How do you align your sales plan with corporate strategy to win in 2016?
Follow this advice to align your sales plan AND your sales team with corporate strategy for better revenue results.
Why Aligning With Corporate Strategy is Key:
Corporate strategy sets your objectives. It determines if the company focuses on growing revenue or preserving the install base. It determines how your sales force should behave.
Failing to align with corporate strategy is costly. Not just for your sales organization, but for the company as a whole. Successful strategic alignment is the only way to systematize revenue growth. And it means getting everyone pointed in the same direction.
Corporate strategy sets that direction.
Aligning sales strategy with corporate strategy also:
- Shortens sales cycles by eliminating conflicting priorities
- Fosters collaboration
- Ensures comp programs are driving desirable behaviors
- Makes it easier for customers and prospects to deal with the company
Set the Right Goals:
Your sales revenue plan is your organization’s road-map to achieving the revenue target. It keeps employees working together toward the right goals.So set the right goals up-front.
In your sales plan, include the corporate strategy. Then for each sales goal, specify how it moves the organization toward the corporate goals. Finally, compose the plan to meet each sales goal.
This top-down approach will ensure the sales plan stays in alignment with corporate strategy. It also makes the next part easier…
Use This Trickle-Down Approach to Communicate the Plan:
Creating an aligned plan is important. But without communicating that plan appropriately, it won’t be implemented.
You can use a trickle-down approach to make sure the plan is communicated clearly. This also keeps everyone in alignment with corporate strategy along the way.
Work with your sales leaders to help them understand:
- The corporate strategy
- How the sales strategy supports the corporate strategy
- How the sales revenue plan supports the sales strategy
- How their individual goals and performance impact the sales plan
Then, coach them to do this same exercise with their sales reps.
Leaders and reps should know exactly how their activity affects the company. Tying job performance to company performance does more than keep everyone aligned. It keeps everyone motivated to hit their goals. And it actually contributes to employee engagement too.
Ready to learn more about creating a sales plan that hits the number? Register for a How to Make Your Number in 2016 workshop. An SBI strategist will come help you apply this to your organization.
