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• How to Create a Sales Plan? 10 Free Templates 

Selling without a plan is akin to setting out on a journey without a map.  

While you might stumble upon your destination by chance, having a plan significantly increases the likelihood of success. 

Without a sales plan in place, businesses risk operating in a reactive mode, addressing immediate issues but lacking a cohesive strategy for long-term growth. 

In this article, we go beyond theory and cover the practical side of creating sales plans with a step-by-step guide, actionable templates and best practices for tried and tested success. (If you’re in a hurry, you can skip right to the sales plan templates.) 

What is a Sales Plan?  

A sales plan is a detailed strategy that lays out how a company intends to meet its sales goals.  

It involves setting objectives, identifying target customers, outlining the tactics to reach them, and detailing the resources and steps needed to close deals successfully.  

It’s the playbook that guides sales teams in achieving their targets. If you’re wondering whether you really need a sales plan, you’ll find your answer below. 

Benefits of Creating a Sales Plan  

Having a solid sales plan offers a range of benefits that contribute to the overall success and sustainability of a business.  

Here are the key advantages: 

• Clear Direction: A solid sales plan provides a clear roadmap for the sales team, outlining objectives, strategies, and tactics. It ensures that everyone is moving in the same direction, minimizing confusion and maximizing efficiency. 
• Goal Alignment: The plan aligns sales goals with overall business objectives, ensuring that the sales team’s efforts directly contribute to the company’s growth and success. 
• Efficient Resource Allocation: With a plan in place, businesses can allocate resources more effectively, whether it’s budget, personnel, or technology. This optimization enhances the team’s ability to achieve its goals. 
• Proactive Problem Solving: A sales plan involves anticipating potential challenges and developing strategies to address them. This proactive approach minimizes risks and enhances the team’s ability to navigate obstacles. 
• Strategic Decision-Making: It provides a strategic framework for decision-making, helping businesses make informed choices based on data, analysis, and a clear understanding of market dynamics. 
• Performance Measurement: Sales plans include key performance indicators (KPIs) that enable businesses to measure success systematically. This data-driven approach facilitates informed decision-making and continuous improvement. 
• Adaptability: A well-structured sales plan is adaptable to changes in the market, customer preferences, and other external factors. It allows businesses to pivot strategies when needed and stay ahead of the competition. 
• Team Accountability: The plan establishes clear roles and responsibilities within the sales team, fostering accountability. Team members understand their contributions to overall goals, enhancing collaboration and performance. 

Given the significance of having an effective sales plan, here’s an actionable guide to help you create one. 

How to Create an Effective Sales Plan  

An effective sales plan typically has several key characteristics, but if there’s one thing that stands out, it would be clarity of purpose and alignment with business goals.  

Here’s how you can create a sales plan: 

• Set Clear Objectives  
• Clarify not only the quantitative objectives but also the qualitative ones, such as improving customer satisfaction or penetrating a new market segment. 
• Align objectives with the overall business strategy to ensure synergy across departments. 

• Know Your Target Market  
• Develop buyer personas with detailed narratives that go beyond demographics to capture motivations, pain points, and aspirations. 
• Use advanced analytics tools to track real-time market changes and consumer sentiments. 

• Understand Your Product/Service  
• Conduct a comprehensive value proposition analysis, exploring emotional and functional benefits to create a more compelling narrative. 
• Regularly update your understanding of the product-market fit as customer needs evolve. 
• SWOT Analysis  
• Dig deep into the nuances of each element of SWOT, identifying not only current factors but potential future shifts. 
• Leverage external consultants or industry experts to gain a fresh perspective on your business landscape. 
• Sales Team Structure  
• Consider hybrid or agile team structures that allow for quick adaptation to market changes. 
• Foster a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing to capitalize on the diverse strengths within the team. 
• Sales Strategies and Tactics  
• Develop strategies for lead generation, prospecting, and closing deals. 
• Develop a multi-channel approach that integrates online and offline strategies seamlessly. 
• Implement A/B testing and data-driven decision-making to refine tactics continuously. 
• Sales Forecasting  
• Utilize predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms for more accurate forecasting . 
• Incorporate scenario planning to prepare for unexpected market shifts or disruptions. 
• Budget Allocation  
• Adopt a zero-based budgeting approach , challenging the necessity of each expense to ensure optimal resource allocation. 
• Create contingency funds for quick adaptation to unforeseen circumstances. 

• Training and Development  
• Implement personalized training programs based on individual strengths and weaknesses. 
• Foster a culture of self-directed learning, encouraging team members to proactively seek knowledge. 
• Technology and Tools  
• Embrace emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and automation for more efficient sales processes. 
• Regularly assess the technological landscape for innovative tools that can provide a competitive edge. 
• Monitoring and Evaluation  
• Establish a dynamic dashboard that provides real-time insights into KPIs, enabling agile decision-making. 
• Conduct regular “post-mortem” analyses on both successful and unsuccessful sales initiatives for continuous improvement. 
• Feedback Loop  
• Implement a 360-degree feedback system that includes input from customers, frontline sales staff, and management. 
• Actively seek out dissenting opinions to avoid groupthink and encourage innovative problem-solving. 
• Adaptability  
• Foster a mindset of adaptability and resilience within the sales team. 
• Develop agile response plans that can be quickly deployed in response to unexpected challenges or opportunities. 

Remember, a sales plan is a dynamic document that should be revisited and adjusted regularly to stay aligned with your business goals and market conditions. 

Types of Sales Plan Templates  

Exploring the potential of different sales strategies is crucial for organizational growth.  

The following table outlines key focus areas and stakeholders for various sales plans, providing a comprehensive view of how each plan contributes to overall success. 

While there are many sales plans, successful sales come down to understanding the important parts of each strategy. Let’s uncover what makes sales planning work. 

Sales Plan Templates  

Essential elements of a sales plan  .

A well-put-together sales plan plays a crucial role in directing a company’s sales initiatives and achieving revenue objectives.  

Now, every industry and company is unique, so the details might vary, but the basics are pretty much the same. Here’s what you usually find in a sales plan: 

1. Executive summary 

• Briefly outline the key components of the sales plan. 
• Provide an overview of the company’s current sales performance. 

2. Business objectives 

• Clearly define the sales goals and objectives. 
• Align these objectives with the overall business strategy. 

3. Target market and customer segmentation 

• Identify and describe the target market. 
• Segment customers based on demographics, psychographics, and behavior. 

4. Competitive analysis 

• Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of competitors. 
• Identify opportunities and threats in the market. 

5. Sales goals and quotas 

• Set specific, measurable, and achievable sales targets. 
• Assign sales quotas to individual team members or regions. 

6. Sales strategies 

• Outline the strategies for reaching the target audience. 
• Include positioning, pricing, and differentiation strategies. 

7. Sales tactics 

• Detail the specific actions and activities the sales team will undertake. 
• Include prospecting, lead generation, and closing techniques . 

8. Sales channels 

• Specify the channels through which products or services will be sold. 
• Consider direct sales, online sales, partnerships, etc. 

9. Sales training and development 

• Outline training programs to enhance the skills of the sales team. 
• Include ongoing development initiatives. 

10. Sales forecast 

• Provide a realistic projection of sales revenues. 
• Break down forecasts by product, service, or region. 

11. Budget 

• Detail the budget required for implementing the sales plan. 
• Include expenses for marketing, promotions, and sales activities. 

12. Metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 

• Define the metrics used to measure sales performance. 
• Examples include conversion rates, average deal size, and customer acquisition cost. 

13. Implementation timeline 

• Create a timeline outlining the key milestones and deadlines. 
• Ensure alignment with broader business timelines. 

14. Risk analysis and contingency plans 

• Identify potential risks to the sales plan’s success. 
• Develop contingency plans to address unforeseen challenges. 

15. Monitoring and evaluation 

• Establish a process for monitoring and evaluating sales performance . 
• Regularly review and adjust the sales plan based on feedback and results. 

When businesses throw in these key elements into their sales plan, they’re basically mapping out how to hit their sales goals and improve overall performance. 

Best Practices for Sales Planning  

Best laid sales plans often subscribe to a few standard “best practices”. 

These go a long way in ensuring the plan’s effectiveness. Here are some key ones: 

1. Developing your sales team  

• Continuous Training: Implement ongoing training programs to keep the sales team updated on industry trends, product knowledge, and effective sales techniques. 
• Mentorship Programs: Foster mentorship relationships within the team to facilitate knowledge transfer and skill development. 
• Performance Reviews: Conduct regular performance reviews to identify areas for improvement and provide constructive feedback. 

2. Defining roles for the sales team  

• Clear Role Definitions: Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each member of the sales team to avoid confusion and overlap. 
• Specialization: Consider specialization within the team (e.g., inbound sales, outbound sales, account management) to leverage individual strengths. 
• Goal Alignment: Ensure that individual roles align with overall sales and business goals. 

3. Developing prospecting strategies  

• Targeted Prospecting: Tailor prospecting strategies to target specific market segments identified through thorough research. 
• Utilize Technology: Leverage CRM tools and other technologies to streamline prospecting processes and manage leads efficiently. 
• Multi-Channel Approach: Implement a multi-channel approach to prospecting, incorporating email campaigns, social media, and traditional outreach methods. 

4. Training programs to bolster sales competencies  

• Soft Skills Training: Include training modules that focus on developing soft skills such as communication, negotiation , and relationship-building. 
• Product Knowledge: Ensure that the sales team has in-depth knowledge of products or services to effectively communicate value propositions to customers. 
• Role-specific Training: Tailor training programs to address the unique needs of different sales roles within the team. 

5. Performance metrics and measurement  

• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Establish and track KPIs that align with sales objectives, such as conversion rates, lead generation, and revenue growth. 
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Use analytics and data to make informed decisions about sales strategies and resource allocation. 
• Regular Performance Reviews: Conduct regular reviews to assess individual and team performance against set metrics. 

6. Collaboration and communication  

• Interdepartmental Collaboration: Foster collaboration between sales, marketing, and other relevant departments to ensure a cohesive approach. 
• Regular Team Meetings: Conduct regular team meetings to share updates, discuss challenges, and brainstorm strategies for improvement. 
• Open Communication Channels: Encourage open communication channels within the team to facilitate the exchange of ideas and feedback. 

7. Adaptability and continuous improvement  

• Agile Approach: Foster an agile mindset within the sales team to adapt quickly to changing market conditions and customer needs. 
• Feedback Loops: Establish feedback loops to gather input from the sales team, customers, and other stakeholders for continuous improvement. 
• Benchmarking: Regularly benchmark sales performance against industry standards and competitors to identify areas for enhancement. 

Implementing these best practices can contribute to the development of a high-performing sales team and the formulation of productive sales strategies. 

Utilizing Tools & Resources in Your Sales Plan  

Meeting your strategic goals hinges on integrating the right tools and resources into your sales plan 

Here’s how you can go about it: 

I. Incorporating CRM data into your sales plan  

• Customer segmentation:  
• Utilize CRM data to segment customers based on characteristics such as demographics, purchase history, and preferences. 
• Tailor marketing and sales strategies to address the unique needs of each customer segment. 

• Predictive analytics  
• Implement predictive analytics using CRM data to forecast future sales trends and identify potential opportunities. 
• Use predictive modeling to prioritize leads and focus efforts on prospects with a higher likelihood of conversion. 
• Lead scoring systems  

• Utilize lead scoring systems within your CRM to prioritize leads based on their likelihood to convert.  
• This helps the sales team focus on high-potential opportunities. 
• Workflow automation:  
• Implement workflow automation tools to streamline and automate routine tasks, reducing manual effort and allowing the sales team to focus on high-value activities. 

• Real-time analytics   
• Provide the sales team with real-time analytics dashboards that offer instant insights into performance metrics, allowing for quick adjustments to strategies as needed. 
• Minimize distractions and maximize productivity by ensuring your team is seeing only what is relevant.  

• Sales performance management   
• Sales performance tools like LeadSquared’s Ace , feature leaderboards and gamification to create friendly competition. Real-time rankings and rewards encourage a motivated and competitive spirit among team members. 

• These tools track key performance metrics, allowing individuals to set and monitor goals. The transparency promotes accountability, fostering a results-oriented mindset and encouraging continuous improvement. 
• You can break down targets into smaller units by specific cycles to see how your team performs in regular intervals. Performance tracking tools can help you gain increased visibility into you team’s performance by analysing various aspects of their goal, dependencies in the process and more.
• Ace, for example, enables you to analyse not just the performance of your direct team but also their respective hierarchies. If you’d like to see how Ace further helps influence the performance of efficiency of your sales reps, book a free demo now ! 

II. Outlining the use of other software and resources  

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools  
• Explore AI-driven tools for sales forecasting, lead scoring, and personalized customer interactions. 
• Leverage AI algorithms to automate routine tasks, freeing up the sales team to focus on strategic activities. 
• Integration with marketing automation  
• Integrate sales tools with marketing automation platforms to align marketing and sales efforts. 
• Ensure a seamless handover of leads from marketing to sales for a cohesive customer journey. 

• E-learning platforms  
• Utilize e-learning platforms for ongoing training and development. 
• Offer a variety of learning resources, including videos, webinars, and interactive modules, to cater to different learning styles. 
• Customer feedback software  
• Implement customer feedback software to gather insights directly from customers. 
• Analyze feedback to identify areas for improvement and incorporate customer suggestions into the sales strategy. 

III. Choosing the right sales channels  

• Social media integration  
• Integrate social media platforms into your sales strategy for customer engagement and lead generation. 
• Utilize social listening tools to monitor conversations and trends relevant to your industry. 
• Mobile sales apps  
• Develop or utilize mobile sales apps to empower the sales team to access critical information and collaborate while on the go. 
• Ensure mobile apps are user-friendly and provide real-time updates. 

• Global expansion strategies  
• Consider global expansion by identifying and entering new international markets. 
• Tailor sales channels to local preferences and regulations, considering factors such as language and cultural nuances. 

Getting the hang of using tools and resources is a continuous journey. By constantly tweaking strategies, you set the stage for long-term success in sales planning. 

How Does a CRM Help you Plan Sales? 

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems serve as indispensable tools in refining sales planning strategies.  

By replacing guesswork with precision and basing conclusions on data-backed insights, a CRM system injects agility and impact into your sales plan. Here’s the nitty gritty of how that goes down:  

1. Centralized data management  

• Insightful consolidation: Seamlessly gather and organize vital customer information, ranging from contact details to purchase history and preferences, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of clientele. 
• Lead prioritization: Effectively manage potential leads by meticulously storing pertinent details, enabling strategic planning and allocation of resources. 

2. Accurate sales forecasting  

• Analytical precision: Leverage historical sales data analysis to discern patterns and trends, enabling more accurate projections and informed decision-making. 
• Pipeline visualization: Gain valuable insights into the sales pipeline, facilitating proactive measures to capitalize on opportunities and mitigate risks. 

3. Efficient activity planning  

• Structured planning: Exercise meticulous control over sales activities through task scheduling and tracking, ensuring optimal utilization of time and resources. 
• Seamless integration: Harmonize sales activities with calendar schedules, minimizing conflicts and streamlining operational efficiency. 

4. Strategic lead and opportunity management  

• Lead progress tracking: Monitor lead progression through the sales funnel, adapting engagement strategies based on evolving customer behavior and preferences. 
• Opportunity optimization: Systematically manage sales opportunities to maximize potential deals, fostering a methodical approach to achieving sales targets. 

5. Targeted customer segmentation  

• Segmentation precision: Employ segmentation criteria such as demographics, behavior, and purchase history to tailor sales strategies to specific customer segments, enhancing engagement and conversion rates. 

6. Effective communication and collaboration  

• Comprehensive documentation: Maintain detailed records of customer interactions, facilitating informed decision-making and strategic planning for future engagements. 
• Collaborative integration: Foster teamwork and synergy among sales teams through centralized platforms for information sharing and collaborative efforts. 

7. Performance analysis and enhancement  

• Analytical insight: Harness the analytical capabilities of CRM tools to evaluate sales performance metrics, identifying areas for improvement and refining strategies for optimized results. 

In summary, a powerful CRM like LeadSquared streamlines sales planning by centralizing data, enabling accurate forecasting, supporting activity planning, managing leads and opportunities, facilitating customer segmentation, promoting communication and collaboration, and providing performance analytics for continuous improvement.  

With LeadSquared, your sales plan transforms into a dynamic roadmap, driving efficiency, maximizing opportunities, and propelling your business to unprecedented success. Ready to transform your sales planning and propel your business to new heights? 

Book a demo!  

Conclusion 

A solid sales plan is the cornerstone of a successful business strategy, guiding your team towards achieving revenue goals and fostering long-term customer relationships.  

As you delve into the intricacies of sales planning, consider the game-changing capabilities offered by LeadSquared. This all-in-one CRM solution seamlessly centralizes customer data, refines sales forecasting, streamlines lead management, and enhances team collaboration.  

A good sales plan clearly outlines revenue targets, identifies key customer segments, and incorporates strategies as per your market segment and competition. 

A sales plan is only effective if it reflects a thorough understanding of your customers and your sales team. What do your customers want and is your team equipped to deliver?   To know the answer to that, you need real-time analytics.  These analytics serve as a compass guiding your sales plan and ensuring it stays relevant. 

That depends entirely on the market and its components, including shifts in customer behaviour, trends in your niche and competitor strategies.  However, a general rule of thumb calls for a quarterly assessment of your sales plan and its effectiveness. 

Saleha Mariam is a marketing enthusiast with an affinity for all things business and a fondness for the written word. She is presently interning at LeadSquared as a Content Writer. You can reach her on LinkedIn or write to her at [email protected]

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How to create a sales plan in 7 Steps

A sales plan is the first step toward defining your sales strategy , sales goals and how you’ll reach them.

A refined sales plan is a go-to resource for your reps. It helps them better understand their role, responsibilities, targets, tactics and methods. When done right, it gives your reps all the information they need to perform at their highest level.

In this article, we outline what a sales plan is and why it’s important to create one. We also offer a step-by-step guide on how to make a sales plan with examples of each step.

What is a sales plan and why create one?

Your sales plan is a roadmap that outlines how you’ll hit your revenue targets, who your target market is, the activities needed to achieve your goals and any roadblocks you may need to overcome.

Many business leaders see their sales plan as an extension of the traditional business plan. The business plan contains strategic and revenue goals across the organization, while the sales plan lays out how to achieve them.

The benefits of a sales plan

A successful sales plan will keep all your reps focused on the right activities and ensure they’re working toward the same outcome. It will also address your company's specific needs. For example, you might choose to write a 30- , 60- or 90-day sales plan depending on your current goals and the nature of your business.

Say your ultimate goal for the next quarter is $250,000 in new business. A strategic sales plan will outline the objective, the strategies that will help you get there and how you’ll execute and measure those strategies. It will allow your whole team to collaborate and ensure you achieve it together.

Many salespeople are driven by action and sometimes long-term sales planning gets neglected in favor of short-term results.

While this may help them hit their quota, the downside is the lack of systems in place. Instead, treat sales processes as a system with steps you can improve. If reps are doing wildly different things, it’s hard to uncover what’s working and what’s not. A strategic sales plan can optimize your team’s performance and keep them on track using repeatable systems.

With this in mind, let’s explore the seven components of an effective sales plan

1. Company mission and positioning

To work toward the same company goals, everyone in your organization must understand what your organization is trying to achieve and where in the market you position yourself.

To help define your mission and positioning, involve your sales leaders in all areas of the business strategy. Collaborating and working toward the same goals is impossible if those goals are determined by only a select group of stakeholders.

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To get a handle on the company’s mission and positioning, take the following steps:

Collaborate with marketing: Your marketing teams live and breathe the positioning of your company. Take the time to talk to each function within the department, from demand generation to performance marketing to learn what they know.

Interview customer success teams: Customer support reps speak with your existing customers every day. Interview them to find common questions and pain points.

Talk to your customers: Customer insights are a foundational part of any positioning strategy. Speak directly with existing and new customers to find out what they love about your product or service.

Read your company blog: Those in charge of content production have a strong understanding of customer needs. Check out blog articles and ebooks to familiarize yourself with customer language and common themes.

Look for mentions around the web: How are other people talking about your organization? Look for press mentions, social media posts, articles and features that mention your products and services.

These insights can provide context around how your company is currently positioned in the market.

Finally, speak with the team in charge of defining the company’s positioning. Have a list of questions and use the time to find out why they made certain decisions. Here are some examples:

What important insights from the original target audience research made you create our positioning statement?

What competitor research led us to position ourselves in this way? Does this significantly differentiate us from the crowd? How?

What core ideals and values drove us to make these promises in our positioning statement? Have they shifted in any way since we launched? If so, what motivates these promises now?

How to communicate mission and positioning

In this section of the sales plan, include the following information:

Company mission : Why your company exists and the value you’re determined to bring to the market.

Competition: Who your direct competitors (those who offer similar products and services) and indirect competitors (brands who solve the same problem in different ways) are.

Value propositions: The features, benefits and solutions your product delivers.

What is brand positioning: The ultimate guide with 4 examples

2. Goals and targets

Define your revenue goals and the other targets sales are responsible for.

As mentioned earlier, sales goals are usually aligned with business goals. Your boardroom members typically establish the company’s revenue goals and it’s your job to achieve them.

Revenue goals will shape how you plan for sales strategy development. Use them to reverse engineer quotas, sales activity and the staff you need to execute them.

Break your big-picture revenue goal down further into sales targets and activity targets for your team. Activities are the specific actions you and your reps can control, while sales targets are the results provided by those activities.

