Sales Management Procedure | SL1010

Sales Management Procedure

The Sales Management Procedure describes the basic steps for creating a sales management plan. The sales administration policy aids in constructing a clear and thoroughly developed plan for setting sales goals and for creating and implementing a strategy for reaching those goals.

The Sales Management Procedure applies to sales management while creating a sales management plan. (20 pages, 2243 words)

Sales Management Responsibilities:

Sales Management is responsible for developing the SL1010-1 SALES MANAGEMENT PLAN and submitting the plan to other department managers for review and to Top Management for approval.

Top Management is responsible for reviewing and approving SL1010-1SALES MANAGEMENT PLAN.

Sales Management Definitions:

Sales Cycle – The average or typical period of time it takes to close a sale from the initial marketing or sales contact until an agreement to purchase. The sales cycle can vary from a few moments to several months, depending on the complexity and cost of the product of service, and industry standards.

Sales Pipeline – The numbers needed at various stages of the lead and sales process to reach sales goals (i.e. number of prospects, number of leads, number of sales calls, number of sales opportunities, and number of closed sales).

Sales Staff – The professional sales staff that conducts sales calls, makes sales presentations, and prepares proposals and quotes.

Sales Administrators – Sales assistants in the sales department that assist with various sales functions, including qualifying leads.

Sales Department – All members of the sales department including sales staff, sales administrators and assistants, managers, and can also include customer service representatives, and order entry staff.

Sales Management Procedure Activities

• Sales Management Plan Overview
• Developing the Sales Management Plan
• Executing the Sales Management Plan
• Monitoring the Sales Management Plan
• Correcting the Sales Management Plan

Sales Management Procedure Forms

• Sales Management Plan Form
• Sales Forecast Form
• Weekly Sales Summary Form

Sales and Marketing Process

Is it an art or a science? In business that question is frequently, and aptly, applied to Sales and Marketing. Good marketing and sales people know how to work the “magic” that creates leads and closes sales. If you ask them how they do it, however, they may not be able to explain it. Many sales and marketing veterans operate through an intuitive feel they have created through observation and experience, but the sales and marketing process is not something very easily defined or described.

Your Sales and Marketing process can be understood, controlled, and continually improved through the following practice:

• Define the process
• Understand process inputs and outputs
• Create a plan that implements best practices; set meaningful goals
• Execute the process according to the plan
• Measure key performance indicators of the process that directly relate to goals
• Monitor process measurements for discrepancies between goals and results
• Identify root causes of discrepancies and make corrections to improve the process

This Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) approach is the foundation of Quality Management Systems such as the ISO Standards, and of defect reduction/continual improvement programs such as Six Sigma. This philosophy of understanding the process and then taking a disciplined approach to planning, executing, measuring, and improving has been successfully applied to business functions like product design, production, and accounting.

Constructing and employing clear, well thought out policies and procedures that follow the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) format can be used to create vision and mission, and to define “big picture” strategies, goals, and objectives. A culture of communication, teamwork, measurement, and improvement that well-defined processes can bring to the top levels of an organization will inevitably have a positive effect on downstream business processes.It is time to apply this disciplined philosophy to the Sales and Marketing process.

A Disciplined Approach to Sales and Marketing

While a disciplined approach to managing processes is important for all segments of a business operation, it is particularly important to Sales and Marketing. A disciplined approach to the Sales and Marketing process means a relentless, yet reflective, pursuit of numbers. Not reaching sales goals can spell disaster for a business, no matter how great the product, service, and production segments may be. Applying a disciplined process approach to Sales and Marketing means that making the numbers is not left to chance; it is a well thought-out strategy that is continually monitored, controlled, and improved.

Using an intuitive feel to find leads and close sales may be effective enough to keep a business afloat, or even appear successful. However, how well does that approach align with your overall business strategy? Is using intuition good enough for the operating the manufacturing line or handling invoices in accounting?

The same concept also applies to product management functions. Many of us know from experience how important a good plan and clear, coordinated communication are to activities like product development and product launch. Using a business process approach, these activities are methodically designed to have clear inputs and outputs, execution steps, and measurements that help identify areas that need corrective or preventive action in order to meet targets. Plus, as we discussed previously, the flow of important information is built into a well designed process. Not only can problems be identified and corrected during the execution stage, but the information captured and analyzed can be used to make the next product launch even more successful.

Managing Your Sales and Marketing Process

Unaligned and disconnected marketing and sales efforts mean lost leads, the uncaptured voice of the customer, and wasted sales opportunities. Your primary goal of sales administration should be to understand, plan, and improve the sales and marketing process and not leave success or failure to chance. Using the process approach, marketing activities should be methodically designed to have clear inputs, outputs, execution steps and measurements that help identify areas that need corrective or preventive actions in order to meet targets. The Sales and Marketing Policies and Procedures Manual presents best practices and sound advice from experts in one well organized, easy-to-use, and readily customizable volume.

Sales and marketing may appear to include a great deal of subjective factors, but they are not unlike any other business processes. Your sales and marketing process can be planned so that it is aligned with the overall business strategy. In today’s quantitative nature of marketing, a relentless, yet reflective, pursuit of numbers is a given. Applying a disciplined process approach to sales and marketing means that making the numbers is not left to chance; it is a well thought-out strategy that is continually monitored, controlled, and improved.

It is time to stop thinking of Sales and Marketing as a magical black box. It is a business process that is fundamental to the success of your company; therefore, it should be well-defined, under control, and aligned with the overall business strategy.