Probability

Sales Management Principles and Best Practice

Sales Manager

Are you looking for templates to develop your sales strategy? If so you’re in the right place. Welcome. The mission of this blog is passing on our experience, gained over 30 years, of developing and executing strategic sales management. Naturally we don’t know the specifics of your business, market and resources so can’t relate our [...]

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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Sales Guys

SPPM

What’s the difference between good and bad sales people,and how can you assess them. Is it activity rates, close rates, total sales, or margin, or customer satisfaction? Maybe it’s just making target quarter after quarter. The red meat issue, for those who don’t know about selling, is activity. It’s a simple measure, and easy to [...]

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5 Ways to Forecast Sales – Which One is Yours?

SPPM

How many methods or techniques are there for sales forecasting? There are 5, in my experience, offering varying accuracy and utility. Here’s the background and a short explanation of each. We all know forecasting sales is a tricky business. It always involves some element of hope, combines a little fear, and is based on some [...]

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Why Bother With Sales Forecasts

SPPM

What is sales forecasting to you? What does it for your business? How do you calculate your forecasts and act on the results? Most people don’t understand the point of it, because usually it doesn’t work, for them at least. But with the right techniques, sales forecasting can make a big difference in any business. [...]

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Sales Forecasting as a Competitive Advantage

SPPM

Can sales forecasting be a competitive advantage in your sales team operations? It can if you adopt the principles we explain in our Sales Probability and Process Management theory. Most people use sales forecasting as a tool for estimating future income, without a great deal of confidence it has to be said. They’ll also use [...]

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So Just How Confident Are You

Sales Strategies and Tactics

Sales Forecasts based on confidence aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. A subjective, single dimension assessment by sales reps not grounded in fact can only ever be a guess. Consider this example conversation between sales representative and sales manager while reviewing the sales forecast. “How confident are you we’ll win that sale? How sure [...]

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How Accurate Is Your Sales Forecast

Sales Manager

How do you forecast sales? What’s the value of your sales pipeline? How do you track progress? No sale is worth a can of beans until the order is signed, the product/service delivered and the invoice paid – because it can always go wrong.  It may not close at all, a competitor might pull a [...]

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Managing a Sales Funnel

SPPM

How do you manage your sales funnel. This is how I manage mine. It might seem complex, but the approach is based on years of experience. Chasing deals I can’t win is definitely not my idea of fun. Managing my sales opportunities with strategy and tactics helps me concentrate efforts where they’ll be most effective. [...]

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