9 steps to creating the perfect sales strategy (with free template)

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10 predictable revenue hacks to grow your sales

Use data on sales activity and performance from previous years to calculate sales targets. You should break this down by pipeline stage and activity conducted by reps across all functions.

For example, how many cold emails does it take to generate a deal? What is the average lifetime value (LTV) of your customer?

Breaking down these numbers allows you to accurately forecast what it will take to achieve your new revenue goal.

This part of your sales plan might include setting goals like the following:

200 total cold emails sent per day

200 total cold calls made per day

25 demos conducted per day

5 new sales appointments made a day

100 follow-up emails sent per day

Breaking down your goals into specific activities will also reveal the expertise needed for each activity and any required changes to your organizational structure, which will come into play in the next step.

How to communicate goals and targets

Within this section of the sales plan, include the following information:

Revenue goals : Reverse engineer the boardroom revenue goals to identify achievable sales goals and the number of staff needed to reach them. Sales targets : Use data on sales activity and past performance to define quotas and metrics for each stage of the sales pipeline.

Expertise needed for each activity: What qualities and attributes do your staff need to achieve these predefined activities? How much experience do they need vs. what can be learned on the job?

3. Sales organization and team structure

Identify the talent and expertise you need to achieve your goals.

For example, a marketing agency that depends on strong relationships will benefit more from a business development executive than a sales development representative (SDR) .

Use the targets established in the previous section to identify who you need to hire for your team. For example, if the average sales development rep can send 20 cold emails a day and you need to send 200 to achieve your goals, you’ll need around ten reps to hit your targets.

Include the information for each team member in a table in your sales plan. Here is an example.

Visualizing each role helps all stakeholders understand who they’re hiring and the people they’re responsible for. It allows them to collaborate on the plan and identify the critical responsibilities and qualities of their ideal candidates.

You want to avoid micromanaging , but now is a good time to ask your existing teams to report on the time spent on certain activities. Keeping a timesheet will give you an accurate forecast of how long certain activities take and the capacity of each rep.

How to communicate your sales organization and team structure

Team structure: These are the functions that make up your overall sales organization. The roles of SDR, business development and account teams must be well-defined.

Roles and responsibilities: These are the roles you need to hire, along with the tasks they’re responsible for. This will help you produce job descriptions that attract great talent.

Salary and compensation: How will the company remunerate your teams? Having competitive salaries, compensation schemes and sales incentives will attract top performers and keep them motivated.

Timeline: Attempting to hire dozens of people at once is tough. Prioritize hiring based on how critical each role is for executing your plan. Take a phased hiring approach to onboard new reps with the attention they deserve.

Building a sales team: How to set your group up for success

4. Target audience and customer segments

A sales plan is useless without knowing who to sell to. Having clearly defined customer personas and ideal customer profiles will help you tailor your selling techniques to companies and buyers.

Whether you’re looking to break into a new market or expand your reach in your current one, start by clearly defining which companies you’re looking to attract. Include the following criteria:

Industries: Which markets and niches do you serve? Are there certain sub-segments of those industries that you specialize in?

Headcount: How many employees do your best accounts have within their organization?

Funding: Have they secured one or several rounds of funding?

Find out as much as you can about their organizational challenges. This may include growth hurdles, hiring bottlenecks and even barriers created by legislation.

Learn about your buyers within those target accounts, learn about your buyers. Understanding your buyers and personalizing your sales tactics for them will help you strengthen your customer relationships.

These insights will change as your business grows. Enterprise companies may wish to revisit their personas as they move upmarket. For small businesses and startups, your target audience will evolve as you find product-market fit.

It’s important to constantly revisit this part of your sales plan. Even if your goals and methodologies are the same, always have your finger on the pulse of your customer’s priorities.

How to communicate target audience and customer segments

Profile: Include basic information about their role, what their career journey looks like and the common priorities within their personal lives.

Demographics : Add more information about their age, income and living situation. Demographic information can help tailor your message to align with the language used across different generations.

Attributes: Assess their personality. Are they calm or assertive? Do they handle direct communication themselves or have an assistant? Use these identifying attributes to communicate effectively.

Challenges: Think about the hurdles this persona is trying to overcome. How does it affect their work and what’s the impact on them personally?

Goals: Analyze how these challenges are preventing them from achieving their goals. Why are these goals important to them?

Support: Use this insight to define how your product or service will help these people overcome challenges and achieve their goals.

Behavioral segmentation: What is it and how can it drive engagement and loyalty

5. Sales strategies and methodologies

Define your sales approach. This includes the strategies, techniques and methodologies you’ll use to get your offering out to market.

This part of your sales plan may end up being the largest. It will outline every practical area of your sales strategy: your sales stages, methodologies and playbooks.

Start by mapping out each stage of your sales process. What are the steps needed to guide a prospect through your deal flow?

9 essential sales stages

Traditionally, a sales process has nine sales stages :

Prospecting and lead generation : Your marketing strategy should deliver leads, but sales reps should boost this volume with their own prospecting efforts.

Qualification: Measure those leads against your target account criteria and customer personas. Ensure they’re a good fit, prioritizing your time on high-value relationships.

Reaching out to new leads : Initiate emails to your target customers to guide new leads into the sales funnel. This outreach activity includes cold calling and direct mail.

Appointment setting: Schedule a demo, discovery call or consultation.

Defining needs: After the initial meeting, you’ll understand your prospect’s problems and how your product or service can solve them.

Presentation: Reveal the solution. This can be in the form of a proposal, custom service packages or a face-to-face sales pitch .

Negotiation: Dedicate this stage to overcoming any objections your prospect may have.

Winning the deal: Turn your prospects into customers by closing deals and signing contracts.

Referrals : Fostering loyalty is an organization-wide activity. Delight your customers and encourage them to refer their friends.

Not all of these stages will be relevant to your organization. For example, a SaaS company that relies on inbound leads may do much of the heavy lifting during the initial meeting and sales demo . On the other hand, an exclusive club whose members must meet certain criteria (say, a minimum net worth) would focus much of their sales activity on referrals.

Map out your sales process to identify the stages you use. Your sales process should look something like this:

To determine your sales methodologies, break each sales stage down into separate activities, along with the stakeholder responsible for them.

With your sales activities laid out, you can do in-depth research into the techniques and methodologies you need to execute them. For example, if you sell a complex product with lengthy sales cycles , you could adopt a SPIN selling methodology to identify pain points and craft the best solution for leads.

Finally, use these stages and methodologies to form your sales playbooks . This will help you structure your sales training plan and create playbooks your reps can go back to for guidance.

How to communicate sales strategies and methodologies

Within this section of the sales plan, include the following:

Sales stages: The different steps required to convert prospects into paying customers.

Sales methodologies: The different practices and approaches you’ll adopt to shape your sales strategy.

Sales playbooks: The tactics, techniques and sales strategy templates needed to guide contacts throughout each stage of the sales process.

6. Sales action plan

You have the “who” and the “what”. Now you must figure out “when” to execute your sales plan.

A well-structured sales action plan communicates when the team will achieve key milestones. It outlines timeframes for when they’ll complete certain projects and activities, as well as the recruitment timelines for each quarter.

The order in which you implement your sales action plan depends on your priorities. Many sales organizations prefer to front-load the activity that will make a bigger impact on the bottom line.

For example, when analyzing your current sales process and strategy, you may find your existing customers are a rich source of qualified leads . Therefore, it would make sense to nurture more of these relationships using a structured referral program.

You must also consider how recruitment will affect the workload in your team. Hire too quickly and you may end up spending more time training new reps and neglecting your existing team. However, taking too long to recruit could overload your existing team. Either can make a big impact on culture and deal flow.

To complete your sales action plan, get all stakeholders involved in deciding timelines. When applying this to your sales plan, use GANTT charts and tables to visualize projects and key milestones.

A GANTT chart shows you the main activities, their completion dates and if there are any overlaps. Here is an example:

By prioritizing each activity and goal, you can create a plan that balances short-term results with long-term investment.

How to communicate your sales action plan

Key milestones : When do you aim to complete your projects, activities and recruitment efforts? You can map them out by week, month, quarter or all of the above. Let your revenue goals and priorities lead your schedule.

Short- and long-term goal schedules: With a high-level schedule mapped out, you can see when you will achieve your goals. From here, you can shape your schedule so that it balances both short- and long-term goals.

7. Performance and results measurement

Finally, your plan must detail how you measure performance. Outline your most important sales metrics and activities, how you’ll track them and what technology you’ll need to track them.

Structure this part of your plan by breaking down each sales stage. Within these sections, list out the metrics you’ll need to ensure you’re running a healthy sales pipeline.

Performance metrics can indicate the effectiveness of your entire sales process. Your chosen metrics typically fall into two categories:

Primary metrics act as your “true north” guide. This is commonly new business revenue generated.

Secondary metrics are those that indicate how well specific areas of your sales process are performing. These include lead response time and average purchase value.

The metrics you select must closely align with your goals and sales activities. For example, at the appointment setting stage, you might measure the number of demos conducted.

Each team also needs its own sales dashboard to ensure reps are hitting their targets. Sales development reps will have different priorities from account executives, so it’s critical they have the sales tools to focus on what’s important to them.

Finally, research and evaluate the technology you’ll need to accurately measure these metrics. Good CRM software is the best system to use for bringing your data together.

How to communicate sales performance metrics

Sales stage metrics : Identify the metrics for each specific sales stage and make sure they align with your KPIs.

Chosen sales dashboard: Explain why you chose your sales dashboard technology and exactly how it works.

Performance measurement: Outline exactly how and what tech you will use to measure your team’s activities and metrics.

How to track, measure and improve your team’s sales performance

Developing a sales plan involves conducting market research, assessing current sales performance , identifying sales opportunities and challenges, setting measurable goals, creating a sales strategy, allocating resources and establishing a monitoring and evaluation framework.

To write a sales business plan, include:

An executive summary

A company overview

A market analysis

A target market description

Sales strategies and tactics

Financial projections

A budget and timeline

Make sure that you clearly articulate your value proposition, competitive advantage and growth strategies.

Final thoughts

An effective sales plan is an invaluable asset for your sales team . Although you now know how to create a sales plan, you should remember to make one that works for your team. Writing one helps with your sales strategy planning and aids you in defining targets, metrics and processes. Distributing the sales plan helps your reps understand what you expect of them and how they can reach their goals.

Providing supportive, comprehensive resources is the best way to motivate your team and inspire hard work. When you do the work to build a solid foundation, you equip your reps with everything they need to succeed.

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10 Free Sales Plan Templates in Word, Excel, & ClickUp

Praburam Srinivasan

Growth Marketing Manager

August 12, 2024

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Every sales team wants to win more leads and close more deals. But how do you make that happen? With a solid sales plan, of course!

A sales plan gives your team a way to focus on your goals while taking only the necessary steps to get there. It has everything you need to win, which means it’s often a comprehensive guide—and that takes time.

And we’re guessing you’re already pressed for time. ⏲️

Fortunately, creating a plan doesn’t have to be complicated—with the right template, you can simplify the process.

That’s why we’re sharing this list of the best sales plan templates. Not only are these sales strategy templates absolutely free but they’ll also save you time so you can start closing those deals faster. ⚡

What Is a Sales Plan and Why Create One?

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A sales plan is your roadmap for how to make sales effectively. Think of it in the same way that a business plan guides the strategy for your company or a marketing plan sets out how you’ll find, reach, and serve your ideal customers.

A good sales plan sets out your sales goals , objectives, and sales activities. It considers your target audience, brand, products, services, and needs—and covers which sales tactics and strategies you’ll use to close deals, as well as which metrics you’ll use to measure success.

Your sales plan is a practical plan that outlines who’s responsible for what, the resources you’ll need, and the overall goals you’re working toward. Without one, your sales team will feel lost and struggle to connect with your customer base.

With a strategic sales plan, though, the sales manager and the entire team will know exactly what you’re trying to achieve and the steps needed to get there. 📚

How to choose the best sales plan template

There are so many different sales plan templates out there. Some are designed for specific niche audiences, while others are more generic and easier to customize. How do you know which is the right template for you?

When you’re thinking about using a sales plan template, consider the following:

• Ease of use: Is the template easy to use? Will everyone in the team structure and sales planning process be able to understand it fully?
• Customization: Can I personalize the template to match my sales goals?

• Sales Collaboration : Can my sales team work on this template together?
• Integrations: When I create a sales plan, can I integrate this template with other aspects of my sales pipeline or workflow, like task management?
• Artificial intelligence: Can I use a built-in AI writing tool or copywriting tool to help me complete the template? Are there sales automation features that speed up the process?
• Platform: Which sales app is this template for? Do I have it already, or should I invest in it? What’s the pricing like?

Asking yourself these questions will help you figure out what your needs are, so you can then choose a template to match.

Now that you have a better idea of what you’re looking for, let’s explore what’s out there. Take a look at our hand-picked selection of the best sales plan templates available today for Microsoft Word and sales enablement tools like ClickUp.

Smart sales teams use a sales plan to map out their route to success. The best sales teams use the Sales Plan Template by ClickUp to simplify the process and ensure they don’t leave anything out.

This template is designed with all the structure you need to create a comprehensive sales plan that can drive results. Use this template to set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) business goals; plan strategies and tactics; and organize all your sales ideas in one place.

The list-style template is split into sections that cover the executive summary all the way through to specific tactics and strategies. Beneath this, you can arrange tasks and subtasks, and see the progress at a glance. View task titles, deadlines, who’s responsible, approval status, and a visual progress bar.

Use this template if you want to consolidate all your sales tasks and initiatives in one area. Add your sales tasks and tactics, then tag team members so you can see what’s happening and hold everyone accountable. ✅

While sales and marketing teams often work independently, sometimes it’s useful to collaborate on shared goals. With the Sales and Marketing Plan Template by ClickUp , you can organize and run your sales and operations from one location.

Our collaborative template makes it easy to set sales and marketing goals and objectives, visualize your tasks, work together on sales and marketing campaigns, and track your results in real-time. View the status of your sales and marketing projects, adjust your plans, and monitor your key performance indicators (KPIs)—all from one view.

This sales and marketing plan template allows you to split your tasks into sections. The examples in the template include revenue goals, competitive analysis, and action items, but you can customize these to match your needs exactly.

View tasks beneath these categories to see at a glance whether there are any roadblocks when a task is due, and who is responsible for it.

Add this template to your collection if you want to work more collaboratively with your marketing team—especially on preparing assets for sales calls or outreach programs. 📞

Before you can plan your sales tactics, you first need to decide what your overall goals are. The Sales Strategy Guide Template by ClickUp is your go-to resource for determining your approach.

This sales process template explains the benefits of having a well-defined approach and gives you a central place to create, review, and store your own. Everyone on your team can then access your sales strategy guide to help them understand what to do when prospecting and closing deals.

Our sales goals and strategy guide template is presented in a document format. Some sections and headings allow you to split your guide into different areas, making it easier to read and understand.

Use the prompts to fill out your own strategy guide details like your target market, sales strategies, and how you’ll monitor progress.

Use this sales strategy guide template to create a resource for your team. Make it the only destination for everything your sales reps need to know to execute an effective sales plan. 📝

Sales strategies are a must-have for any great sales team, but beyond that, you need a way to record and monitor specific tasks or initiatives. That’s where the Sales Pipeline Template by ClickUp comes in handy whether you need a visual into sales forecasting or your specific sales goals.

This sales pipeline template gives you one place to store all your daily sales-related tasks. With this template, it’s easy to work toward your sales goals, track leads, map out each step of the sales process, and organize all your tasks in one place.

You can view a task’s title, assignee, status, due date, complexity level, start date, and department—or customize the experience with your own custom fields.

With ClickUp’s Sales KPI Template , you and your team can create and manage goals surrounding your sales initiatives. See instantly what’s in progress and when it’s due, alongside the task’s impact level.

This allows you to identify high-priority tasks to focus on and to react quickly if it looks like there’s a roadblock.

This sales KPI template includes:

• Custom Statuses: Create tasks with custom statuses such as Open and Complete to keep track of the progress of each KPI
• Custom Fields: Utilize 15 different custom attributes such as Upsell Attempts, Value of Quotes, Product Cost, No of Quotes by Unit, Repeat Sales Revenue, to save vital KPI information and easily visualize performance data
• Custom Views: Open 4 different views in different ClickUp configurations, such as the Weekly Report, Monthly Report, Revenue Board per Month, and Getting Started Guide so that all the information is easy to access and organized
• Project Management: Improve KPI tracking with tagging, dependency warnings, emails, and more

This template gives you a simple way to see which tasks are complete or in progress, so you can monitor the progress of your project and crush your sales KPIs. 📈

While there’s not a huge difference in the way we market to business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) customers these days, it’s still useful to have specific templates for niche needs. If you’re driving sales in the B2B space, you need the B2B Sales Strategy Template by ClickUp .

Like our first sales plan template, this one gives you space to communicate your sales objectives and revenue targets, but it also introduces other areas—like market research, stakeholder analysis, customer relationships, buyer persona, and customer pain points.

This document-style template is highly customizable so you can make it match your brand style and sales approach. Fill in each section and use the supplied prompts to complete your B2B sales strategy document even faster.

Add this template to your collection if you’re working in B2B sales and want to approach your process in a more organized way. Use the template to build a strong sales strategy, then share it with the rest of your sales team so they know how to execute against your sales and company goals. 🎯

ClickUp’s Sales Calls Template is designed to streamline the sales process, from tracking contacts and calls to managing sales opportunities.

The template includes custom statuses for creating unique workflows, ensuring that every call and client interaction is accounted for. It also provides an easy-to-use Sales CRM to manage and track leads, visualize sales opportunities in the sales funnel, and keep all contacts organized.

With additional features like the Sales Phone Calls SOP Template, sales professionals can empower their teams to make every call count and close more deals. ClickUp’s Sales Calls Template is a versatile solution for sales teams, aiding in everything from daily calls to long-term sales forecasting.

We’re big advocates of using ClickUp as the go-to place to store everything about your sales workflow, but if you’re limited to using Microsoft Word or Google Docs, then this template is a great option.

This sales business plan template has sections for your executive summary, mission statement, target customers, sales targets, benchmarks, and more. Each section has useful prompts to guide you on completing your new sales plan.

Use this template if you’re tied to using Microsoft Word and want a comprehensive guide on how to create your own sales plan or sales strategy. 📄

If you want a free sales plan template or want to choose from a variety of options, this collection of Word templates by TemplateLab is a good place to do that.

There’s a wide range of options available including sales process plans, lead generation plans, sales action plans, and sales report templates . Each template works with Microsoft Word, and you can customize the look and feel to match your brand or your sales goals.

Use this resource if you prefer to see a range of templates on one page, or if you’re not sure exactly what you’re looking for until you see it. You can easily set your sales goals and the action steps needed to achieve them. 📃

Successful sales strategies need to be integrated with other teams—like your marketing department—to ensure your sales objectives are clear and possibly align with the overall marketing strategy too. Choose your specific sales goals, set revenue targets, and describe everything in detail with these Word sales planning and sales process templates.

The Excel Sales Plan Template by Spreadsheet.com is a comprehensive and user-friendly tool designed to assist businesses in developing effective sales strategies and managing their sales activities.

T his template is crafted with the aim of providing a structured framework for sales planning, enabling organizations to set clear objectives, track performance, and optimize their sales processes.

Types of Sales Strategies

It’s essential to know that there isn’t a single ‘best’ strategy that will work for every business or every sales team. It all depends on your business goals, the nature of your product or service, your audience demographics, and various other factors. Here’s an overview of some of the most common types of sales strategies that you may consider incorporating into your sales plan:

Solution Selling: This strategy involves identifying a problem that your prospective customer is experiencing and positioning your product or service as the best solution. This requires a deep understanding of your customers’ pain points and how your offerings can address those issues.

Value Selling: Value selling is a strategy often used in B2B sales where the focus is on communicating the overall value that a product or service brings to a customer’s business. It involves demonstrating how features and benefits translate to significant returns on investment, savings, or productivity gains for your customer.

Social Selling: With the prevalence of social media platforms in today’s business landscape, social selling has become highly effective. It involves using social networks like LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook to find and engage with potential customers. By providing useful content, answering questions, and engaging in conversations, salespeople can build relationships and generate leads.

Inbound Selling: Inbound selling puts the customer first. It’s a sales methodology that focuses on personalizing the sales experience based on where the buyer is in their journey. This strategy aligns sales efforts with buyer needs to provide solutions that are the best fit for their individual challenges.

Consultative Selling: This strategy involves acting as a trusted adviser to potential customers. The focus is on building relationships, understanding the needs and problems of the customer, and then recommending solutions. It’s more about dialogue and less about pitching.

Account-Based Selling : Account-based selling is a strategic approach that treats individual accounts as markets of their own. It involves crafting personalized buying experiences that cater to the unique needs and challenges of high-value accounts.

Each of these sales strategies can bring efficiency and effectiveness to your sales process. However, the key to success is understanding and selecting which strategy aligns best with your business model and customer base. Then, incorporate it into your sales plan and support it with the right sales plan template.

Sales Planning Tips and Strategies

Planning is a crucial aspect for a successful sales strategy. Here are some valuable tips and strategies to boost your sales planning process:

1. Set Clear Objectives: Clearly outline what you want to achieve. Your objectives are your guiding light, providing a direction for your sales planning. These objectives should align with broader business goals.

2. Understand Your Audience: Research extensively about your target audience. Understand their needs, desires, and pain points. The more you know about your potential customers, the better you’ll be able to position your product or service effectively.

3. Implement SMART Goals : Your sales plan should be based on SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound) goals. This way, your goals will be clear, realistic, and trackable.

4. Stay Informed about Market Trends: Business environments are constantly changing. Stay updated with the latest industry trends and competitor strategies to keep your sales plan agile and effective.

5. Incorporate Sales Tools: The effective use of technology can completely transform your sales process. Build your sales tech stack with CRM software , data analytics, and sales project management platforms like ClickUp to automate processes and give your sales team a high-impact lift.

6. Regularly Review and Adjust Your Plan: Your sales plan should be a dynamic document. Regularly revisiting and adjusting your plan based on performance metrics, market changes, or shifts in company goals ensures that your sales strategy remains relevant and effective.

7. Train and Empower Your Sales Team: The success of any plan lies in its execution. Provide your sales team with proper training and resources they need to effectively implement the sales plan. Encourage them to also bring innovative ideas to the table.

8. Customer Retention: Don’t just focus on acquiring new customers. Implement strategies in your sales plan to retain existing customers as it’s often more cost-effective to maintain a loyal customer base than to constantly seek out new ones.

9. Refine Your Sales Pitch: Ensure your value proposition is strong and compelling. Your sales pitch should highlight the unique values and benefits of your product or service.

10. Measure Performance: Use key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of your sales plan. This can provide valuable insights about what’s working and what needs to be improved.

By incorporating these sales planning tips and strategies into your processes, you can improve your sales plan’s effectiveness and increase your chances of success. As always, keep an open mind to adjustments and improvements along the way!

Reach Sales Goals With Free Sales Strategy Templates

A strategic sales plan makes it easier to achieve your goals. Give your team the guidance and support they need with the help of a well-crafted free sales plan template.

If you’re considering making even more improvements in how you work, try ClickUp for free . We don’t just have incredible sales process templates: Our range of features and AI tools for sales make it easy for you to optimize and run your entire sales funnel and CRM system from one place. ✨

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Create a Sales Plan That Actually Works (Tips + Template)

• January 21, 2021

True success always starts with a plan. And for sales success, nothing beats a strategic sales plan.

Designed specifically to help your sales team drive more sales, a sales plan can show you where you’re at, where you want to be, and even more important, how to get there.

The question, of course, is how to create a sales plan that actually impacts sales. Keep reading for tips and a template to quickly and confidently create a strategic sales plan for your business.

Table of Contents

What is a sales plan, what is included in a sales plan, sales plan examples: there’s no one right way, the benefits of a sales plan, how to write a sales plan, 7 tips to help you create a sales plan, sales strategy template, selling your sales plan, final remarks.

A sales plan is a strategy document that lays out a company’s plan for improving sales results in a specified time period. A sales plan makes it possible for everyone on the sales team to see the big picture, share the same overall objectives, and work the same plan to achieve them.

It usually includes:

• Specific revenue and performance goals for a given period
• The strategies for achieving them
• The resources and activities required to carry out those strategies

A sales plan covers a lot of important aspects of business growth: revenue goals, selling methods and metrics, target customers, current sales force capabilities, and more.

Specifically, it covers 9 pieces of strategic information.

1. Executive Summary and Scope of The Sales Plan

This section gives a short summary of the document, focusing on goals and the strategies to achieve them. It also states the specific period and other parameters covered by the plan.

2. Business Goals and Revenue Targets

This section clearly establishes revenue targets and may include associated business goals (e.g., optimize lifecycle value through customer success programs, etc). Classifying revenue figures based on different categories (such as line and territory) helps clarify the document.

3. Review of Prior Period Performance

This section presents a recap of the prior period’s performance, identifying mistakes as well as decisive actions that led to a positive outcome. The overarching goal is to optimize the sales plan by adopting inputs and techniques that work.

4. Market and Industry Conditions

This section provides a summary of the market trends that have a high likelihood of influencing sales performance.

5. Strategies, Methodologies, and Tactics

This section recommends the best selling techniques, communication sequences, and playbooks for the specific company.

6. Customer Segments

This section cites all the potential revenue-generating, omnichannel opportunities available for the brand, such as the following:

• Cross-sells
• New Prospects
• New Segments

The document should describe new segments of the addressable market when they arise.

7. Team Capabilities, Resources, and Upgrades

This section provides a summary and describes the current state of all production inputs (human resources, tech software, specialized sales team, etc.,) required to process and close sales details.

8. Action Plan For Teams and Individuals

This section assigns tasks, activities, and responsibilities to different teams and individuals. Tasks include prospecting activities, meeting appointments, and product demos/presentations.

9. Performance Benchmarks & Monitoring

This section lays out performance metrics to track the systems and processes that help monitor these metrics.

What usually comes to mind when you think about sales plans?

If you’re like most people, it’s the annual sales plan or weekly sales plan — broad strategic and tactical documents mapping out the plan for everything sales-related.

But there are as many different types of sales plans as there are needs for a sales plan.

We’ll go over a few sales plan examples to get you started in the right direction.

30-60-90-day Sales Plan

There’s the 30-60-90-day sales plan. This is designed to help a new salesperson or sales manager get up to speed quickly in their first quarter on the job. The plan includes milestones they’d need to achieve at the 30th, 60th, and 90th day of their ramp-up.

Generally, the  30-60-90-day sales plan  can be broken down into 3 sections:

Day 1 to 30: 

Learn and understand everything you can about a company from their processes, customers, products, the competition to procedures.

Day 31 to 60:

Evaluate and put your plan into action. Analyze their current processes and assess changes.

Day 61 to 90:

Optimize and make the plan better. It is time to take action. Initiate an action plan. Implement any new strategies and procedures you’ve come up with.

Sales Plan For Specific Sales

A sales process involves using different tactics to approach and convert a prospect into a paying customer.

Another type of sales plan you’ll see a lot is an individual sales plan for specific sales tactics, such as prescribed call sequences,  email follow-up  frequency, and meeting appointments. This type of plan is similar to an annual/weekly sales plan, but it focuses on measuring and improving results for just one goal or task.

Territory Sales Plan

Meanwhile, sales managers who oversee a geo-location or region often use territory sales plans to give sales directors and VPs more visibility into their sales efforts.

This is a workable plan used to target the right customers and implement goals to increase the income generated and sales over time.

A good territory sales plan will:

• Make your team more productive
• Reduce operational costs
• Increase the number of generated sales
• Improve your customer coverage
• Improve working relationships between clients and managers

Note: It is essential to work on your territory sales plan and avoid making constant changes. Unnecessary changes can tamper with your productivity and your ‘territory’ in general.

Sales Training Plan

And there are sales plans for every area of sales. Sales Enablement might have a sales training plan, for example, and  Revenue Ops  might have a sales compensation plan.

A sales training plan can be used as a roadmap for different sales training programs. It can be grouped according to positions held in an organization, assets, sales record etc.

A sales compensation plan is an umbrella for base salary, incentives and commission that make up a sales representative earnings.

Therefore, you can schedule a sales training plan to talk to your sales team about the importance of a sales compensation plan and how they can use it to increase revenue and drive performance.

Sales Budget Plan

Lastly, a sales budget plan gives you a  sales forecast  for a given period based on factors that could impact revenue — like industry trends and entry to a new market segment. Similar to a traditional sales plan, they cover the staff, tools, marketing campaigns, and other resources needed to generate the target revenue.

A good sales budget plan  should include the following:

Sales forecasting: 

The process of estimating future sales by predicting the number of units a salesperson or team can sell over a certain period, i.e. week, month, year, etc.

Anticipated expenses: 

Include the number of costs your team is likely going to incur. Remember to have even the smallest expenses to estimate the average sales.

Expect the unexpected: 

Always leave room for unforeseen circumstances in your sales budget. For example, new packaging expenses, new competitive market strategies etc.

A sales plan does deliver side benefits (such as promoting discipline and diligence), but it’s really about making sure your sales don’t dry up over time. Which means it’s not optional.

The reality is this: Most of us aren’t planners. We talk a good game, but nothing happens until we’re accountable.

Without a written plan, it’s just talk.

So the first benefit of a sales plan is that it helps you execute on all your best ideas. But that’s not all. A good sales plan will also help you:

• Keep your sales team on the same page, aiming for the same target and focusing on the same priorities.
• Clarify your goals and revenue objectives for a given period.
• Give your team direction, focus, and purpose.
• Adopt a unified set of strategies and playbooks to reach your business and revenue goals.
• Know what your team capabilities are and be able to isolate your needs, from tools to talent and other resources.
• Inspire and  motivate  stakeholders.
• Track your progress and optimize performance over time.

A sales plan is a pretty straightforward document. It doesn’t need to be written in a formal language or pass your compliance review. It just needs to outline your plans for the coming period, whether that’s a year, a quarter, or a month.

While there are 9 sections in the sales plan template, much of the document simply validates your ideas. The most important pieces of information are:

1. Your goals

Setting smart goals for you and your team  is an essential part of creating a sales plan. I believe the biggest mistake you can make when setting goals is solely focusing on numbers.

Smart sales goals should be actively focused on. If it helps, use goal-setting and planning frameworks such as SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). Create goals that stretch your capabilities, but that seems doable based on your new strategy.

2. Your SWOT analysis

SWOT — short for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats — is one of the best frameworks for analyzing your sales team’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and strengths. It helps you to build a bulletproof wall around your plan.

You’ll be able to address what you’re lacking, the areas that need improvement, identify your USP (Unique Selling Point),  come up with Value-Based Selling , and your most vital points and how you can exploit them to your advantage.

3. Your strategy

Your sales strategy should be documented to help position your products and services to differentiate your solution from competitors.

A good strategy will help you address your customers’ needs in every stage of your sales plan. For better sales, you can balance  inbound and outbound sales strategies  for even higher sales.

4. Your tactics

Be aware, though, it’s not just a wish list or a collection of ideas. Your sales plan should be based on actual field data and only use benchmarks and quantities that are measurable. Be clear. Be specific. Be actionable.

Which brings me to another point: A good sales plan is realistic.

It’s fine to have a 5-year goal of hitting $10B. But what about now? Figure out exactly what your current numbers are, and set your targets based on those numbers.

I already mentioned that your sales plan doesn’t have to be a formal document. But it does need to be clearly written, so all team members and stakeholders understand the plan.

Tip #1: Base it on in-depth and up-to-date research

You need relevant  statistics  and trends in your niche, industry, and ideal customers. Remember, markets and customers are in a constant state of flux. There’s nothing worse than stubbornly chasing prospects who aren’t a good fit anymore while ignoring entire market segments that show a rising demand for your solutions.

Tip #2: Use data and statistics

Use the data from your in-depth research to identify problem areas, find points of opportunity in your sales process, and validate your assumptions and ideas.

You can also use the data to come up with accurate metrics and figures to help predict your sales plan’s outcome.

Tip #3: Verify your facts

Accuracy matters!

Don’t rush! Facts and figures are essential, especially to stakeholders. One simple mistake and your entire plan come tumbling down.

Ensure you take time to review your facts, figures, and forecasts before finalizing the document.

Tip #4: Get tactical

Break the overall sales action plan into tactical plans for individual areas of sales:

• SDRs and account executives
• Sales operations
• Sales enablement
• Customer success

This may require collaboration with  cross-functional teams  such as marketing, customer support, and product teams.

Tip #5: Use Historical Performance Data

In sales, you can use the past to dictate the future. Historical data will help you set targets for the current period. For example, what were your previous revenue targets? Did you hit them? Why or why not? This information can help you set achievable goals for your current sales plan and know the mistakes to avoid.

Tip #6: List The Tracking Methods You’ll Use

Highlight the tracking methods you’ll use to keep your plan moving forward. That includes performance metrics, monitoring techniques, software, tools, and  selling strategies  for your business model.

Tip #7: Build a Strong Case For Your Proposed Budget

Stakeholders and superiors are impressed with cold-hard facts. Therefore, having a strong detailed case for your budget will help your sales plan smoothly sail through.

Not only will you outline your plans for the coming period for your budget, but you’ll also need to detail the costs. Be sure to include an ROI analysis for any new tools or talent you think you’ll need.

Are you ready to write your own sales strategy? Here is a sales plan template to help you get started. Here’s how to use the sales plan template to make it useful to you:

Start by using the Sales Plan Template we’ll give you in the next section. Just follow the prompts in the template, so you know what information is needed in each section. Don’t try to be fancy. Use simple language. Focus on being specific and clear.

Then share information in whatever format works best. That may be text paragraphs, tables, lists, charts, graphics, or screenshots. You can also adapt it as needed to suit your business, your sales team, and your needs.

A sales plan should contain the following sections:

1. Executive Summary

This is your opening ‘statement’. It is a formal summary that sum ups the contents of your strategy.

When writing your executive summary , keep it short, and precise. It should be one page or two. Ensure it gives an overview of what is included in your plan. It should talk about:

• The strategies you’ll implement to achieve your goals
• The time-frame you expect to achieve your plan
• The scope of your plans

2. Business Goals With Revenue Targets

This section talks about the revenue target and associated business goals. You can  classify revenue figures  according to different categories to clarify the sales strategy.

For example, for each goal, you can enter the current outcome and targeted outcome as illustrated in the table below:

3. Review of Past Performance

Take a trip down prior period performance . Note the mistakes that negatively affected the outcome and their strengths which positively impacted the general outcome.

Your goal is to identify the strategies and tactics that work.

4. Specific Strategies, Methods, and Playbooks

List the  specific sales strategies,  methods, and playbooks you’ll use to achieve the goals listed above.

5. Customer Segments/ Buyers Persona

This section talks about potential  revenue-generating streams  and different opportunities available for the company and new markets. Remember to include upsells, referrals, and renewals.

6. Team Capabilities and Resources

Here, provide a summary and describe the current  production inputs required in the sales process , i.e., human resources, specialized software, sales team, etc.

7. Action Plan

The action plan requires you to set  specific strategies and supporting tactics  that will be used to achieve a particular goal, i.e. new acquisition. Assign different activities and responsibilities to teams who will run that particular action.

Below is an example of an action plan table:

8. Sales Tools

Go ahead and list the  tools you’ll use to ensure the sales plan runs smoothly  and all sales processes will be managed using these tools.

9. Performance Benchmarks

This is the last section of your sales plan. It  lays out the performance metrics  to track the process systems to help and monitor these metrics.

Also, list and provide links to used sources. Explain how the report will be generated and stored. Finally, talk about how the report will be used to review the progress made.

Okay, your sales plan is written. Great! But you’re not done yet.

Your next step is to present it to the sales team, management, and stakeholders. That’s because you need buy-in to make it happen.

When your sales team is on board, they’ll be pumped about doing their assigned tasks. When management is on board, they’ll be excited about giving you the budget you need to turn your plan into a reality. With buy-in as your top priority, it’s important to be prepared to give a solid presentation. In other words, sell it.

One final note: There are lots of reasons you may not get everything you ask for. There may be plans in the works you don’t know anything about yet. Or the budget may need to favor another initiative.

If you don’t get the budget you asked for, be sure to update your sales plan accordingly. The goal is to stretch your team’s capabilities, not do the impossible.

Sales don’t happen without a good sales plan. Fortunately, they’re not as hard as they might seem.

Take your time identifying your biggest challenges and problem-solving to overcoming them. Once that’s done, your sales plan is simply the document that organizes your ideas.

What’s your biggest hang-up when it comes to creating a sales plan? Have you found any tricks that help? Let me know in the comments below.

Max Altschuler

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Blog Graphic Design How To Write a Sales Plan That Converts (+ Templates)

How To Write a Sales Plan That Converts (+ Templates)

Written by: Letícia Fonseca Nov 17, 2021

Sales plans are often considered the foundation of any successful business plan.

A sales plan outlines an organization’s goals for its future operations and steers the sales team in the right direction.

Every successful business relies on a sales plan to reach its sales goals and pivot its strategy when necessary. 

Learn what you need to succeed in writing an impactful sales plan that boosts your conversions and increases customer loyalty.

Don’t know where to start? Create a sales business plan with Venngage’s templates and improve your growth strategy.

Click to jump ahead:

What is a sales strategy plan, what is included in a sales plan, what are the objectives of sales and operations planning.

• How do you write an excellent sales plan?

A sales strategy plan is a document that lists what a company is going to sell, how much the company intends to earn, and how the company plans to go about it.

The sales strategy helps the company determine how to maximize profit margins and stay competitive in the industry.

Here’s an example of a sales strategy plan that includes every action that the sales team is expected to perform.

This ensures that sales managers know what they are responsible for and how the desired output or deliverables for the sales process tie into the business plan.

Return to Table of Contents

A good sales strategy includes a sales plan for your product or service, as well as a plan to market it. Goals to reach your target customers make a sales campaign easy to create and follow.

Here are the most important points to include in a sales strategy plan:

• Product research
• Target audience
• Customer service and customer retention
• Product and service pricing
• Marketing and advertising plan
• Estimated budget for the entire campaign

This sales plan highlights measurable milestones for sales reps to aim for.

We’ve already touched on reasons why companies should use a sales plan, like this example, for their upcoming campaigns.

Below are the four main objectives of creating a sales plan and how they help with the sales forecast .

Align company departments and sales department goals

Different departments can have different perspectives on priorities and progress.

By aligning the company’s other departments with your sales team’s goals, you can ensure that all teams have a shared understanding of the sales plan’s objectives and their holistic contribution towards the business goal.

Create strategic direction for sales teams

A strategic direction plan establishes the company’s goals and objectives for the sales team.

You can formulate strategic direction plans by identifying the following:

• Target audience demographics
• Brand and product niche
• Actions that you want your customers to take
• The best channels to reach customers, such as social media and search engines

Once you’ve identified these, you can create an in-depth plan that can generate conversions in no time. Effective plans, like the one below, keep every customer detail in check.

Better customer-relationship management

A sales plan identifies the individuals and teams responsible for producing results that qualify as milestones for an upcoming business campaign.

With clear assignments, sales managers will easily know which individual or sales team member to approach for additional data.

Mark sales team milestones

Measuring plan milestones are important because they help assess a plan’s performance in a given period or by the end of its execution.

In doing so, team leaders can determine whether the project efficiently used every team member’s efforts and company resources to achieve the plan’s objectives.

The following are excellent examples of milestones for a sales plan:

• Completion of the research phase
• Development of the plan
• Approval of the plan
• Implementation of the plan

How do you write a sales plan?

Take a look at this sales plan. It’s fully detailed, sets deadlines, and keeps everyone updated with the most relevant and newest information so the team is aware of their responsibilities.

Here’s an overview of making an excellent and greatly convincing sales plan:

Compile data from the previous sales year

Create sales targets that meet your sales plan objectives, create a swot analysis, identify demand trends using sales data, look for existing market gaps.

• Appoint key roles for each of your objectives

So, let’s get to it!

Evaluating data from previous marketing campaigns could reveal helpful trends that can improve your upcoming sales plans.

Previous sales data can indicate accurate demographic data, such as lifestyle, age, income, and high sales activities in a given area.

With this data, your team can develop a detailed sales plan that includes your products while keeping in mind your demographic’s language, lifestyle, sensibilities, and more.

Here’s a great way to present this to your superiors and team members.

Related: 10 Demographic Infographic Templates to Share Population Data and More

Simple food sales action plan template

Take your reports from dull to comprehensively lively with this Venngage template. This is a great sales plan template when you have a significant amount of data to show.

You want to get to the point with your sales plan presentations. This fully customizable template makes it easy to share your sales plan data quickly and easily.

With Venngage, you can share your sales plan online with anyone. And when you upgrade to a business account, you can download your plan in a variety of formats, including PNG, PNG HD, PDF, Interactive PDF, and PowerPoint.

All sales targets must be clear, measurable goals that are specific and realistic with a defined deadline.

For example, ‘increase customer retention by 20 percent by the fourth quarter of this year’ is a specific, measurable, attainable, and timely goal.

Aligning your sales targets with the company’s general objectives is the best way to create sales plan objectives that incentivize customers to take action and make a purchase.

These sales KPIs or key performance indicators will keep the sales team aligned and on track with sales goals.

Light strategic sales action plan template

Organize your KPIs for measuring with this simple template. It’s easy to add to a project management interface. Alternately, it can be shared via email.

This helps to have everyone synchronized with the sales plan objectives.

All the colors in this template are neutral, and you can switch them out with your branding assets using Venngage’s convenient drag-and-drop editor.

A SWOT analysis is a tool utilized in the business world to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that a company’s business model may face.

Conducting a SWOT analysis is important for business owners to ensure that their company is as prepared as possible for the future. It can help businesses identify what strategies should be utilized for sales plans.

There are numerous reasons why businesses should use a SWOT analysis:

• A SWOT analysis makes forecasting easier when it is difficult to accurately predict the direction of an industry
• The SWOT analysis is a simplified view of the company’s situation and helps in reaching revenue targets
• It helps companies compare themselves to competitors and create a sales plan that is impactful 

It’s undeniable that the data a SWOT analysis produces is essential for any brand.

Blue competitor SWOT analysis template

Easily organize your thoughts with this simple but effective SWOT analysis template.

The grid format helps your team organize their thoughts and build an efficient sales pipeline.

Change the color scheme to suit your brand, or add a background or header image to make the text stand out.

Related: 15+ Business Plan Examples to Win Your Next Round of Funding

Demand trends are changes in the type and quantity of goods that consumers want to buy.

