Feb 20, 2015 By Ken Thoreson

Advice for Sales Managers: Always Be Prepared

As an Eagle Scout, I can discuss the topic of “Be Prepared” easily and, based upon my upcoming vacation next week, I could lend more credibility. I am leaving Friday morning, catching two planes and a ferry to end up on an island in the Caribbean. While that sounds somewhat easy, it took planning and preparation. Taking a vacation for me becomes a big project for a variety of reasons —but mainly it’s time to unplug and “breathe fresh air”.

We researched a wide variety of destinations, resorts and optional packages, narrowed the search, checked out online evaluations and then compared costs. I posted potential locations and asked for opinions on Facebook and asked my travel agent. All of this helped us pick a great spot, it was rated the “best beach resort in the world.”

Next I had to organize my professional life. Client projects needed to be finalized, meetings re-scheduled, mobile phones had to find international plans, and new proposals completed.

Now, just a few days to go, we had to pack, purchase last minute necessities and think through options like umbrellas, sun tan lotion, books, mosquito spray and other health-related items.

What does this have to do with sales management? As a manager you must be prepared at all times for almost any event. The best plan is to have a plan and to consider what might go wrong or what could impact your ability to exceed your objectives. I have simply listed below a series of topics for your consideration and for you to double-check against your plan — or lack of plan.

Do you have a plan?

If you lose a salesperson
If your sales team needs sales training
To increase the sales culture of your team
To increase your networking/partnering function
That generates excitement for your products/services
To say thank you to your support team
That increases your level of professionalism/education
To create a sales contest that drives revenue
That adds net new customers to your base
That drives the necessary sales leads for each month
To say thank you to your existing customer base
To increase your public relations exposure within your community or market
That will increase/improve your vendor relations
To improve your CRM effectiveness
If your computer systems fail or are destroyed

That’s enough for now, but if I missed anything, comment below — let’s build a complete list for the future.

HINT: This is a great idea for your next management meeting, simply begin by asking each of the departmental managers about their problems or contingency issues that arise on a day-to-day basis or what might occur if a disaster of any kind happens-then ask them for their plan.

Why is this critically important today? In any kind of business environment, the organization that operates the most efficiently generally out-performs their competition; in more challenging times a focus on efficient effectiveness must become the mantra for the day.

Ken Thoreson “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 16 years, his consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for partners throughout the world. His book Leading High Performance Sales Teams is a best-seller, and his fifth book, “JAMMED! for New Sales Managers" was published this summer. Ken provides keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance.