Sales Forecasts

hex-llA common sign that something isn’t right in the sales and selling function is a sales forecast that simply does not stack up; strongly forecast deals failing to materialise, the close date slipping by weeks or months, losing to a competitor you didn’t even know was bidding, smaller deal size and less profitable than forecast, the sales person’s ‘gut feel’ unsupported by the facts, …

A sales forecast should provide you with a prediction you can take to the bank, or if a public company show to the analysts and investors. An unreliable forecast is just a guess, and you can’t plan a business on guess work.

The forecast is crucial as the information contained therein will be used to inform decisions in other parts of the business such as; finance, recruiting & training, operations, procurement, …

So, if you want realistic, dependable sales forecasts they must come as the natural output from the whole sales operation following a single unifying process defined by your sales and selling methodology. You need people who will work to it, inducted and trained in its use and reinforced through your sales management process and commitment to coaching.

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