This is crucial data for sales plans because demand helps sales managers gauge if people identify the brand’s products as essentials or luxuries.

One way to identify demand trends is to use a scatter plot. This is what a scatter plot graph looks like:

This graph is an excellent way to find trends and correlations in your data. Here’s how:

• Plot two sets of data on the same graph
• Pick a line that divides the graph into two equal halves
• Compare the height of each data point on the left side of the line to the height of data points on the right side of the line
• Consider how many data points are on one side of the line than the other

If there are more data points on one side, there is likely a correlation between the two sides and possible causation.

Once you’ve identified these trends, you can include graphs and charts on a sales plan template during your presentation.

Visuals and well-made infographic designs are excellent ways to present your data without cluttering your documents or slides.

Revenue scatter plot chart

A great way to present prospective trends is by customizing this simple scatter plot graph.

This template fits perfectly into a presentation slide deck. There aren’t heavy visuals in this template. The layout is clean and simple, leaving nothing to the reader’s imagination.

You can make the chart more relevant by adding brand-related or relevant images. Or use an image from the 3 million+ stock photos available in the Venngage library.

Upload your own images, change the colors and fonts, and more with this template.

Related: How to Choose the Best Types of Charts For Your Data

A market gap is a space between supply and demand. It’s important because if there is a large market gap, it can indicate an economic opportunity for a company to capitalize on.

Market gaps can be as simple as solving a problem identified by an emerging group of customers.

For example, not every business has food delivery services because it’s expensive to make a fleet, and this gap helped create food delivery services.

A market team can find gaps based on three inputs:

• Forecasting models that help analyze data from the company’s previous-year data
• Qualitative research on lacking areas and industry expert reports identifying the target audience’s pain points
• Finding micro to small emerging trends that are already existing in the market

Market research mind map template

Display your research data with an easy-to-understand template, like the example below. You can present every single detail of your research without making it look like a cluttered report.

Using visuals and an easy-to-understand table, your readers can easily follow the strategic sales plan process from start to finish.

Appoint key roles for each of your sales objectives

With a strategic sales plan, you’ll need to appoint team members or departments to specific tasks. This is crucial for achieving the sales plan’s goals.

A good sales manager will assign roles according to each member’s specialty. For example, front-facing sales reps are better positioned to handle the CRM components of sales plans.

Appointing key roles can be as simple as using a table to align a team member’s position with their responsibilities.

However, you will need much more complex diagrams if you’re assigning tasks to projects with dozens of members.

Food Customer Sales Action Plan Template

Highlight every important detail with this free sales plan template that you can send to team members and other departments.

This sales plan template includes a dedicated section for your target market, customer profile, action plan, and task assignments. It’s a great briefing document for both internal and external use.

Fully customize this sales plan template for your brand with Venngage’s My Brand Kit feature.

Related: 9 Sales Infographics to Guide Strategy and Increase Sales

Now you can execute your sales plan with confidence and grow your customer base

Sales plans should be visually attractive as well as impactful. It isn’t always easy to create a sales plan without design experience.

Use the free sales plan template examples in this post to write a sales plan that is powerful and effective.

With these examples as inspiration, you can help team members and your business convince your target market about the dependability and quality of your products.

The Venngage sales plan templates will help you reach your sales goals faster and grow your business in the process.

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How to Create a Sales Plan That Converts [ + Templates]

Written by: Raja Mandal

As a business owner, the only thing that you should focus on is generating as much revenue as possible. Whether you're a B2C or B2B company , sales can help you generate revenue and grow your business.

Only a steady approach with a defined sales plan will help your sales team achieve its targets . However, creating an effective plan for your sales process is not an easy task. We've come up with this comprehensive guide to provide you with all the necessary tools and techniques to create an effective sales plan that converts.

Read this article carefully and use our sales plan templates to create an effective sales plan for your business.

Table of Contents

What is a sales plan & why do you need one, the benefits of a sales plan, what should a sales plan include.

• How To Create a Sales Plan

9 Sales Plan Templates You Can Use

A sales plan is a document that lays out your business's sales strategy to improve sales results in a specified period. It brings everyone in the sales team on the same page to see the bigger picture, share the same objectives and work together to reach the sales target.

In other words, while a business plan is about business goals, a sales plan is all about making those goals happen.

An effective sales plan should:

• Communicate your sales goals and objectives to your sales team.
• Help your sales team strategize their efforts.
• Outline roles and responsibilities for your sales team and leadership.
• Track the progress of your sales reps in organizational roles.

Build relationships with customers and drive sales growth

• Reach out to prospects with impressive pitch decks and proposals that convert
• Monitor clients' level of engagement to see what they are most interested in
• Build a winning sales playbook to maximize your sales team's efficiency

Sign up. It’s free.

The primary objective of creating a sales plan is to execute all your best sales ideas. However, that's not all.

Before jumping into how to create a sales plan, let's look at some of its benefits.

Identify Potential Problems

Sales problems are no joke. They can minimize qualified opportunities and bring your potential revenue way down. Dealing with sales problems is a painful task for your sales team.

Creating a sales plan helps you identify problems in your sales process, allowing you to adjust your strategy and goals accordingly.

Set Realistic Goals

With a mindfully created sales plan, every sales team member will know what they need to accomplish to meet your sales goals. However, always try to set achievable goals. Challenge your sales team but don't push too hard.

Your deliverables should be as specific as possible and moderately challenging to achieve. A sales plan will help you understand and set realistic goals so your sales reps can succeed without being stressed out.

Have a look at these goal-setting templates to help you establish realistic goals. This detailed SMART goals worksheet is particularly useful for documenting your sales goals.

Understand Your Company's Strengths and Weaknesses

Understanding your company's strengths and weaknesses helps you assess where your business stands in the marketplace. Also, it gives you insights into how it compares with your competitors and how to leverage your unique selling proposition (USP) to get more market share.

A sales plan will gear your sales team to bring out your company's strengths. Including sales battle cards and a SWOT analysis in your sales plan is one of the best ways to do the same.

Measure Your Progress Effectively

Looking at bottom-line results in the budget, sales, profits or other areas will not help you understand the reasons behind your achievement or how to improve your performance. Once you set realistic goals, measuring the progress will help you do that, leading to exponential growth in profits.

Use a sales plan to rethink your sales approach and make changes accordingly to reach your goals.

Discipline and Diligence

Sales reps sometimes find it lonely and discouraging while selling. Using a sales plan and explaining it to your sales team brings a sense of urgency to selling and motivation. It helps an employee become more task-oriented and disciplined.

For example, your sales representatives know that they must close at least five deals per month. They will try their best to achieve the goal and always stay disciplined in their job.

An effective sales plan should include many critical aspects of business growth, such as revenue goals, selling strategies, target audience, current salesforce and more.

Before creating a sales plan, it is crucial to learn what goes into a sales plan. Here is some strategic information that you can include in your sales plan.

Executive Summary

The executive summary is like planting the seed of your organization in the sales plan. It should include your company's vision and mission statement and the background of its founding story.

This section introduces your sales plan to the audience it is made for, focusing on the goals, strategies and execution plans.

Sales Goals

Focus on setting sales goals such as increasing revenue, increasing customer base, improving customer satisfaction and more. It will give your sales team a roadmap of what they need to accomplish to help you achieve specific targets.

A HubSpot survey reported that nearly 40% of businesses stated that they failed to achieve their sales goals in 2020. Therefore, always try to keep an achievable sales target; only then your sales reps will be able to achieve them.

Brief Review of Prior Period Performance

Help your sales team understand where they stand and how far they need to reach to achieve your sales objectives by giving them a glimpse of prior period performance. It's like a recap of past performance to identify mistakes and decisions that led to positive and negative outcomes.

Look at the performance metrics section of this sales plan template for inspiration.

Target Market

Identifying the target market is crucial for every business, regardless of its size. If you are an SMB owner, you will most likely face cut-throat competition from the leading business. This fierce competition for resources can leave your store struggling almost every day to generate leads and close more deals.

Therefore, you and your sales team need to dig deeper into your target market, break it down and understand it to the core. And a sales plan is probably the most important document that should include your target market.

Sales Strategy

To align the salespeople on your team on shared goals and empower them to do their best, you need to include a strong sales strategy in your sales plan. Your sales strategy will also keep your sales reps successful and happy, the ultimate foundation for a cohesive and successful business.

Competitor Analysis

The best sales teams use competitive intelligence to gain an advantage over their competitors. As a responsible business owner, you might have studied your competitors to improve your products.

Let your salespeople know about your and your competitors' different offerings and what makes you better than them.

Action Plan

This section should include your action plan that details how you reach prospective customers and turn them into potential customers.

For example, let's say you are a digital marketing agency and want to generate $300k revenue by the end of 2022. Here are some example action plans that your sales plan should include:

• Set refined goals
• Refine pricing strategies
• Offer bundled services
• Offer subscriptions

Your budget for the year is an essential element of the sales plan. How much are you willing to spend to achieve those sales goals?

Your sales plan budget should include salaries, bonuses, commissions, training and development expenses, team building activity costs and others. Include all of them in the sales plan to help the team understand your spending priorities.

KPIs to Measure

Modern sales teams are driven by a collaborative spirit and an awareness of metrics and KPIs. This section lays out the performance metrics you should track progress to monitor the progress and help make changes in the plan.

Your Sales Team Structure

An effective sales team results from many strategic decisions - who you hire, what you pay, train and much more. Your sales team is responsible for reaching the sales goals and accelerating your business growth. Furthermore, they help you enrich your company culture and build better products and services.

Make sure the roles and responsibilities of your team members are clearly defined with a beautiful Meet the Team template like the one below.

How to Create a Sales Plan

A sales plan sits within or alongside a marketing plan to streamline your sales process. Visme offers a wide range of beautifully designed marketing plan templates that helps you create one.

But for now let's discuss how to create a sales plan.

Step 1: Establish Your Mission, Values and Vision Statement

Sales teams, especially those in small businesses, are often very goal-oriented. The inclusion of a vision statement helps the team clearly see their goals, whereas a mission statement details the team's present purpose.

Before setting the goals and actions, provide your sales team with a clear understanding of the big picture. Why does your company exist? What problems do your products solve? What are your company's values?

Put these things together to form the mission statement. Without a clearly defined vision and mission statement, there is no destination to head to.

Step 2: Set Goals and Objectives

Now that you and your team know your company's mission, it's time to set the goals and objectives. Your sales plan should include both short-term and long-term goals. These goals should be data-driven using the sales data you have collected in the past.

Though most sales goals are revenue-based, they can include other things like profit margin, conversion rate, total volume and others. However, your goals should be achievable and synchronized with each step of the sales pipeline .

Step 3: Define Your Target Market

Your team knows your company's nuts and bolts and the goals and objectives. Now they should know your target market to whom they will be selling. Include detailed information about your target market in your sales plan to proceed further.

To understand your target market, you need to clearly define your ideal customer persona – their challenges, goals, demographics and how your product or service serves their needs and pain points.

Check out these 20 customer persona templates to get inspiration and create your own.

Step 4: Do a Competitive Analysis

Use competitive intelligence to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your potential competitors. It will help you understand how your competition works and identify potential opportunities where you can outperform them.

Furthermore, it helps you capture most of the market by consistently improving your products and services. Ultimately, it will help your sales reps understand and explain the distinguishing features to the target market and close more deals.

Step 5: Define Your Marketing Strategy

The more your sales pipeline is filled with leads, the more you close deals. Define your company's marketing strategy to help you create a unique brand identity , increase brand awareness and generate leads.

According to a report from Hubspot, 61% of marketers find generating traffic and leads as their biggest challenge. Thus, making the marketing strategy a crucial yet challenging part of your sales plan. Include your pricing and promotion strategy in this section to create your marketing plan.

Watch the video below and learn to create an effective marketing plan.

Step 6: Set the Budget

Now, lay out all the costs you think you will incur to achieve your sales goals. This includes salaries, tools and equipment, training and development expenses, hiring, commissions and many others that are part of your sales plan.a

Step 7: Create an Action Pan

Once you know your destination, you need to find a way to get there. This section is where you must outline the sales activities, deadlines, timeline and milestones that will take place throughout the sales process.

Create action plans according to your sales goals and objectives. For example, sales goals, such as increasing annual revenue by 30%. Action plan:

• Develop a customer referral program
• Implement a referral program in CRM
• Promote it via email and social media

Step 8: Assign Roles & Responsibilities

This section is where you should introduce your current sales team and assign their specific roles and responsibilities. Ideally, your sales team should consist of sales representatives, sales specialists, inbound sales reps, outbound sales reps and account executives, led by a sales manager.

Depending on your company size, your sales team can range in scope from a handful of roles to hundreds and thousands of team members.

Creating a sales plan from scratch takes a lot of time and effort. Also, making the sales plan aesthetically appealing requires some design experience.

Below are nine sales plan templates for various types of businesses.

Choose the one that suits your industry and customize it accordingly in the Visme editor. Replace the colors, fonts, text, icons and more with a few clicks.

1. Health Insurance Sales Plan

Health insurance sales are now higher than ever, but that doesn't mean it has become easy. To ensure your health insurance company does not get behind, you need to create an effective sales plan.

Use this health insurance sales plan template to create a strong sales plan so that your sales reps can understand your sales strategy and close more deals.

2. Consumer Product Sales Plan

The consumer products industry is a broad one that deals with several sectors. The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed how people shop and how retailers sell. As a consumer product company owner, you must build new capabilities and change how you operate to skyrocket your sales.

Use this consumer product sales plan template to help your sales reps learn about your products, strategies, goals and so on.

3. Internet Services Sales Plan

The internet service provider market is overly saturated and standing out from the competition is crucial to successfully running your business. Create a sales plan that helps you win more deals and stay ahead of your competition.

This sales plan template helps you explain your pricing strategy, target customers, sales strategy, sales goals and more to your team. Customize it to create an effective sales plan in minutes.

4. Sales Training Company Sales Plan

As a training provider, you might be juggling a million balls already. So, we thought we'd take care of this one thing. We have crafted this sales plan template just for you to create the best sales plan possible.

And if you are a sales training provider company, your sales plan should be the best. Customize this sales plan template and strengthen your sales plan quickly.

5. Marketing Agency Sales Plan

As a marketing agency, your strategies should be creative enough to help the clients grow. Everything you do should reflect your creativity.

Therefore, we have designed this sales plan template by focusing on making it aesthetically pleasing. From the color combination to the font pairing , everything is perfect.

Replace the company name with yours and customize all the other fields like company background, target market, market analysis, marketing strategies and more to make it your own.

6. Real Estate Sales Plan

If disorganized, the real estate sales process can be time-consuming, frustrating and full of back-and-forth discussions. However, if you can optimize your sales process, it will save you a lot of time and close more deals.

Furthermore, a streamlined sales process will help you delight your customers and prospects. To ensure you don't have a fragmented sales process, brainstorm your sales strategy and use this template to create the best sales plan for your real estate business.

7. Digital Marketing Agency Sales Plan

According to a recent survey, 77% of B2B purchasers don't speak to a salesperson before completing their own research. So, as a digital marketing agency, your sales plan should be one of the most effective and your sales reps should be trained enough to convert the leads into potential customers.

Use this sales plan template to explain your budgets, marketing strategies, sales goals, action plan, KPIs and more to your sales representatives.

8. SaaS Product Sales Plan

SaaS has become extremely popular due to its scalability and ability to address almost any business or individual need. But having the wrong sales strategy can mean losing users and leaving huge amounts of money on the table.

Create your sales plan using this template, secure paying customers for the platform and make sure existing customers don't leave.

9. Sales Cloud Software Sales Plan

Similar to the Saas sales plan template, this sales plan is the best fit for a sales cloud software company that wants to streamline its sales process by creating a great sales plan. Replace the fields to do a competitive analysis, define the target market, set SMART goals and many more.

Learn more about the 15 sales enablement content that can help you maximize sales and conversions.

Create Your Sales Plan With Visme

By following the steps mentioned above and using the sales plan templates, you should be able to create a sales plan in minutes. Choose the sales plan template that best suits your needs and start customizing it using Visme.

Additionally, Visme helps you create compelling and stunning sales materials like sales proposals , sales presentations , pitch decks and product sell sheets .

Put simply, there are so many ways Visme can help you close more sales .

Create a free account in Visme and start designing your sales materials with little or no design skills.

Develop a sales plan with your team in Visme.

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About the Author

Raja Antony Mandal is a Content Writer at Visme. He can quickly adapt to different writing styles, possess strong research skills, and know SEO fundamentals. Raja wants to share valuable information with his audience by telling captivating stories in his articles. He wants to travel and party a lot on the weekends, but his guitar, drum set, and volleyball court don’t let him.

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How To Build a Strategic Sales Plan + 10 Examples

• March 28, 2024

Every sales team has some sort of plan, even if it’s just “sell more of the product/service that you’re employed to sell.”

A sales plan is a portfolio that includes a layout of your processes, target audience, objectives and tactics. It’s used to guide your sales strategy and predict cost and returns. 

Yet without a codified sales plan, it can be difficult to give a sales team the motivation and purpose they need to successfully engage customers and continue to generate revenue.

Not having a sales plan that’s written down and signed off on by stakeholders can lead to confusion around what sales reps should and shouldn’t be doing , which can be demotivating.

It might seem daunting or time-consuming to put together an entire sales plan, but it doesn’t need to be. Here’s how to create a thorough sales plan in 10 simple steps. 

What Is a Sales Plan? 

A successful sales plan defines your target customers, business objectives, tactics, obstacles and processes. An effective plan will also include resources and strategies that are used to achieve target goals. It works similarly to a business plan in the way it’s presented, but only focuses on your sales strategy. 

A sales plan should include the following three components: 

• Ideas: If you use specific business methodologies, you may choose to outline key principles and examples of them in action within your sales plan. An example could be conversation tactics when pitching your product to your target customer. 
• Processes: In order to streamline productivity and business strategy, you’ll want to make sure your processes are defined within your sales plan. Your sales team should be able to refer to the sales plan when they’re in need of direction. 
• Tools and tactics: The most effective sales plans include not only high-level business strategies, but also step-by-step approaches for your sales team to utilize. These tools can include key conversation pieces for your sales reps to use when pitching a product or content to close out a deal. 

Solidifying a sales plan is crucial for a strong business model. Taking the time to narrow in on the components above will set you and your business up for success down the road. 

Sales Planning Process

It’s important to keep in mind that sales planning isn’t just about creating a sales plan document. A sales plan should be a go-to item that’s used every day by your team, rather than sitting on your desk collecting dust. Creating an effective sales plan requires high-level strategy.

You should: 

• Decide on a timeline for your goals and tactics
• Outline the context
• Write out the company mission and values
• Describe the target audience and product service positioning
• Include sales resources
• Draw out an overview of concurrent activities
• Write an overview of your business road map
• Outline your goals and KPIs
• Outline an action plan
• Create a budget 

 Below we dive into each of these steps to create your ideal sales plan. 

1. Decide on Your Timeline

Setting goals and outlining tactics is not going to be productive if you’re not working toward a date by which you’ll measure your efforts.

Determining the timeline of your sales plan should therefore be your number one consideration. When will you be ready to kick-start your plan, and when is a reasonable time to measure the outcomes of your plan against your SMART goals?

Remember that you need to give the plan a chance to make an impact, so this timeline shouldn’t be too restrictive. However, you also want to make sure that you’re flexible enough to adjust your plan if it’s not producing the desired results.

Most sales plan timelines cover about a year, which may be segmented into four quarters and/or two halves to make it a little more manageable.

2. Outline the Context

Use the first page of your sales plan to outline the context in which the plan was created.

What is the current state of the organization? What are your challenges and pain points? What recent wins have you experienced?

Do you have tighter restrictions on cash flow, or does revenue appear to be growing exponentially? How is your sales team currently performing?

While you’ll discuss your business plan and road map later in the document, you can also outline the long-term vision for your business in this section. For example, where do you want to see the business in five years?

Tip: Comparing the current situation with your vision will emphasize the gap between where you are now and where you need to be. 

3. Company Mission and Values

It’s essential that you put your mission and values at the heart of your business. You need to incorporate them into every function – and this includes your sales plan.

Outlining your mission and values in your sales plan ensures that you remember what the company is striving for, and in turn helps ensure that your approach and tactics will support these objectives.

Remember: A strong brand mission and authentic values will help boost customer loyalty, brand reputation and, ultimately, sales.

4. Target Market and Product/Service Positioning

Next, you’ll need to describe the market or markets that you’re operating in.

What is your target market or industry? What research led you to conclude that this was the optimal market for you?

Who within this industry is your ideal customer? What are their characteristics? This could be a job title, geographical location or company size, for example. This information makes up your ideal customer profile .

If you’ve delved further into audience research and developed personas around your target market, then include them in here, too.

5. Sales Team and Resources

This step is simple: Make a list of your sales resources, beginning with a short description of each member of your sales team.

Include their name, job title, length of time at the company and, where appropriate, their salary. What are their strengths? How can they be utilized to help you hit your goals?

You should also include notes around the gaps in your sales team and whether you intend to recruit any new team members into these (or other) roles.

Tip: Communicate the time zones your team members work in to be mindful of designated work hours for scheduling meetings and deadlines. 

Then, list your other resources. These could be tools, software or access to other departments such as the marketing team – anything that you intend to use in the execution of your sales plan. This is a quick way to eliminate any tools or resources that you don’t need.

6. Concurrent Activities

The next step in creating your sales plan involves providing an overview of non-sales activities that will be taking place during the implementation of your sales plan.

