milestone Analysis & Goals an integral part of your day to day Management and Planning Process?

Control Mechanisms: What Mechanisms for Control of each critical Skill and Resource are available to you?  Is direct ownership necessary for your Resources and Skills or can they be Outsourced and at what cost savings?  How can you build upon Incentives for Cooperation with your critical Resource and Skill Providers; what are the Benefits?  These are just some of the questions to address when identifying Control Mechanisms for your Strategic Plan’s Resources.

Strategic Planning Advisors: Strategic Planning is such an important part of running a Successful Business, we highly recommend  to retain a competent team of Professionals, Advisors, Experts and Consultants.  An Experienced Business Consultant can be a very important part of your Strategic Planning Team, ensuring your Strategic Plan is not just effectively developed, but most importantly, effectively implemented throughout your Company Operations.  After your Strategic Plan is implemented, an experienced Business Consultant can also help you ensure the Strategy stays on track, reaches its goals and / or is adjusted as necessary due to market changes and unforeseen problematic events.

In conclusion, a Successful Strategic and Sales Plan starts with your Products and Services Development, then moves into your Marketing Analysis and Plan Development; this in turn, is a direct influence on your Company’s Strategic Plan.  Flow Charts reveal these important development steps and their relationships:

Products and Services Development => Market Analysis and Segmentation => Market Trends => Market Growth => Competitive Analysis, Positioning and Edge => Marketing Strategy:  Positioning, Pricing, Promotion and Distribution Strategies => Marketing Strategy Profit and Loss Projection => Marketing Programs = An Effective Marketing Plan.

Marketing Plan => Strategic Potential Problems and Risk Analysis => Company Strategies, Strategic Tactics and Strategic Programs => Sales Strategy => Sales Programs and Alliances => Company Operating Budget => Sales Forecast => Milestones and Control Mechanisms = Successful Company Strategic & Sales Plan.

Company Strategic and Sales Plan => Company Profit and Loss Statement Projections = Believable Financial Forecasts.

About the WRITER

Frank Goley is a Business Consultant for ABC Business Consulting and has been helping companies to succeed for many years. He is an expert in developing business plans, marketing plans, funding plans, strategic plans, turnaround plans and project specific business plans. Frank is also a business coach and business turnaround consultant . Frank is author of The Comprehensive Business Plan Workbook – A Step by Step Guide to Effective Business Planning, and he has over 30 published articles on business success strategies. He also writes the Business Success Strategies blog.

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Business consultants have the power to strategize. Every business needs a strategy and contacting a business consulting firm to find out the best areas for this can be very beneficial. Having a strategy in place is one thing, but being able to carry it out is another.

A business consultant can come up with a strategy for cutting costs. Companies need to be able to keep their profits up and losses to a minimum. There are ways to cut back and save thousands, the key is knowing where to look. A consultant can look at every area imaginable and see which areas the company would benefit from is cost with reduced.

Having a sales strategy is also critical. A company has to know what to sell, who to sell to and how much to sell a product for. A consultant can look at how much it costs to provide a product and make sure that it is priced appropriately so that the company makes a profit. Sales are crucial to the growth of a business.

There are many things to keep in mind when expanding . Expansion is a huge decision and a company needs to make sure that they can benefit. A business consultant can do research and see if the location the company will be located in is profitable. If the expansion is taking place within the company, with no relocation, the consultant will make sure that they business can stay afloat.

Business consultants can also come in and figure out funding strategies. If a company needs to borrow money for a project, the consultant can make sure all of the essential paperwork is done. Every lender will require something different or their rules may be different. This can be a lot to keep up with. A consultant can treat every aspect of that.

When it comes to strategizing, business consultants are the best. They will look at the situation, find the pros and cons, and then put their strategy into motion. This can be a huge stress reliever and can save the company valuable time.

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I have written before about the First Five Percent. That’s my approach to strategic change management that says the quality of the first five percent determines what happens in the rest of the process.

I was in Los Angeles last week, working with a large association, on a strategic plan for their organization. It was the beginning the a process to create a high-performing organization in less than a year. A definite procedure of the First Five Percent is to enlist as many individual feasible from the very start.. You never know who has the good ideas. The more people you engage early on, the quicker you can identify the best thinking and the hidden resources.

There were 300 people in the room, including board members, chapter leaders, and local officers. The agenda was flexible. To ensure people would be involved, I was prepared to go into a number of directions, depending on the results from the first exercise. The first question I asked was: “Think about two years down the road and where you want the association to be. Tell me the specific changes you want to see and your measures of success.

They worked on this question for 60 minutes and wrote down their responses on flip chart paper. Each group then reported out. I then asked them: What did you hear yourselves say? Did you have a meeting of minds?

Everyone called out what they heard. “Increase membership.” “Fill our vacancies,” “Make a new product..”Their juices were flowing.”

“How would you measure success”? I inquired. They shouted out what they’d heard. I listed four specific measures of success. I asked if they all agreed. Everyone raised their hands.

They left for a quick lunch break. I planned my next step, while the room was silent.. I examined all their briefs, and concluded all I have to do is to take advantge of their drive.. I indexed 12 goals in my catalogue. The aims touched on subjects in relation to “recruit more members” or ” escalate our presence in the political arena.. I posted these goals on the walls of the room. When they got back from their lunch break, I said: “Now look around the room. These are your aims. Find the goal you feel most passionate for. Go stand by that goal. If you feel passionate about another goal not listed, there are blank pieces of paper.

The group divided itself into teams around each goal. I required every group to execute a procedure for every goal to be followed by a demonstration.. While the reporting is in progress, I made remarks about major points to be settled and expedited an exchange of ideas for each.. When people drifted off topic, I invoked the two-minute rule Anything important can be said in two minutes and they got back on course. We wrapped it up at 4 p.m.

I asked people to tell me what they liked about the meeting. ” I was thrilled,” somebody said.. “Wonderful ideas” A lot of people made observations. ” Your conduct,” somebody said. “The two minute rule!” Several shouted. “We are very glad to start our group,” a woman said..

“And what would you like to change?” I inquired.

That we have to depart!” a man shouted. Everyone laughed.

About the Author: Eric Douglas is LRI’s senior executive business consultant with expertise change management, leadership development, and strategic planning. His latest leadership book is called Leading at Light Speed.

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