Any public marketing plans, upcoming product launches, or deals or discounts should be included, as should any relevant events. This will help you plan sales tactics around these activities and ensure that you’re getting the most out of them.

7. Business Road Map

For this step, write up an overview of your business’s overall road map, as well as the areas where sales activities can assist with or accelerate this plan. You’ll need to collaborate with the CEO, managing director or board of directors in order to do this.

In most cases, the business will already have a road map that has been signed off on by stakeholders. It’s the sales manager’s job to develop a sales plan that not only complements this road map, but facilitates its goals. 

Tip: Highlight areas of the road map that should be touchpoints for the sales team. 

Ask yourself what your department will need to do at each point in the road map to hit these overarching company goals.

8. Sales Goals and KPIs

Another important part of the sales plan involves your sales goals and KPIs.

Outline each goal alongside the KPIs you’ll use to measure it. Include a list of metrics you’ll use to track these KPIs, as well as a deadline for when you project the goal will be achieved.

It’s vital to make these goals tangible and measurable.

A bad example of a goal is as follows:

Goal 1: Increase sales across company’s range of products and services.

A better goal would look something like:

Goal 1: Generate $500,000+ in revenue from new clients through purchases of X product by X date.

9. Action Plan

Now that you’ve laid out your goals, you need to explain how you will hit them.

Your action plan can be set out week by week, month by month, or quarter by quarter. Within each segment, you must list out all of the sales activities and tactics that you will deploy – and the deadlines and touchpoints along the way.

Tip: Organize your action plan by department – sales, business development and finance. 

While this is arguably the most complex part of the sales plan, this is where sales leaders are strongest. They know which approach will work best for their team, their company and their market.

Budgets vary from team to team and company to company, but whatever your situation, it’s important to include your budget in your sales plan.

How are you going to account for the money spent on new hires, salaries, tech, tools and travel? Where the budget is tight, what are your priorities going to be, and what needs to be axed?

The budget section should make references back to your action plan and the sales team and resources page in order to explain the expenditures.

6 Strategic Sales Plan Examples 

You can create different types of strategic sales plans for your company, depending on how you want to structure your sales plan. Here are a few examples.   

Customer Profile 

A customer profile outlines your ideal customer for your service or product. It will usually include industry, background, attributes and decision-making factors.  

Creating a customer profile helps narrow in on the target customer your sales team should focus on while eliminating unproductive leads.  

Buyer’s Guide

A buyer’s guide is an informational sheet that describes your company’s services or products, including benefits and features. This document is useful both for your sales team but also for a potential customer who requires more information on the product before purchasing. 

30-60-90-Day Plan

This plan is organized based on time periods. It includes outlines of goals, strategy and actionable steps in 30-day periods. This is a useful sales plan model for a new sales representative tracking progress during their first 90 days in the position or meeting quotas in a 90-day period. 

This type of sales plan is also ideal for businesses in periods of expansion or growth. It’s helpful to minimize extra effort in onboarding processes. 

Market Expansion Plan

A market expansion plan clarifies target metrics and list of actions when moving into a new territory or market. This sales plan model is typically used with a target market that resides in a new geographical region. 

You’ll want to include a profile of target customers, account distribution costs and even time zone differences between your sales representatives. 

Marketing-alignment Plan

Creating a marketing-alignment sales plan is useful if your organization has yet to align both your sales and marketing departments. The goal of the sales plan is finalizing your target customer personas and aligning them with your sales pitches and marketing messages. 

New Product/Service Plan 

If your organization is launching a new service or product, it’s best to create a sales plan to track revenue and other growth metrics from the launch. You’ll want to include sales strategy, competitive analyses and service or product sales positioning. 

Sales Plan Template

4 additional sales plan templates.

Here are some additional templates you can use to create your own unique sales plan. 

• Template Lab 
• ProjectManager

5 Tips for Creating a Sales Plan 

Now that you’ve seen and read through a few examples and a sales plan template, we’ll cover some easy but useful tips to create a foolproof sales plan. 

• Create a competitive analysis: Research what sales strategies and tactics your close competitors are using. What are they doing well? What are they not doing well? Knowing what they are doing well will help you create a plan that will lead to eventual success. 
• Vary your sales plans: First create a base sales plan that includes high-level goals, strategies and tactics. Then go more in depth on KPIs and metrics for each department, whether it’s outbound sales or business development . 
• Analyze industry trends: Industry trends and data can easily help strengthen your sales approach. For example, if you’re pitching your sales plan to a stakeholder, use current market trends and statistics to support why you believe your sales strategies will be effective in use. 
• Utilize your marketing team: When creating your sales plan, you’ll want to get the marketing department’s input to align your efforts and goals. You should weave marketing messages throughout both your sales plan and pitches. 
• Discuss with your sales team: Remember to check in with your sales representatives to understand challenges they may be dealing with and what’s working and not working. You should update the sales plan quarterly based on feedback received from your sales team. 

When Should You Implement a Strategic Sales Plan? 

Does your organization currently not have a sales plan in place that is used regularly? Are you noticing your organization is in need of structure and lacking productivity across departments? These are definite signs you should create and implement a sales plan. 

According to a LinkedIn sales statistic , the top sales tech sellers are using customer relationship management (CRM) tools (50%), sales intelligence (45%) and sales planning (42%) .

Below are a few more indicators that you need an effective sales plan. 

To Launch a New Product or Campaign 

If you’re planning to launch a new service or product in six months, you should have a concrete marketing and sales strategy plan to guarantee you’ll see both short- and long-term success. 

The sales plan process shouldn’t be hasty and rushed. Take the time to go over data and competitor analysis. Work with your team to create objectives and goals that everyone believes in. Your sales plan should be updated formally on a quarterly basis to be in line with industry trends and business efforts. 

To Increase Sales

If your team is looking to increase revenue and the number of closed sales, you may need to widen and define your target audience. A sales plan will help outline this target audience, along with planning out both sales and marketing strategies to reach more qualified prospects and increase your sales conversion rate. 

Now that you’ve seen sales plan examples and tips and tricks, the next step after creating your sales plan is to reach those ideal sales targets with Mailshake . Connect with leads and generate more sales with our simple but effective sales engagement platform.

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How to Create a Sales Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you looking to develop a solid sales plan that drives business growth and sets your team up for success? You’ve come to the right place. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the essentials of how to create a sales plan, from understanding its importance to leveraging technology and tools for continuous improvement. Let’s dive in and unlock the full potential of your sales team!

Short Summary

• A sales plan is essential for business growth , setting goals, and optimizing operations.
• Creating a successful sales plan requires strategic thinking, careful planning, and ongoing refinement involving stakeholders.
• Leveraging technology & tools to track progress & make data-driven decisions encourages continuous learning & improvement among the sales team members.

Understanding the Importance of a Sales Plan

A sales plan is a document that outlines target customers, business objectives, tactics, obstacles, and processes, as well as resources and strategies to help achieve the desired goals. It plays a vital role in business growth by providing direction, establishing objectives, and delineating strategies to accomplish revenue targets.

Furthermore, a well-defined sales plan helps identify the right sales tools to be used by the sales team, ensuring that they operate at their highest potential.

However, creating a successful sales plan is no easy feat. It requires a clear understanding of your target market , a well-defined sales strategy, and the ability to adapt to changing market conditions. The good news is that with the right approach and tools, sales managers can develop a winning sales plan that drives business growth and keeps their team focused on achieving their goals.

So let’s explore the key components of an effective sales plan.

The role of a sales plan in business growth

Sales plans play an essential role in business growth by setting targets, allocating resources, and optimizing operations. Regularly reviewing a sales plan helps identify growth opportunities, prioritize customers, maintain competitiveness, and adapt to changes in market conditions. By having a clear sales plan in place, your team can focus on the most critical tasks and maximize their efforts to generate revenue.

A strategic sales plan for business development zeroes in on securing new business opportunities by engaging in activities such as networking, sponsoring events, and outreach. Organizing a sales team and focusing on business development is vital for long-term success, as it helps your organization stay competitive and plan for future growth. The right sales tools play a significant role in organizing a sales team and supporting business development.

Benefits of having a sales plan

A sales plan has numerous advantages, including enhanced efficiency, sound decision-making, and augmented revenue. A well-defined sales plan helps motivate your sales team and allows them to recognize the impact of their individual contributions on overall business success. Moreover, delineating roles and responsibilities in a sales plan facilitates efficient task delegation, enhances collaboration, reduces overlap, and increases accountability among team members.

Pricing and promotions also play a crucial role in your sales plan, as they have the power to attract customers and drive them to purchase. By considering the needs of your target customers and adjusting your pricing and promotional strategies accordingly, you can maximize the potential of your sales plan and, ultimately, boost your bottom line.

Key Components of an Effective Sales Plan

Now that we understand the importance of a sales plan let’s explore its key components. An effective sales plan typically includes setting SMART objectives, defining target markets, developing strategic sales approaches, and allocating budgets and resources. By focusing on these essential elements, you can create a comprehensive sales plan that keeps your team on track and drives business growth.

It’s important to remember that the investment required to devise a sales plan is primarily time-based, not monetary. By dedicating the necessary time and effort to develop your sales plan, you can ensure that your team has a clear roadmap for success, complete with the tools and support they need to achieve their goals.

Setting SMART sales objectives

Establishing SMART sales objectives ensures that your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. When setting realistic and attainable sales targets, it is prudent to review past and current data to gain an understanding of your current position as well as what can be achieved in the short term and longer-term.

By setting SMART objectives, you provide your team with clear, actionable goals that drive them toward success.

Defining your target market

Defining your target market is crucial in focusing your sales efforts on the most profitable customer segments. This involves identifying factors such as industry, company size, and common challenges that your ideal customers face.

By understanding the needs and preferences of your target customers, you can tailor your sales strategies to effectively address their pain points and maximize the potential of your sales plan.

Developing strategic sales approaches

Developing strategic sales approaches involves creating tactics to reach and engage potential customers. Examples of sales strategies include outlining potential buyer pain points and how to address them, detailing the various ways to connect with the target customer and disseminate information about a new product, and implementing a lead scoring model to identify high-quality leads. By incorporating these strategies, your sales plan will be more effective and targeted.

The action plan is another indispensable component of a sales plan. It delineates the precise steps and tactics that will be employed to accomplish the established goals. Include concrete actions in your sales plan provides guidance and ensures that your team takes definite steps to attain the objectives outlined in the document. This, in turn, helps keep your sales team focused and accountable for their actions.

Allocating budgets and resources

Allocating budgets and resources is essential to guarantee financial feasibility and adequate support for your sales plan. This involves allocating resources according to the goals and objectives outlined in the plan and ensuring that your team has access to the necessary tools, software, and resources to achieve success in their roles.

By effectively allocating budgets and resources, you can create a sales plan that is both well-supported and financially viable within your overall business plan.

Steps to Create a Sales Plan

Creating a sales plan involves a series of steps, including analyzing past performance, identifying gaps, setting up team structure, coordinating sales and marketing efforts, and monitoring progress. By following these steps, you can develop a comprehensive sales plan that keeps your team focused on achieving their goals and drives business growth through an effective sales process.

It’s important to note that the sales planning process should be repeated annually to ensure that your organization’s sales excellence is maintained. By regularly reviewing and updating your sales plan, you can stay on top of industry trends, adapt to changing market conditions, and continually improve your sales strategies.

Analyzing past performance and industry trends

Analyzing past performance and industry trends is crucial in identifying areas for improvement and capitalizing on potential opportunities. This involves examining your sales data, conducting competitive analysis, and understanding buyer personas to gain insights into your current market position and areas where you can improve.

Regularly reviewing your sales plan allows you to adapt to changes in the market and maintain a competitive edge.

Identifying gaps and opportunities

Identifying gaps and opportunities in your sales plan allows you to make strategic adjustments to maximize your potential for success. By analyzing your past performance, industry trends, and customer feedback, you can pinpoint areas where your sales plan may be lacking and opportunities that can be exploited to drive growth.

Once you’ve identified these gaps and opportunities, you can adjust your sales plan accordingly to make the most of your resources and capitalize on new market trends.

Establishing sales team structure and roles

Establishing a clear sales team structure and defining individual roles is essential for ensuring efficient operations and maximizing the impact of your sales plan. By delineating roles and responsibilities, you can facilitate efficient task delegation, enhance collaboration, and ensure that each team member is accountable for their performance.

This also helps in the proper allocation of sales tools to each team member. This ensures that each team member has the resources they need to be successful in their role and that each team member has the resources they need to be successful in their role.

Aligning sales and marketing efforts

Aligning sales and marketing efforts is crucial for maximizing the overall impact of both departments on revenue generation. By coordinating your sales and marketing initiatives, you can ensure that your sales team has the necessary support and resources to effectively reach and engage your target customers.

This, in turn, helps to drive growth and increase your bottom line.

Monitoring progress and adjusting the plan

Monitoring progress and adjusting your sales plan is essential for ensuring continuous improvement and adaptability to changing market conditions. By regularly evaluating your sales performance and making necessary adjustments to your plan, you can stay on top of industry trends and continually refine your sales strategies to maximize your potential for success.

This approach also enables you to adapt to changing market conditions and maintain a competitive edge in your industry.

Sales Plan Templates and Examples

Templates and examples can serve as a foundation for generating individualized plans that are tailored to the specific needs of your business. By utilizing these templates, you can create a customized sales plan that addresses your unique business goals and objectives, ensuring that your sales team is well-equipped to drive growth and achieve success.

In this section, we’ll explore four types of sales plan templates that can provide a starting point for creating your own customized plan: the 30-60-90 day sales plan template, the territory sales plan template, the market expansion sales plan template, and the new product launch sales plan template. Each of these templates addresses specific business needs and can help you develop a comprehensive sales plan that drives growth and success.

30-60-90 day sales plan template

A 30-60-90 day sales plan template is ideal for new salespeople or businesses that are just starting to establish their sales objectives. This template breaks down your sales plan into short-term goals and action steps, allowing you to focus on immediate priorities and track your progress as you work towards achieving your long-term objectives.

By using a 30-60-90-day sales plan template, you can set realistic goals and create a clear roadmap for success in the early stages of your sales journey.

Territory sales plan template

A territory sales plan template focuses on targeting specific regions and maximizing sales within those areas. This template is particularly useful for businesses that operate in multiple locations or have a geographically diverse customer base.

By using a territory sales plan template, you can ensure that your sales team’s efforts are focused on the most profitable regions and effectively allocate resources to drive growth in those areas.

Market expansion sales plan template

A market expansion sales plan template is designed to outline strategies for entering new markets and growing your market share. This template is ideal for businesses looking to expand their reach and tap into new customer segments.

By using a market expansion sales plan template, you can develop a comprehensive plan that addresses the unique challenges and opportunities associated with entering new markets, ensuring that your business is well-positioned for success.

New product launch sales plan template

A new product launch sales plan template provides a framework for successfully introducing new products to the market. This template includes sections for market research, target audience analysis, pricing strategy, promotional activities, sales goals, and timelines, ensuring that all necessary aspects of the product launch are taken into account and executed effectively.

By using a new product launch sales plan template, you can streamline the product launch process and maximize the potential for success.

Tips for Creating a Successful Sales Plan

Creating a successful sales plan requires a combination of strategic thinking, careful planning, and ongoing refinement. In this section, we’ll share some tips that can help you develop a sales plan that drives growth and keeps your team focused on achieving its goals. By following these tips, you can foster a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability, ensuring that your sales plan remains relevant and effective in an ever-changing market.

Some strategies for creating a successful sales plan include involving stakeholders, regularly reviewing and updating the plan, fostering collaboration between departments, leveraging technology and tools, and encouraging continuous learning and improvement. By incorporating these strategies into your sales planning process, you can create a sales plan that drives growth, maximizes the potential of your team, and positions your business for long-term success.

Involving stakeholders

Involving stakeholders in the sales planning process is crucial for ensuring buy-in and support from all relevant parties. This can be achieved by soliciting feedback from experienced associates, such as accountants, senior salespeople, or knowledgeable acquaintances, and requesting input from your sales team, including sales reps.

By incorporating the insights and perspectives of various stakeholders, you can create a sales plan that is well-rounded and addresses the diverse needs of your organization.

Regularly reviewing and updating the plan.

Regularly reviewing and updating your sales plan is essential for keeping it relevant and aligned with changing market conditions and business goals. This involves assessing your current performance, identifying any gaps or opportunities, and making adjustments to the plan as needed.

By regularly reviewing your sales plan, you can stay on top of industry trends, adapt to changing market conditions, and continually refine your sales strategies.

Fostering collaboration between departments

Fostering collaboration between departments, such as sales and marketing, is crucial for maximizing the overall impact on revenue generation. By promoting open communication, establishing clear goals and objectives, and providing resources and support to assist teams in working together, you can create a collaborative working environment that drives growth and success.

This, in turn, helps break down silos and encourages the sharing of knowledge, resources, and ideas across your organization.

Leveraging technology and tools

Leveraging technology and tools, such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems, can streamline sales processes and improve efficiency. By implementing these tools and technologies, you can automate repetitive tasks, allowing your sales team to focus on more critical activities and drive growth.

Additionally, technology and tools can help you track progress and make data-driven decisions to refine your sales plan and maximize its effectiveness.

Encouraging continuous learning and improvement

Encouraging continuous learning and improvement among your sales team promotes skill development and adaptability, allowing them to stay competitive and provide superior customer service. This can be achieved by providing access to training materials, offering incentives for completing training, and fostering a culture of learning and development within your organization.

By promoting continuous learning and improvement, you can ensure that your sales team remains at the top of their game and is well-equipped to drive business growth.

In conclusion, creating a successful sales plan is crucial for driving business growth and maximizing the potential of your sales team. By understanding the importance of a sales plan, incorporating key components, following a step-by-step process, and utilizing various templates and examples, you can develop a comprehensive sales plan that keeps your team focused on achieving their goals. Remember to involve stakeholders, regularly review and update your plan, foster collaboration, leverage technology, and encourage continuous learning and improvement to ensure long-term success. Now it’s time to take action and create a winning sales plan for your business!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you write a brief sales plan.

To create an effective sales plan, outline realistic goals, set deadlines and milestones, build traction in the industry, define a value proposition, establish a list of prospects, and track and measure progress.

This plan should include realistic goals that are achievable within a certain timeframe. Deadlines and milestones should be set to ensure that progress is made in a timely manner. Building traction in the industry is also important, as it will help to create a larger customer base. A value proposition should be made.

What is the creation of a sales plan?

A sales plan is a blueprint for achieving revenue targets, where sales leaders define long-term company goals and create an annual plan with strategies and resources necessary for achieving them. It includes information on the business’s target customers, revenue goals, team structure, and more.

What is the importance of a sales plan in business growth?

A sales plan is essential for business growth, providing direction, setting objectives, and outlining strategies to reach revenue goals. It also assists in recognizing the appropriate sales tools to be used by the sales team.

Having a well-defined sales plan is critical for any business that wants to succeed. It helps to ensure that the sales team is focused on the right goals and objectives and that they have the right tools.

What are the key components of an effective sales plan?

An effective sales plan should include setting SMART objectives, defining target markets, developing strategic sales approaches, and allocating budgets and resources.

SMART objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals. Defining target markets involves researching customer needs and preferences and understanding the competitive landscape. Strategic sales approaches involve creating a plan to reach a target audience.

How can I ensure continuous improvement and adaptability in my sales plan?

Regularly review and update your sales plan, foster inter-departmental collaboration, leverage technology and tools, and prioritize continuous learning to ensure continuous improvement and adaptability in your sales plan.

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22 Best Sales Strategies, Plans, & Initiatives for Success [Templates]

Discover sales strategy examples, templates, and plans used by top sales teams worldwide.

FREE SALES PLAN TEMPLATE

Outline your company's sales strategy in one simple, coherent plan.

Updated: 08/28/24

Published: 04/04/20

A strong sales strategy plan creates the foundation for a cohesive and successful sales organization. Sales strategies and initiatives also align salespeople on shared goals and empower them to do their best work — keeping them happy and successful, too.

In this guide, I’ll dig into some sales strategies and initiatives that I’ve found can help you generate more leads and close more deals. But first, let’s define what a sales strategy is.

Table of Contents

What is a sales strategy?

Why is a sales strategy important, the most effective sales strategies, how to build a sales strategy, sales initiatives, sales strategy examples from successful sales teams.

A sales strategy is a set of decisions, actions, and goals that inform how your sales team positions the organization and its products to close new customers. It acts as a guide for sales reps to follow, with clear goals for sales processes, product positioning, and competitive analysis.

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Sales Strategy Types

The custome r is the most important element to consider when choosing your business‘s sales strategy. Once you’ve addressed their needs, you can start thinking about your sales team. Your sales strategy should offer a framework that attracts and engages prospects — while simultaneously enabling your team to build relationships.

Prospects‘ and teams’ needs and interests vary, so your sales strategy shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all. Every sales org should draw up the type of sales strategy that works best for its priorities. Here are some frameworks you can reference when putting yours together.

Outbound Sales Strategy

Outbound sales strategies are the legacy approach of most sales teams. In these systems, companies base their sales strategy on the seller, not the customer.

Outbound sales processes often include cold calling, purchasing email lists, and engaging in other cold prospecting techniques. As a result, daily success metrics are often based on the quantity of connections, not the quality.

Outbound sales teams often rely on manually-entered data to monitor their sales pipelines and coach their salespeople. To enhance efficiency, outbound sales teams may utilize software to automate certain tasks, though the integration might not be seamless. They may also run sales and marketing independently, which can create a disjointed experience for buyers.

Inbound Sales Strategy

Inbound sales strategies are the modern methodology for sales teams. Companies following an inbound approach base their sales processes on buyer actions, capturing seller and buyer data to monitor their pipelines and coach their salespeople.

Inbound sales strategies connect reps’ activities to the three stages of the buyer journey — awareness, consideration, and decision — encouraging sales teams to map their tactics to each step.

The inbound methodology also aligns sales and marketing, creating a seamless experience for buyers. Check out this post to learn more about inbound sales and how to develop an inbound sales process.

Inbound vs. Outbound Sales Methodology

Nowadays, much of the information needed to evaluate a product is available online — empowering buyers and making them less reliant on sellers for product knowledge and insight. That means that if sales teams don’t align with the modern buyer’s process. If they fail to add value beyond the information already available online, then buyers will have no reason to engage with a sales team.

As mentioned above, inbound sales benefits buyers at each stage of the buyer process, including:

• Consideration.

Inbound sales teams help buyers become aware of potential problems or opportunities and discover strategies to solve those problems.

Then, buyers evaluate whether the salesperson can help with their problem, and if the buyer thinks they can, they’ll purchase a solution to their problem. Inbound sales reps are helpful and trustworthy, creating partnerships rather than power struggles.

Consultative Selling

The modern sales professional should always act as a helpful, consultative resource for prospects. Consultative selling is a strategy that leans into that trend. It places emphasis on leading with relationship building and positioning the right product after that connection has been established.

This brand of sales involves certain key actions, including balancing questions with insights, developing trust with extensive product knowledge, active listening, and letting feedback guide conversations.

Obviously, this is an extremely high-level overview of the strategy — for a more granular picture of how it works, check out this article .

Account-Based Selling

Account-Based Selling (ABS) is a sales strategy that's rooted in locking in on key, higher-value accounts as opposed to casting a wide net for a broad range of prospects. With ABS, salespeople are expected to identify and pursue specific accounts that have high conversion potential.

That means salespeople are expected to conduct thorough, thoughtful research on prospects to more effectively meet them where they are. The strategy also places emphasis on collaboration with marketing — sales teams lean on their marketing departments to create personalized, targeted content for each account.

Ultimately, successfully executed Account-Based Selling rests on a sales team's ability to take a granular approach to really lock in on individual prospects' needs and interests. Salespeople leveraging the strategy also need to know how to prioritize the accounts they pursue.

ABS can be extremely effective if it's done right, but it does come with its share of risk — if your sales org elects to forego reaching out to a wide range of prospects in favor of connecting with key accounts, you generally have less room for error.

For a look at some other key methodologies that can inform your sales strategy, check out this article.

Below, I’ll walk through how to create a sales strategy plan for your team.

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2. Become a thought leader.

Sharing your advice, tried-and-true best practices, and niche expertise are some of the most long-lasting ways to build your personal brand and lend more credibility to your organization.

That’s what thought leaders do. Indeed, a 2022 report found that “Thought leadership is one of the most effective tools an organization can use to demonstrate its value to customers during a tough economy — even more so than traditional advertising or product marketing, according to B2B buyers.”

According to the study, 61% of decision-makers believed that thought leadership could be moderately or very effective in demonstrating the value of a company’s products.So what’s the catch? Not all thought leadership content is created equal.

When done right, thought leadership can have a huge positive impact, but poor thought leadership can be devastating to a company’s sales goals. So, before you plan a spree of LinkedIn posts to drive leads, consider who your audience is, what they need to know, and how your organization can help

Also, it may not hurt to have a second set of eyes from your marketing, communication, and PR departments review your plan first to make sure everything is on-brand (and trackable!).

3. Prioritize inbound sales calls as hot leads.

You and your sales team know your process better than anyone. So take it from me — if you’ve seen success with pitching with pricing first, last, or somewhere in between, stick with what’s working for you.

Beyond that, your team should always prioritize the prospects who come to you. These hot leads are definitely interested in what you have to sell, and before they make a decision, they want to get the information they need about how it will benefit them.

By prioritizing talking to these prospects as soon as they call in or send an email, you’re putting your best foot forward and showing them that you’re helpful, solutions-oriented, and considerate of their time.

4. Properly research and qualify prospects.

I’ve personally discovered that even the strongest sales strategy can’t compensate for targeting the wrong customers. To ensure your team is selling to the right type of customer, encourage reps to research and qualify prospects before attempting to discuss your product. Indeed, throughout my career, I’ve found that more work on the front end can lead to smoother closing conversations later on.

Outline the criteria a prospect needs to meet to be qualified as a high-probability potential customer. These criteria will depend on your unique business and target audience, but they should generally be based on a prospect’s engagement history and demographics.

5. Implement a free trial.

HubSpot’s sales strategy report , free trials were the second most popular self-service tools among the survey's respondents for supporting sales strategies — with 41% citing it as one of the most effective of those kinds of resources.

Free Sales Training Template

Use this template to set up a 30/60/90 day sales training and onboarding plan.

• 30/60/90 Day Goals
• People to Meet
• Feedback/Review Process

Create great processes for hiring new members of your sales team.

First and foremost, create a list of criteria for sales managers to screen for when interviewing candidates. A well-defined job description and competency framework are also useful. These tools can help your team recruit and retain top talent.

Develop sales onboarding, training, and development programs.

Your training and onboarding program should prepare your sales team to sell effectively and efficiently. It should also help sales reps build advanced skills and industry knowledge.

But what if you don’t have the resources to develop comprehensive training in-house? In these situations, it may be worth considering combining organization-specific training with online sales training programs .

Create a motivational compensation and rewards plan.

Finally, once you’ve built a strong team, it’s vital to ensure your compensation plan is set up to motivate and retain them.

Many organizations connect sales compensation to organizational sales goals, but regardless of the specific compensation plan you choose, make sure that it meets or exceeds industry expectations. It should also inspire your team to celebrate individual and team achievements.

4. Create a plan to generate demand.

Now, it’s time to put together a detailed plan for how to target potential customers and increase their awareness of your offering. This may include using paid social acquisition channels, creating e-books, hosting webinars, and the many other strategies laid out in this article.

Featured Resource: Sales Plan Template

Free Sales Metrics Calculator

A free, interactive template to calculate your sales KPIs.

• Average Deal Size
• Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
• Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

6. Track sales activities.

Data is key to an effective sales strategy plan. With sales activity metrics, you can go beyond individual team performance to understand your entire sales operation.

Collect a range of sales activity data.

Sales activity metrics can help you understand how the team approaches day-to-day sales as a whole. I’ve found that it can be helpful to track everything from the sales presentation to closing techniques.

Specifically, collect data to see how your sales team performs beyond call or deal numbers in activities, such as:

• Meetings scheduled.
• Presentations delivered.
• Proposals submitted.
• Sales presentation success rates.
• Closing techniques.

Then, comparing this data to other goal metrics can show you patterns, best practices, and areas for improvement.

Track, lead, and prospect sources.

It’s also vital to make sure you’re tracking where your prospects are coming from. For example, if you’ll be publishing thought leadership content or sourcing leads from social media, make sure that any link you share is trackable with a UTM parameter .

Trackable links aren’t just valuable for learning which channels are generating the most leads. They can also help you focus your resources on the channels that generate the most relevant, qualified leads for driving sales.

Focus on continuous improvement.

Once you have a complete set of analytics to track your strategy, use that data to refine your sales strategies, team knowledge, and plans. A clear, data-driven process will make it easier to use customer feedback to grow your sales. It will also give your sales team the agility to adapt to industry and market changes that may impact your business down the road.

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• Initiatives
• Accountability
• Communication

Known for its consistent sales momentum and customer satisfaction, Shopify offers another great example of a highly successful sales organization. In a recent press release , Loren Padelford, shopify VP and general manager of Shopify Plus, shared his secret sauce for boosting sales.

Hire great people, not necessarily great salespeople.

Hiring is arguably one of the most essential components of a great sales strategy. Many sales managers, though, are misled into believing that they must hire sales superstars.

Instead, Padelford looks for six key traits when hiring salespeople: intelligence, work ethic, a history of success, creativity, entrepreneurship, and competitiveness.

The truth is that sales teams must first look for great people. Then, you can train them to help them become great salespeople.

Treat sales as a science, not an art.

Padelford describes how, thanks to modern digital tools, we can now measure sales down to the second. We can explain success with cold, hard data points, rather than turning to vague, qualitative assessments.

As such, every sales team today should be tracking their average deal size, average sales cycle length, lead-to-deal conversion rate, calls per day per rep, and the number of deals in the pipeline.

When tracked over time, each of these metrics can inform companies about the health of their sales process and help them pinpoint areas where they need to improve.

Build a smart, technological foundation.

Before Padelford took over the sales process at Shopify, sales reps would manually log phone calls and emails into a CRM, consuming five precious hours each week. With a sales force of 26 reps, that added up to 130 wasted hours per week.

Realizing this misuse of time and capital, Padelford led Shopify to adopt the HubSpot CRM . With this modern CRM, Shopify’s sales reps were able to receive notifications when prospects opened their emails, clicked links, and viewed document attachments.

In addition, its prospecting tool gave reps access to more than 19 million prospects, as well as detailed information about these prospects, such as estimated revenue, number of employees, suggested email addresses, and so on.

Maintain a high-quality pipeline by eliminating unqualified leads.

Shopify uses a 4/5 Threshold to filter out unqualified leads, thereby allowing its sales reps to focus on selling to leads who have a higher probability of becoming customers.

To evaluate whether a lead is qualified, a rep must have a concrete answer to four of the following five variables:

• Pain. Is the prospective customer experiencing a prominent business issue or challenge that requires them to make a change?
• Power. Is the prospective customer directly involved with the decision-making process? If not, who is?
• Money. Does our offering fall within their budget constraints?
• Process. What’s their buying process?
• Timeline. What stage are they at in the buyer’s journey? Will they purchase within a reasonable time frame?

Grow Better with Sales Strategies, Initiatives, and Templates

Every company can benefit from crafting a sales strategy plan. The free template below includes everything you’ll need to customize your strategy for your business and sales team.

Most importantly, regardless of what strategy you choose, always implement a buyer-first approach. With the strategies, initiatives, and examples described above, you’ll be on your way to leading a successful, high-performance sales team.

Editor's note: This post was originally written in April 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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How to Create a Sales Plan: Tips, Examples & Free Sales Plan Template

Tactics and strategies are great. But when you create a sales plan, you set a clear path to success, with each step mapped out ahead of you.

The Internet is full of people who will tell you all about the success they’ve found from their strategies, whether it's personalizing a newsletter subject line or changing the color of the 'Buy Now' button.

But, news flash—these tips and tricks aren’t actual sales strategies .

To create real, lasting growth for you and your company, you need to create your own grand strategy. And that starts with a solid sales plan .

So, what’s your plan? How do you build it (and stick to it)?

We’re about to take a deep dive into sales plans. By the end of this guide, you’ll be completely equipped to win the fight for business growth. And we can't recommend it enough—grab our free sales plan template here in the Sales Success Kit today:

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What is a Sales Plan? (And What Makes for Successful Sales Planning?)

Armed with the information you'll compile within your sales plan, you can quickly identify any upcoming problems, sales droughts, or opportunities—and then do something about them.

If done correctly, the right sales plan template empowers you to spend even more time growing and developing your business, rather than responding reactively to the day-to-day developments in sales.

Sound exciting? Let’s jump right in.

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What’s in a Sales Plan? 6 Elements Every Sales Plan Needs

In basic terms, a sales plan template includes:

• Sales forecasting and goal-setting
• Market and customer research
• Prospecting and partnerships

Each part of the sales plan naturally works itself into the next, starting with your high-level goals, then considering market factors, and finally looking at who you know, and how to find more prospects to help hit your sales goals .

Here are the key elements to include in your plan:

1. Mission Statement

What gets your sales reps out of bed in the morning? What’s the clear mission that pushes your team to keep fighting for that win?

Your mission statement is a concise statement of the ‘big picture’—the main idea and goal you want to achieve. Think about your company mission and how the sales team forms part of that overarching goal.

2. Sales Goals and Revenue Targets

A sales plan must include achievable sales goals and the targets your sales reps will be working to reach. Use previous years' results to tell you what's reasonably possible for your team to do. Include specific metrics and KPIs , how these are performing currently, and what you plan to do to improve them.

This may also include information about your product’s pricing , planned discounts, and how your team can focus on the right customers to get the most revenue possible. Link these sales goals to the business goals your company is working to achieve.

3. Analysis of the Target Market

Your plan should clearly identify your ideal customer profile and information about the target market and demographic you plan to sell to. Are you breaking into a new market? Are you targeting small business or enterprise customers ? Give a concise description of your target audience and the stakeholders you’ll need to sell to.

4. Sales Strategy Overview and Methods to Reach Target Customers

This should include a brief overview of the customer journey , pain points , and how your salespeople will engage and follow up with new prospects throughout their journey to purchase. You'll likely outline specific sales activities you'll focus on, such as improving referral numbers, testing new cold-calling email strategies, or dipping your toe in social selling.

You may also include information about the marketing strategy and lead generation methods used to gather new leads and how sales managers will support the team.

5. Use of Resources and Sales Tools

How much does it cost your team to close a new deal? What is your budget for the sales team, or for sales tools ?

Inside your plan, list the resources you have available to you, and how you plan to use them during the year. This includes monetary resources, as well as human resources.

Next, show how your resources will be used. For example, how much will you spend on sales tools? Which CRM software is your team depending on? Briefly explain how you plan to use each tool and why you’ve allocated resources in that way.

6. Sales Team Structure

The structure of your sales team includes which reps are available during what times of the year, their specialties and skills, and where they focus in the sales process .

Also, include information about the sales managers, their teams, and the incentives you offer your reps.

The Benefits of Sales Planning: Why You Need a Sales Plan

Creating a sales plan from scratch can be daunting, even with the right sales planning template. So, why should you have your sales strategy written down and ready to act on?

Let’s talk about the benefits of sales planning to attract new business and grow your market share.

Clear, Time-Bound Goals Help You Reach Revenue Targets

There’s a reason they say, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

If you want your sales team to execute on and accomplish your sales goals, you need to have a plan in place. When targets are linked to specific timeframes and actions, your whole team will see how their individual work is involved in reaching your sales goals.

Prioritize Time and Resources

Without a specific action plan in place , your team won’t be able to prioritize their time with the right sales tactics and strategies to hit their targets.

With a clear outline of the tactics that bring the most significant ROI for your team, each rep can get the best results for the time they spend selling.

Clear Action Plan to Reach Your Goals

With an action plan in place, each team member knows what they’re supposed to be doing, and why they’re doing it. This keeps them motivated and helps them see how their individual efforts make a difference.

4 Types of Sales Plans (How to Choose Which Planning Style is Right for Your Sales Team)

It’s difficult to templatize a good sales plan since every plan is unique to the business and team it applies to. So, what are some examples of the types of sales plans you might create, and how can you choose between them?

• Revenue-based sales plan: If you’re aiming for a specific revenue goal, this type of sales plan will be focused on in-depth sales forecasting and specific actions to improve conversion rates and close more deals.
• Sales plan based on the target market: If you’re selling to vastly different markets, you may want to create a different sales plan based on the market you’re targeting. For example, your sales plan for enterprise companies would differ from your sales plan for selling to SMBs.
• Sales goals plan: A plan that’s focused on goals (other than revenue) may include hiring and onboarding, sales training plans, or plans to implement a new type of sales activity into your process.
• New product sales plan: When launching a new product, it’s a good idea to develop a specific business plan around its launch and continued promotion. This plan may include finding and contacting strategic partners, building a unique value prop in the market, and creating new sales enablement content for the team to use when selling this product. This type of sales plan can also apply to launching new features in your SaaS product.

How to Choose the Right Sales Planning Style

Ultimately, this will depend on factors such as:

• Your revenue goals
• The resources at your disposal
• Your sales team’s abilities and bandwidth
• Your personal commitment to seeing this plan through

When you’ve determined who is involved in sales planning, how committed they are, and the resources you can use to make this plan happen, you can start building your own sales plan.

9 Steps to Create a Sales Plan to 10x Your Sales Team’s Results

It may seem like a lot of work to develop a sales plan at this point. But once you do, you’ll be in a place to take your sales (and brand) to the next level.

Let’s break down this process, step-by-step, so you can start achieving greater results.

1. Define Your Sales Goals and Milestones

With a sales plan, we begin at the end: an end goal.

Start by choosing the sales metrics that matter most to your overall business. This could be:

• Annual or monthly recurring revenue (ARR or MRR)
• Retention or churn rates
• Average conversion time
• Average conversion rate
• Customer lifetime value (CLV)

It doesn’t matter so much which metric you choose —the important point is that it can tell you whether your work has succeeded.

Next, look at last year’s forecast and results . Were you being realistic? How did sales revenue increase annually? How does that compare your company to the industry standards? Use this information to determine what realistically you can bring in based on the size of the market, your company goals, and the experience and resources available to your sales team .

After setting clear sales goals, it’s time to set milestones . This involves breaking that big number down into smaller expectations with strict deadlines. These should challenge and motivate your sales team , without being so difficult they kill morale.

Lean on your sales team during this process. After all, they’re in the trenches with you and probably have the best knowledge about your customers. Learn about what they do during the workweek to close deals. Ask how much they’re currently doing, and how much bandwidth they have to do more. This will give you a real, frontline take on what goals and milestones to set in your sales plan template.

Finally, create specific targets with clear deadlines . For example, to achieve a sales goal of increasing revenue by 15 percent YOY, you might set the milestone of increasing your customer base by 20 percent, or increasing sales by 50% for a specific product.

Brought together, these milestones inform and support your overall sales plan, giving you a clear, actionable workflow to hit your overall goals for the year.

2. Clearly Define Your Target Market or Niche

You need to know the market you’re in and the niche you’re going to occupy so you can properly position your business for growth.

What’s a business niche? It’s more than just what your business specializes in—a niche is the space your business occupies with your products, content, company culture, branding, and message. It’s how people identify with you and search you out over the competition.

As serial entrepreneur Jason Zook explains: “ When you try to create something for everyone, you end up creating something for no one. ”

Don’t do that.

Instead, start by looking at a niche and asking yourself these questions:

• How big is the market?
• Is there a built-in demand for what you're selling?
• What’s your current market position?
• Who are your competitors? What are their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats?

If you’re stuck, start by going back to your own strengths . List out your strongest interests and passions. Pick a field where the odds are already in your favor—where you have a proven track record, more expertise to offer, an extensive contact base, and people who can provide you with intros.

These kinds of strategic advantages will help you clarify your buyer persona and amplify the results of your planning.

Start with one product in one niche—you can always branch out to a complementary niche later. Sell beautiful, handcrafted tea cups? How about a booming doily business? Or customizable teaspoons?

A niche doesn’t limit you. It focuses you.

3. Understand Your Target Customers

Chasing the wrong customers will only waste your time and money, so don't allow them to sneak into your sales plan.

Your best customers are the ones that are successful with your product and see the ROI of it. Talk to them, and find out what they have in common.

While defining ideal customers depends on your company and market, here are some basic characteristics you’ll want to identify:

• Company size (number of employees, number of customers, yearly revenue)
• Size of the relevant department
• Geographical information
• Job title of your POC
• Buying process
• The goal they’re trying to achieve with your product or service

Also, don’t forget to think about whether they will be a good ‘fit’. If this is a long-term relationship you’re developing rather than a one-night stand, you want to ensure you speak the same language and share a similar culture and vision.

Use this information to build out an ideal customer profile . This fictitious organization gets significant value from using your product/service and provides significant value to your company. A customer profile helps you qualify leads and disqualify bad-fit customers before you waste time trying to sell to them.

Once you know the type of company you want to target with your sales team, it’s time to get inside their head. Start by hanging out where they hang out:

• Are they on social media? What’s their network of choice?
• Are they members of any Facebook or LinkedIn groups?
• Can you answer industry questions for them on Quora or Reddit?
• What podcasts do they listen to, or what resources do they read?

Get in your customers’ heads, and you’ll be in a much better position to sell to them.

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4. Map Out Your Customer’s Journey

The next part of an effective sales plan must address how that ideal customer becomes your customer. Do this by mapping out their journey, including actions and events during the different stages of the sales funnel :

• Consideration

Conduct a customer survey or chat directly with your current, happy customers to gather valuable sales planning insights. Ask them:

• When you became a customer, what did you want our product to do for you?
• What features were important to you? Why?
• What was your budget?
• How did you solve this problem before using our product?

To fully understand their journey as a customer, you can also ask about past buying experiences:

• When was the last time you bought something similar?
• Was that a good or bad experience? Why?
• What was the decision-making process like?
• How did you evaluate different offers?
• Which factors made you choose that particular solution?

Once you’ve identified the awareness, interest, and consideration stages, let your prospects and new customers build the rest of their roadmap by asking them: "What’s next?"

"What needs to happen to make you a customer?"

If, for example, they say they’ll have to get approval from the VP of Finance. Ask:

"Ok, and let's say he agrees that we're the right fit; what's next?"

We call this the virtual close , a way to put your prospect in a future-thinking state of mind that makes them imagine buying from you. Asking this question to several high-quality prospects will tell you those final few steps in the customer journey until they’ve signed on the dotted line.

Finally, piece together the post-sale journey. Once a prospect becomes a customer, what’s next? How do you enable them to use your product and be successful with it? What happened to create your most loyal customers? Understanding this piece of the sales process is essential to managing and increasing customer retention .

5. Define Your Value Propositions

You know your customers. You know their journey. Now, define where you fit in by looking at your competitive advantage . Fully articulating what sets you apart from the competition is a crucial element of your sales plan template.

Start by asking a few simple questions:

• Why do customers buy from us?
• Why do customers buy from our competitors and not us?
• Why do some potential customers not buy at all?
• What do we need to do to be successful in the future?

Remember that customers buy benefits, not features. When describing your value proposition , it’s easy to get caught up in talking about you. What you’ve made. What you do. Instead, flip the script and talk about what your product will do for your customers . A strong competitive advantage:

• Reflects the competitive strength of your business
• Is preferably, but not necessarily, unique
• Is clear and simple
• May change over time as competitors try to steal your idea
• Must be supported by ongoing market research

For example, the competitive advantage of help desk software has nothing to do with its social media integrations and real-time ticket tracking. It’s the fact that it allows its customers to focus on creating a great customer experience.

Here’s the point: Focus on value, not features, in your sales plan template.

Your competitive advantage will inform everything your company does moving forward, from marketing to product development. It’s a great example of where sales can influence the development of a product and the direction of a business.

6. Organize Your Sales Team

The way your sales team is organized can enable them to better serve their customers and bring new revenue into your business faster.

Here are three basic structures for your sales team :

• The island: Individual reps work alone.
• Assembly line: Each sales rep is assigned a specialized role such as lead generation, SDR (qualifier), Account Executive (closer), or Customer Success (farmer).
• Pods: Each sales rep is assigned a specialized role in a pod, or group, that’s responsible for the entire journey of specific customers.

Think about the strengths and weaknesses of your sales team members, and how they will truly thrive as part of the team.

7. Outline the Use of Sales Tools

Now it’s time to think about the tools you’re using. Building out your sales stack takes time and effort, but listing out that stack in your sales plan will help you avoid getting caught up with new tech that may or may not help your sales team.

Basically, you’ll need tools for these areas to cover all aspects of the sales process:

• CRM software (like Close )
• Lead generation and prospecting tools
• Internal communication software
• Engagement and outreach tools
• Documentation software
• Sales enablement stack

Think about how all of your sales tools work together through integrations and where automation comes into play to save your team time, and how you'll drive CRM adoption across your team members.

8. Build a Prospecting List

A prospect list is where we take all the theory and research of the last few sections of our sales plan template and put them into action.

At its core, a prospect list is a directory of real people you can contact who would benefit from your product or service. This can be time-consuming, but it's essential for driving your sales plan and company growth.

First, use your ideal customer profile to start finding target companies:

• Search LinkedIn
• Check out relevant local business networks
• Attend networking events and meetups
• Do simple Google searches
• Check out the member list of relevant online groups

Target up to 5 people at each organization. Targeting more than one individual will give you better odds of connecting by cold email outreach as well as a better chance that someone in your network can connect you personally.

Remember, this isn’t just a massive list of people you could sell to. This is a targeted list based on the research you’ve done previously in your sales plan.

Once you have your list, keep track of your leads and how you found them using a sales CRM. This will keep historical context intact and make sure you don’t overlap on outreach if you’re working with teammates.

9. Track, Measure, and Adjust As Needed

Just because you’ve made a solid sales plan template to follow, doesn’t mean you get to sit back and watch the cash roll in.

Remember what Basecamp founder Jason Fried said about plans:

“A plan is simply a guess you wrote down.”

You’re using everything you know about the market, your unique value, target customers, and partners to define the ideal situation for your company. But yes, try as we might, very few of us actually see anything when we gaze deep into the crystal ball.

Instead, remember that your sales plan is a living, breathing document that needs to account for and adapt to new features, marketing campaigns, or even new team members who join.

Set regular meetings (at least monthly) to review progress on your sales plan, identify and solve issues, and align your activities across teams to optimize your plan around real-world events and feedback. Learn from your mistakes and victories, and evolve your sales plan as needed.

Create a Strategic Sales Plan to Grow Your Business

You’ve just discovered the basics—but I’ll bet you’re ready to go beyond that. Here are some final ideas to take your sales plan from a simple foundation to a strategic, actionable one.

Avoid Moving the Goalpost

Avoid making adjustments to the goals outlined in your sales plan—even if you discover you’ve been overly optimistic or pessimistic in your sales planning. When you're developing your very first sales plan template, it's natural to be wrong in some of your assumptions—especially around goals and forecasting .

Instead of letting it get you down, remember your plan serves as a benchmark to judge your success or failure. As you see places where your assumptions were wrong, carefully document what needs updating when it's time to revise your sales plan.

Invite Your Others to Challenge Your Sales Plan

Never finalize a plan without another set of eyes (or a few sets.) Get an experienced colleague—an accountant, senior salesperson, or qualified friend—to review the document before solidifying your sales plan.

Your sales team is another strong resource for reviewing your sales plan. Ask their opinions, give them time to think about how it relates to their daily work, and agree on the key points that go into your sales plan.

Set Individual Goals and Milestones for Your Sales Team

We talked about creating milestones for your business, but you can take your sales plan to the next level by setting individual milestones for your sales team as well.

These individual goals need to consider the differences in strengths, weaknesses, and skills among your salespeople.

For example, if someone on your team is making a ton of calls but not closing, give them a milestone of upping their close rate . If someone’s great at closing but doesn’t do much outreach, give them a milestone of contacting 10 new prospects a month.

Doing this will help your individual reps build their skills and contribute to their company and career growth.

Ready to Hit Your Sales Goals?

In most sales situations, the biggest challenge is inertia. But with a solid, detailed sales plan and a dedicated team with clear milestones, you’ll have everything you need to push through any friction and keep on track to hit your goals!

All jazzed up and ready to put together your own sales plan? Download our free Sales Success Kit and access 11 templates, checklists, worksheets, and guides.

They're action-focused and easy to use, so you can have your best sales year yet.

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How to Write a Sales Plan

This guide explains the purpose of a sales plan, what it contains and how to write one that works for your business. It also includes a free template for your own sales plan.

Table of Contents

Every business needs a business plan as well as more detailed road maps that offer guidance to each department working toward that common goal. As the revenue-generating engine of your company, the sales department should be a top priority for this type of document, aptly named the “sales plan.” This guide introduces the concept of a sales plan and gives you all the guidance you need to create a sales plan that works for your business.

What is a sales plan?

A sales plan details the overall sales strategy of a business, including the revenue objectives of the company and how the sales department will meet those goals. This may also include revenue goals, the target audience and tools the team will use in their day-to-day. In addition, the sales plan should include examples of the hurdles and pain points the team might encounter, as well as contingency plans to overcome them.

“[A sales plan] is essential to support the growth of an organization,” said Bill Santos, vice president of the ITsavvy Advanced Solutions Group. “A sales plan helps individual reps understand the priorities of the business as well as the measurements by which they will be evaluated.”

Business plans vs. sales plans

Business plans and sales plans are closely linked. A sales plan, though, should outline the actions that the sales department will take to achieve the company’s broader goals. A sales plan differs from a business plan, though both work toward the same end.

“A business plan is a ‘what’ [and] a sales plan is a ‘how,'” said James R. Bailey , professor of management and Hochberg Professional Fellow of Leadership Development at the George Washington University School of Business. “Business plans are where a firm wants to go. A sales plan is a part of how they can achieve that. A business plan is direction; a sales plan is execution.”

For example, a software company that developed a new mobile application might state in its business plan that the app will be installed by 1 million users within a year of launch, while the sales plan describes how that will actually be achieved.

How to write a sales plan

Every sales plan should suit the individual needs of a different company, so they come in all shapes and sizes. There is no one-size-fits-all sales plan; the one you create will be unique to your business. With careful planning, you’ll have a much clearer vision of what you need to accomplish and a road map for how to get there. 

Chris Gibbs, vice president of global sales at Centripetal Networks, named some additional items that every sales plan should include.

• Targeted accounts: Assign each salesperson a few key accounts to focus on, and grow from that base.
• Targeted verticals: Sales teams might focus on specific market segments or verticals, such as a particular industry.
• SKUs: Salespeople should emphasize certain SKUs or inventory items rather than get lost in a broad catalog of merchandise to sell.
• Sales and marketing coordination: Sales and marketing teams should work together to create promotions to help generate sales.
• Product road maps: Every company has a road map, and each product should have a road map that shows the plan and direction for a product offering over time to chart out when a product will launch and when it might sunset or be replaced by a newer model.
• Forecasts: Sales forecasting is projecting sales volumes and expectations by comparing them historically to sales of previous years, and then conducting market comparison to determine where sales will fall against the competition.

“Sales plans are extremely important to ensure there is cohesiveness between product teams, sales and marketing,” Gibbs said. “In addition, they’re important for ensuring that timing of new products and/or new version releases coincide with sales objectives and forecasts.”

What are the steps to create a sales plan?

A sales plan is necessary for businesses of every size, from an individual entrepreneur to a Fortune 500 company. When you’re ready to actually write your sales plan, follow these steps:

1. Define the objectives. 

Clearly outlining your goals and stating your objectives should always be the first step in creating a sales plan or any other business venture. You should include the expected sales volume and any markets or territories you expect to reach. 

For example, let’s say you own a retail store selling household goods and electronics. If your purpose is to establish yourself as a trusted local retailer, ask yourself the following questions:

• If so, are they purchasing anything or just browsing?
• Was it word of mouth?
• Was it through marketing efforts, such as email marketing, direct mail or social media?
• How many are new customers?
• How many are repeat customers?
• Where do you want your sales to come from? 
• What are some external and internal factors that could impact your sales? These include industry trends and economic conditions.

When you can precisely state your key objectives, you are setting yourself up to plan later steps around achieving your goals.

2. Assess the current situation.

The next step is to create an honest overview of your business situation in relation to the goal you set in the first step. 

Review your strengths and assets. Take a look at your resources and how you can apply them to your goal. This can include personal relationships and competitive advantages like new products or services.

For example, if your goal is to enhance your relationship with your customers, you’d need to ask yourself some questions to examine your current situation:

• What is your current relationship with your customers?
• Where did most of your sales come from?
• Where would you like to expand your sales?

3. Determine and outline the sales strategies. 

Sales strategies are the actual tactics your team will use to reach customers. They can include marketing channels as well as procedures for lead generation and client outreach employed by your salespeople.

Here are two examples of potential sales strategies: 

• Use your POS system to retain customer information so you can track current and new customers.
• Employ email marketing, text message marketing , social media, outbound call center services and direct mail marketing campaigns.

4. Define roles for the sales team. 

Each member of the sales team should be assigned clear roles, whether they vary from person to person or everyone performs the same functions.

Defining the sales direction of the team is crucial, as it shows the focus of the company and helps the team target and execute sales most effectively.

The plan of attack for the sales team should be communicated clearly by leadership, whether it is from team leaders or the CEO.  

5. Inform other departments of sales objectives.

A sales plan shouldn’t just update a company president or C-suite; it should inform the whole organization of the sales team’s objectives. 

Clearly outline your plan for the rest of the company to help them understand the goals and procedures of the sales team. Other departments become more efficient when interacting with the sales team and clients. This also conveys a certain level of quality and professionalism to the clients about the company.

6. Provide tools for the sales team.

Provide the tools each member of the sales team needs to achieve the stated goals, such as customer relationship management (CRM) software. The best CRM software is customizable to meet a company’s needs, making it much easier for your team to use the software and work efficiently.

7. Detail how the department will track progress. 

Offer strategic direction and insight on how progress will be monitored. Having a quarterly review to assess whether the company is on target is just as important as the plan itself.

Markets change, and so should your sales plan. Keeping it up to date will help you capitalize on the market and achieve your goals. Tracking progress is made easier by the tools you use to collect data. That data will then have to be analyzed and presented in a way which all departments can understand and use for future growth. 

Key elements of a sales plan

Every sales plan should also include the following elements.

Realistic goals

You need to set achievable goals . Challenge your sales team, but don’t push too hard. Bailey said that these “deliverables” are among the key points to include in a sales business plan. 

“Deliverables need to be as specific as possible and moderately difficult to achieve – specific inasmuch as being measurable in a manner that is uncontested [and] moderately difficult inasmuch as making sales goals too difficult can lead to failure and discouragement.”

Midpoint goals also help build morale and keep the team working toward a larger goal. Instead of having one giant goal, creating smaller goals to achieve along the way will keep your team focused.

Sales tools

Tracking sales throughout the term is helpful, and you can employ tools to keep track of each team member as well as the department overall. It also helps establish a culture of accountability among salespeople.

“Tools can help, especially project management and CRM software,” Santos said. “Having a weekly cadence of update and review is also important, as it sends a message that ownership and updates are important.”

Clear expectations and a defined commission structure

Assign goals and responsibilities to each team member to make expectations clear. This is true whether or not each team member has the same goals.

“We meet with each individual to come up with a plan that works for them so that they can reach their goals,” said Leah Adams, director of client success at Point3 Security. “We measure results based on numbers. Each team member has his own plan and how they’re going to get there.”

It’s also necessary to spell out the commission structure in full detail.

“The only real difference is how sales count,” Bailey said. “In petroleum-based products … a few big clients are necessary. Compensation needs to be structured not just in contract value, but in graduated terms: Above $1 million, commissions move from 5% to 9%, and so forth. In smaller-volume enterprises, commissions might be front-loaded with higher percentages early, then graduated down. You have to reward what you want.”

Training programs

Along the way, some training might be necessary to maintain the momentum.

“What’s important to us is that we’re teaching these individuals to be the best salesperson they can be,” Adams said. “We help them do that by constantly training them and giving them knowledge of what’s going on in our industry. Everything stays on track because each member of the team knows their individual goal; though each person has a number, they also know the ultimate goal is for the entire team to hit.”

Adams said that an effective CRM keeps things organized and helps delegate tasks and responsibilities on a schedule that uses the company’s lead information.

Key steps to follow when devising a sales plan

Here are some best practices for creating a sales plan:

• Refer to the business plan. The sales plan should directly address the objectives of the business plan and how those objectives can be achieved.
• Advance clear objectives. The clearer the objectives are, the easier it will be to reach your goals.
• Reference prior sales data. Chart sales over the previous few terms, and project the trend for the current term. New businesses can create sales projections based on expectations.
• Outline the commission structure. This will help motivate your team and help you calculate anticipated costs.
• Be clear about how progress is measured. There should be no dispute about this. If larger clients carry more weight than lower-volume buyers, that should be stated upfront.

The benefits of a sales plan

A sales plan keeps the sales department on track, considering the details of how they must operate to hit their targets and achieve company objectives. Because the sales team is the primary driver of revenue, it is an incredibly important document. [Related article: Adopting a CRM? How to Get Buy-in From Your Sales Department ]

“It’s extremely important to have a sales plan in place, almost a must,” Adams said. “Without this plan, it’s almost impossible to get through the year and hit the company’s sales goals.”

It’s not uncommon to encounter obstacles along the way, however. A good sales plan accounts for that.

“Almost always, you’ll run into the speed bumps along the way, but with a plan in place, it makes it a whole lot easier to navigate through it all,” Adams said. “The sales plan allows you to adjust when necessary so the goal can still be hit. I strongly believe a plan allows you to stay in control and reduce the risk while being able to measure the team’s results along the way to that finish line.”

Sales plan templates

Sales templates are helpful in that many of them are based on tried-and-true formats that have been used by businesses across several industries. They can also provide structure so that it is clear to each employee what their role and responsibilities are. 

“A template helps plan each individual’s daily activities in a structured way,” Adams said. “If you know what each person is doing daily, it’s easier to help correct what’s going wrong. It helps with things like conversion rates, etc. Yes, these templates can be customized in any way a team’s manager sees fit, based on how he believes the team will perform better.”

Sales plans should be unique to the company; however, there are key components they should always include. Because there is somewhat of a formula, you can use a template.

Templates are extremely helpful, Gibbs said. “It creates uniformity for the team, as well as a yearly or quarterly sales plan to present to senior management.”

Gibbs added that templates can easily be customized to meet the needs of a particular business or sales team.

Keeping your team on track with a sales plan

Planning is vital for any business, especially when dealing with sales targets. Before selling your product or service, you must outline your goals and ways to execute them. Essentially, a sales plan enables you to mitigate problems and risks. When there is a clear plan of action, you will know how to proceed in order to attain your goals. 

Enid Burns contributed to the writing and reporting in this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.

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How To Write A Business Plan (2024 Guide)

Updated: Apr 17, 2024, 11:59am

Table of Contents

Brainstorm an executive summary, create a company description, brainstorm your business goals, describe your services or products, conduct market research, create financial plans, bottom line, frequently asked questions.

Every business starts with a vision, which is distilled and communicated through a business plan. In addition to your high-level hopes and dreams, a strong business plan outlines short-term and long-term goals, budget and whatever else you might need to get started. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to write a business plan that you can stick to and help guide your operations as you get started.

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Drafting the Summary

An executive summary is an extremely important first step in your business. You have to be able to put the basic facts of your business in an elevator pitch-style sentence to grab investors’ attention and keep their interest. This should communicate your business’s name, what the products or services you’re selling are and what marketplace you’re entering.

Ask for Help

When drafting the executive summary, you should have a few different options. Enlist a few thought partners to review your executive summary possibilities to determine which one is best.

After you have the executive summary in place, you can work on the company description, which contains more specific information. In the description, you’ll need to include your business’s registered name , your business address and any key employees involved in the business. 

The business description should also include the structure of your business, such as sole proprietorship , limited liability company (LLC) , partnership or corporation. This is the time to specify how much of an ownership stake everyone has in the company. Finally, include a section that outlines the history of the company and how it has evolved over time.

Wherever you are on the business journey, you return to your goals and assess where you are in meeting your in-progress targets and setting new goals to work toward.

Numbers-based Goals

Goals can cover a variety of sections of your business. Financial and profit goals are a given for when you’re establishing your business, but there are other goals to take into account as well with regard to brand awareness and growth. For example, you might want to hit a certain number of followers across social channels or raise your engagement rates.

Another goal could be to attract new investors or find grants if you’re a nonprofit business. If you’re looking to grow, you’ll want to set revenue targets to make that happen as well.

Intangible Goals

Goals unrelated to traceable numbers are important as well. These can include seeing your business’s advertisement reach the general public or receiving a terrific client review. These goals are important for the direction you take your business and the direction you want it to go in the future.

The business plan should have a section that explains the services or products that you’re offering. This is the part where you can also describe how they fit in the current market or are providing something necessary or entirely new. If you have any patents or trademarks, this is where you can include those too.

If you have any visual aids, they should be included here as well. This would also be a good place to include pricing strategy and explain your materials.

This is the part of the business plan where you can explain your expertise and different approach in greater depth. Show how what you’re offering is vital to the market and fills an important gap.

You can also situate your business in your industry and compare it to other ones and how you have a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Other than financial goals, you want to have a budget and set your planned weekly, monthly and annual spending. There are several different costs to consider, such as operational costs.

Business Operations Costs

Rent for your business is the first big cost to factor into your budget. If your business is remote, the cost that replaces rent will be the software that maintains your virtual operations.

Marketing and sales costs should be next on your list. Devoting money to making sure people know about your business is as important as making sure it functions.

Other Costs

Although you can’t anticipate disasters, there are likely to be unanticipated costs that come up at some point in your business’s existence. It’s important to factor these possible costs into your financial plans so you’re not caught totally unaware.

Business plans are important for businesses of all sizes so that you can define where your business is and where you want it to go. Growing your business requires a vision, and giving yourself a roadmap in the form of a business plan will set you up for success.

How do I write a simple business plan?

When you’re working on a business plan, make sure you have as much information as possible so that you can simplify it to the most relevant information. A simple business plan still needs all of the parts included in this article, but you can be very clear and direct.

What are some common mistakes in a business plan?

The most common mistakes in a business plan are common writing issues like grammar errors or misspellings. It’s important to be clear in your sentence structure and proofread your business plan before sending it to any investors or partners.

What basic items should be included in a business plan?

When writing out a business plan, you want to make sure that you cover everything related to your concept for the business,  an analysis of the industry―including potential customers and an overview of the market for your goods or services―how you plan to execute your vision for the business, how you plan to grow the business if it becomes successful and all financial data around the business, including current cash on hand, potential investors and budget plans for the next few years.

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How to Create a Sales Plan for Your Business

James Cummings

9 min. read

Updated May 10, 2024

Taking the leap into entrepreneurship is a bold move. Many have plunged and crashed because they were ill-prepared. Many professionals place emphasis on having a business plan, and this is a good thing. However, if your business is going to be selling tangible goods, a smart sales plan is equally important.

What are the best strategies for a working sales plan? Why do they matter and what are the steps to organize one for your business?

When you have a sales plan that supports your business plan, your execution should yield positive outcomes. Whether you are a business owner, a sales manager, or a strategist, this article is for you.

• Understanding the meaning of a good sales plan and why it matters

Every business exists to achieve a specific objective . For those who want to drive sales, a sales plan is the roadmap for guiding you toward achieving those sales goals.

What is a sales plan? It is a month-to-month estimate of the quantity of sales you intend to achieve, and the steps you will take to get there. It includes previous sales, market conditions, specific niches, and your customers—how you are going to identify them, communicate with them, and sell to them.

When executed correctly, a sales plan gives you control and leverage in growing and expanding your startup, instead of simply attending to day-to-day sales tasks.

With this information, you can confidently identify any impending issues, sales droughts, or prospects and act quickly on them. It may seem like a lot of work right now, but once you can answer these questions, you’ll be able to take your sales and business to the next level.

• How to create a successful sales plan

1.  Set realistic goals

Every sales plan needs an end goal—something to measure your actual values against. For this, a figure is required, whether it is the number of sales to expect by the end of a quarter or the number of customers you convert to buyers. This figure helps you determine how successful or far from the mark your results are.

Setting realistic goals will depend on factors like the market size, company objectives, and the resources or experience available to your sales team. You are probably aware of what SMART goals are, so we won’t be discussing that at length.

However, the following common mistakes should be avoided:

• Being overly optimistic
• Neglecting your own assumptions
• Shifting the goalposts
• Failing to ask for sound advice
• Not having a feedback mechanism

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2. Have clear deadlines and milestones

You need to know if the assumptions you are making in your sales plan are close to your target. To do this, split that big plan into smaller goals (deliverables) with strict deadlines. These are milestones. Whether you have achieved a certain number of leads for the half quarter or sales target, these milestones are useful in telling you whether you are on the right path.

Having clear-cut deadlines and manageable milestones requires research and time to develop. They should motivate and challenge your sales team without being too difficult, or it will lower their morale. Start with the figures from last year; track the exponential increase in sales and compare them with your industry’s present realities. This should be able to inform the milestones you’ll need to set.

3. Select a suitable niche and focus on it

The previous steps have helped set a “bullseye” that you want to hit. The next steps are about filling out your sales plan. The first thing to do is understand the market you operate in and the niche you serve so that you can position your business properly for growth.

A business niche is simply your business’s area of specialization. For example, you may own a sweet shop, in which case your business would be known to specialize in confectionery. However, it goes further than the space it occupies with your products. Your niche also comprises your content, company culture, branding, and overall business message. This is how you stand out from your competitors and get recognized by your target audience.

Be specific; choose a target market . Using the above analogy, would your sweet shop be aimed at children, or if it was a shop that sold vintage sweets, would it also be aimed at adults of a certain age? According to Jason Zook , serial entrepreneur: “When you try to make something for everyone, you end up making something for no one.”

Ask yourself the following questions and spend some time on market research :

• What is the market size ?
• Is there an inherent need for the product you are selling?
• What is your market position? (Conducting a SWOT analysis can be helpful here.)
• Who are your competitors and what their current strategies?

4. Know your target customers

One of the worst decisions any startup will make is to spend money and effort on the wrong set of customers. You are already hard-pressed on a growth budget, so wasting it kills the business fast.

Conduct research to identify the targeted audience. Scour the internet and glean as much information as possible by looking at the latest trends. You can even compile surveys to gauge relevant feedback. Once you know your niche, do everything to find out what you can about your customers. For example, what is their profile—their language, typical online behavior, and product preferences? What you look to define will depend on your company and the nature of your market.

However, for a startup, it’s best to begin with basics like their geographical location, work information, purchasing power, and so on.

Also, find out:

• If they are on social media, and their choice of network.
• Do they belong to any LinkedIn or Facebook groups?
• Can you answer their pain points on Reddit or Quora?
• What do they read and what podcasts do they enjoy listening to?

5. Prepare a plan for the customer’s journey

Once you have your typical customer profile figured out, the next step is to determine how to make them your customer. This can be achieved by simply charting out their journey from prospect to loyal customer.

To understand what you need to know about your potential customers, ask these questions:

• What issues do you want our product to help you solve?
• What attributes are most important to you, and why?
• What budget do you have for this?
• How are you presently solving this problem?

These are important questions. Good salespeople take their buyers on a journey every time—from attention to interest, desire, and action. The AIDA model is a great tool for achieving conversion via a sales funnel. When you guide them faithfully through this process, your customers should eventually convert.

6. Define your unique selling points

You know your customers and the path along their sales journey. The next step is to plug your services smartly into the path, in the best possible manner. You can do this by defining your unique selling proposition (USP) .  Your USP is what differentiates your business from other players in the market.

Know your customer base by asking them the following questions:

• Exactly why do you patronize us?
• What would make you choose our competitors instead of us?
• Why do you think some prospective customers would not buy at all?
• What steps do you think we need to take to attract more customers in the future?

To find out just what customers are looking for and why they might patronize your business, try surveying them to gauge opinion. Offer such surveys online and make it simple and straightforward for people to proffer the relevant feedback.

It’s important to remember that people buy benefits, not features. Avoid getting lost in the color or model of your product when describing it to the customer. Rather, outline what it would do for them: the problems it will resolve, and the advantages of buying it.

7. Build a list of prospects

Armed with the knowledge of the type of customers you want and the benefits you are going to sell them, the next step is to build a list of prospects. That is generating leads of potential customers to try your theories on.

A prospect list is a directory of real people you can contact—those who will ideally benefit from your services or products. Building this directory is one of the major tasks of a salesperson, but they can be obtained nonetheless.

From your customer profile, target the following:

• LinkedIn for prospects
• Relevant local business networks
• Network seminars and conferences
• Perform Google searches (to identify buying trends for example)
• Work with leads generating companies like Salesripe

8. Take advantage of existing client relationships

A common saying in marketing is that it is significantly cheaper and more rewarding to retain existing customers than go after new ones. In other words, focus a good amount of effort on customer retention rather than customer acquisition.

According to Gartner research, 65 percent of a company’s revenue comes from existing customers, and it costs five times as much to attract a new customer than satisfy an existing one. Leverage this relationship by offering occasional loyalty rewards. Examples include accumulated points systems, redeemable gift cards, discounts, and so on.

Another way to gain from existing customers is to ask for referrals. People trust recommendations from their peers more than your sales pitch. Additionally, some companies offer incentives to current customers who introduce a new buyer.

9. Look for strategic partners with the same goal

Don’t solely focus on acquiring paying customers. Seek strategic alliances with companies and other businesses that could benefit you. They could even be your competitor; success is not always about fighting, but collaborating.

You can meet up with these people at conferences or sites like Partner Up. Other professional networks also provide a reliable platform to interact with like-minded individuals and companies. For instance, if you manufacture toilet paper, you could partner up with magazine companies or recycling organizations for their by-products.

10. Track, measure, and tweak

Now that you have the makings of a solid sales plan, it doesn’t end here. You need to have a process for comparing your success—checking results against the original goal. If you don’t know how you performed, you can never adjust for improvement or to replicate future successes.

Many digital platforms help with this stage. For example, Google Analytics provides you with a dashboard which includes an overview of sources of your biggest sales, the best and least performing days, revenue growth, leads to conversion rate ratio, and so on. It will also be important to be able to quickly and easily monitor your financial metrics —a business dashboard can help, but it’s possible to track your progress manually using Excel spreadsheets. The advantage of this process is that each metric can be tweaked as the sales process is ongoing. This means you have full control of the entire activity.

Are you currently struggling with a workable sales plan? Start with these basics and you can grow from there.

James is a business psychologist and serial entrepreneur, with over a decade working in finance, IT, marketing, and recruitment sectors. He has authored numerous books in the management space and is founder and CEO of Dailyposts UK.

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How to Craft a Strategy for Marketing and Sales in Business Plan

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Designing a strong marketing and sales strategy in your business plan is crucial for success.

Did you know companies that effectively align sales and marketing see a 38% higher sales win rate? (Source: MarketingProfs).

By integrating these two forces, you can improve lead quality, streamline processes, and boost your bottom line. Let’s explore how you can craft a winning strategy that drives real results.

What is a Sales and Marketing Plan?

A sales and marketing plan is a detailed strategy that outlines how a business will reach its target market, attract customers, and sell products.

It helps companies plan their marketing efforts and sales tactics together. Combining these two areas of marketing mix also makes it easier to set clear goals, track progress, and grow the business.

Importance of Integrating Marketing and Sales in a Business Plan

1. enhances lead quality and conversion rates.

• When marketing and sales teams share information, they can focus on the right audience.
• This means they can attract potential customers who are more likely to buy.

2. Streamlines Sales Funnel Efficiency

• A combined plan helps both teams understand the steps from marketing to sales. This makes the sales process smoother and faster.
• For example, when marketing brings in leads, sales can quickly follow up and convert them to buyers.

3. Provides Consistent Brand Messaging

• When marketing and sales teams share the same message, customers get a clear understanding of the product.
• It avoids confusion and helps build trust. Consistent messaging ensures that customers know what to expect, no matter who they speak with.

4. Shortens the Sales Cycle

• The sales cycle can be long and tiring. But when marketing gives sales good leads, the process becomes shorter.
• Sales teams can close deals faster because they are speaking to people who are already interested.

5. Reduces Customer Acquisition Costs

• When both teams work together, they save money.
• Marketing doesn’t waste money on ads that don’t work, and sales doesn’t spend time on leads that aren’t interested. This reduces the overall cost of gaining new customers.

6. Optimizes Product Development and Positioning

• Sales teams get direct feedback from customers. This helps marketing understand what customers like and don’t like.
• With this feedback, companies can improve their products and position them better in the market.

How to Make an Effective Sales and Marketing Strategy

Sales and marketing strategies should complement each other for a unified approach to reaching business goals.

1. Align Sales and Marketing Goals

Aligning sales and marketing goals means ensuring that both marketing collateral teams work towards the same objectives.

For instance, if the marketing team’s goal is to bring in 200 new leads, the sales team should be ready to convert those leads into customers.

Why is it important:

When sales and marketing teams are aligned, the sales planning process often becomes smoother and more efficient. This collaboration prevents confusion, reduces wasted effort, and ensures everyone is on the same page.

How to implement it:

• Set Clear Goals: Begin by holding regular meetings with both teams to set shared, measurable goals.
• Use Data and Tools: Use tools like CRM software to track lead progress and measure success.
• Regular Updates: Check in often to make sure that both teams are meeting their targets. This way, your marketing and sales plan can adapt quickly if needed.

2. Create Detailed Buyer Personas

A buyer persona is a detailed description of your ideal customer. It includes information like age, job, hobbies, and the problems they need solved. This helps identify your target audience and ensures your marketing efforts are effective.

When you understand your target market, you can create better marketing messages and campaigns. This leads to attracting the right potential customers who are more likely to convert.

• Collect Data: Look at your existing customers. Who are they? What do they like?
• Talk to Your Sales Team: Get insights on customer pain points and preferences from those who deal with customers directly.
• Build Profiles: Create profiles like, “Samantha, a 35-year-old small business owner who values affordable, easy-to-use software.”
• Use These Personas: Tailor your marketing messages to these personas to connect with your audience better.

3. Prioritize Lead Scoring and Qualification

Lead scoring is a system where you assign points to leads based on their actions, like visiting your website or downloading a product guide. Lead generation and qualification means determining if a lead is likely to become a paying customer.

Not all leads are ready to buy. Lead scoring helps sales teams prioritize which leads to focus on, saving time and increasing sales efficiency.

• Define Lead Criteria: Decide what makes a good lead for your business. It could be job title, company size, or engagement level.
• Assign Points: Give points for actions. For example, a lead who signs up for a free trial could get 20 points, while one who reads a blog post might get 5 points.
• Use Lead Scoring Tools: Tools like HubSpot and Salesforce can help automate this process, making it easier to manage leads.
• Focus Sales Efforts: Have your sales team focus on high-scoring leads first. This ensures they spend their time where it’s most valuable.

4. Embrace Multi-Channel Marketing

Multi-channel marketing means promoting your products or services across different channels. This can include social media, email, your website, TV ads, and even physical stores. The goal is to reach potential customers wherever they spend their time.

People use different platforms every day. Some like to browse social media, while others read emails or visit stores. Using multiple channels helps you connect with more people.

• Identify Key Channels: Find out where your target audience spends most of their time. For example, younger people might be more active on Instagram, while professionals could be on LinkedIn.
• Consistent Messaging: Make sure your marketing messages are similar across all platforms. This builds trust and helps people remember your brand.
• Use Automation Tools: Automation tools can help manage campaigns on different channels. You can send emails, post on social media, and track website traffic easily.

5. Implement a Sales Funnel Model

A sales funnel is the path a customer takes from learning about your product to buying it. It has different stages: awareness, interest, decision, and action. Each stage helps you understand how to market and sell to potential customers.

The sales funnel helps you guide customers step-by-step toward buying. It makes the sales process more organized and effective. By understanding each stage, you can target your marketing efforts better and close more sales.

• Awareness Stage: Start by creating ads and content that make people aware of your product. This could be blog posts, social media ads, or informative videos.
• Interest Stage: Once they are aware, share more details about the benefits of your product. Send them emails, provide testimonials, or offer free samples.
• Decision Stage: Here, you need to persuade them to make a purchase. Offer discounts, demos, or special deals.
• Action Stage: Make it easy for them to buy. Ensure your website checkout is simple, and give clear instructions. Follow up after the purchase to build a relationship.

6. Create a Content Marketing Strategy

Content marketing is the practice of creating useful and interesting content to attract and engage your audience.

This can be blogs, videos, infographics, or even podcasts. The goal is to educate and entertain, while subtly promoting your product.

Great content builds trust and positions your business as an expert. People are more likely to buy from companies they trust.

• Create Useful Content: Think about what your audience wants to know. Make blog posts, videos, or guides that answer common questions.
• Use SEO: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps your content show up when people search for related topics. Use keywords naturally in your articles to improve visibility.
• Engage on Social Media: Share your content on social media to reach more people. Encourage followers to comment, like, and share.
• Track Performance: Use tools like Google Analytics to see which content works best. This helps you improve and create better content in the future.

7. Use Social Proof and Case Studies

Social proof means showing that other people trust and like your product. This can be in the form of reviews, testimonials, or case studies. A case study is a story about how your product helped a customer solve a problem.

People trust what others say about your business more than what you say. Case studies also give potential customers a clear picture of how your product can work for them.

• Collect Testimonials: Ask your happy customers to share their experience with your product. You can feature these on your website and marketing channels .
• Share Case Studies: Write about how your product helped a customer. Show the problem, your solution, and the result. Make it easy to read and include quotes from the customer.
• Show Reviews: Display positive reviews on your website, social media, and other marketing materials. This builds trust and encourages new customers to give your product a try.

8. Monitor Competitor Strategies

Monitoring competitor strategies means keeping an eye on what other companies in your industry are doing.

It helps you understand what works and what doesn’t. This can be done by checking their marketing campaigns , social media, and even their website.

Knowing your competitors' strategies can give you new ideas and help you improve your own sales and marketing section efforts.

If you see something that works well for them, you can try to do it better. It also helps you find gaps in the market that your competitors are missing.

• Check Their Websites: Visit competitor websites regularly. See how they present their products, pricing, and special offers.
• Follow on Social Media: Watch what they post on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Take note of which posts get the most engagement.
• Use Online Tools: Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs can show you the keywords your competitors are targeting. You can also see which of their pages get the most traffic. Use this information to improve your marketing and sales plan.
• Create a Competitive Analysis: Write down what your competitors are doing well and where you think you can do better. Use this to guide your own marketing strategy.

9. Foster Continuous Collaboration Between Teams

Collaboration between teams means that sales, marketing, and other departments work together closely. This ensures that everyone is working toward the same goals and understands how to achieve them.

When sales and marketing teams communicate well, the entire marketing and sales tactics process is more efficient. Continuous collaboration reduces misunderstandings and helps everyone stay on track.

Sales representatives need clear, consistent information from marketing to communicate effectively with potential customers.

• Regular Meetings: Schedule regular meetings between sales and marketing teams. Discuss goals, share updates, and talk about what’s working and what isn’t.
• Shared Tools: Use shared platforms like CRM systems. This allows both teams to see the same data and makes tracking leads easier.
• Team Workshops: Organize workshops where teams can learn from each other. For example, marketing can learn about customer pain points from the sales team, and sales can learn how to talk about new marketing campaigns.
• Celebrate Wins Together: When your business achieves sales goals , celebrate together. This encourages teamwork and makes everyone feel valued.

10. Optimize the Sales Pipeline Regularly

A sales pipeline is a visual way to see the steps that turn potential customers into buyers. It starts from when a person first shows interest to when they make a purchase. Optimizing the pipeline means making sure every step is efficient and smooth.

If your sales pipeline isn’t running well, you could lose potential customers. By making it better, you can move leads through the sales process faster and more effectively.

• Review Regularly: Look at each step of your pipeline and see where leads drop off.
• Identify Bottlenecks: If you notice that many leads get stuck at a certain step, find out why. Maybe they need more information, or the process is too slow.
• Use CRM Tools: Tools like Salesforce or HubSpot can help you track leads and spot problems. Make changes to improve the flow of your sales process.
• Follow Up: If a lead has shown interest but hasn’t moved forward, follow up. A simple call or email can make a big difference.

11. Set SMART Goals

SMART goals are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, instead of saying, “We want to increase sales ,” a SMART goal would be, “We want to increase sales by 15% in the next 3 months.”

SMART goals give your marketing and sales plan a clear direction. When you know exactly what you want to achieve, it’s easier to make a plan and measure your success. Your sales and marketing plan should always align with your broader business objectives.

• Make It Specific: Clearly define what you want to accomplish. For example, “Increase website traffic by 20%” is better than just “get more traffic.”
• Measurable: Use numbers to track progress. This could be sales targets, number of leads, or website visits.
• Achievable: Make sure the goal is possible. Setting unrealistic goals will lead to disappointment.
• Relevant: Align your goals with your overall business plan. If your focus is on expanding to new markets, set a goal that supports this.
• Time-bound: Set a deadline. For example, “Increase sales by 15% in 6 months.” This creates urgency and helps keep everyone on track.

12. Measure, Adjust, Repeat

This means constantly checking how your marketing and sales efforts are doing, making changes when needed, and then repeating the process. It’s a continuous cycle of improvement.

Things change quickly in business. If you aren’t tracking your progress, you might be wasting time and money on strategies that don’t work. By measuring and adjusting, you can focus on what brings the best results.

• Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Use KPIs like website traffic, sales goals, and customer acquisition costs to measure success. This data helps you see what’s working and what needs improvement.
• Make Adjustments: If you see that certain marketing campaigns are not bringing in leads, change them. Try new approaches, such as using different marketing channels or adjusting your pricing strategy.
• Repeat What Works: When you find something that works, do it again. For example, if a content marketing campaign brings in a lot of potential customers, create more content like that.

Tracking your customer retention rate can reveal how well your marketing strategies build loyalty.

Sales Plan Vs Marketing Plan

A traditional business plan usually includes separate sections for sales and marketing, but integrating them can be more effective.

A sales plan and a marketing plan are both important parts of a business plan. However, they have different goals and focus on different things. Here are the the key differences:

Key Differences:

1. focus: immediate revenue vs. long-term growth.

Sales Plan: Focuses on generating immediate revenue. Its main goal is to make sure the entire sales plan and team hits their targets. Sales reps focus on getting leads to buy now.

Marketing Plan: Focuses on long-term growth. It’s more about building brand awareness and nurturing potential customers. Marketing efforts aim to attract people to your product over time, creating future sales opportunities.

‍ 2. Target Audience: Leads vs. Broad Market

Sales Plan: Targets specific leads. These are people who have already shown interest in the product and are likely to buy soon.

Marketing Plan: Targets a broader audience. This includes anyone who might be interested in the product, even if they’re not ready to buy yet.

3. Strategies: Direct Engagement vs. Market Positioning

Sales Plan: Uses direct engagement. Sales reps talk to leads through calls, emails, or meetings to close deals quickly. Use a sales plan template to outline your approach clearly and keep your team on track.

Marketing Plan: Focuses on market positioning. This means creating a strong brand image and making sure people know why the product is valuable. This is done through advertising, social media, and content marketing.

4. Metrics: Conversion Rates vs. Engagement Metrics

Sales Plan : Tracks conversion rates. This shows how many leads turn into paying customers. The higher the conversion rate , the more successful the sales team is.

Marketing Plan: Looks at engagement metrics. These include website traffic, social media likes, shares, and how many people open marketing emails. High engagement means people are interested in the brand, even if they’re not buying yet.

5. Timeline: Short-Term Execution vs. Ongoing Campaigns

Sales Plan: Operates on short-term execution. Sales teams often work with monthly or quarterly targets. They need to make quick sales to meet these goals.

Marketing Plan : Focuses on ongoing campaigns. Marketing efforts can run for months or even years, building the brand over time and its unique value proposition attracting new audiences consistently.

How to Improve Your Marketing Efforts

1. Leverage Data Analytics for Precision Marketing

Data analytics is the process of examining data to understand patterns and trends. When used in marketing, it helps you see which strategies work best and where you can improve. You can track website traffic, customer behavior, and how different campaigns perform.

How to do it:

• Use Analytics Tools: Tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot, and Salesforce can help you see where your website visitors come from, what they click on, and how long they stay. This data helps you understand which marketing channels work best.
• Identify Your Target Market: Use data to learn more about your target audience. For example, if you see that most of your customers are between 18-25 years old, you can create campaigns that attract more people in this age group.
• Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Focus on KPIs like website traffic, sales growth rate, and conversion rates. This helps you see what’s working and what needs to change. Companies that use data-driven marketing are six times more likely to achieve their goals (Forrester).

2. Utilize A/B Testing for Campaign Optimization

A/B testing, also called split testing, is when you compare two versions of a marketing message to see which one performs better. For example, you can test two different email headlines to find out which one gets more clicks.

• Choose One Element to Test: Start by choosing one part of your marketing campaign to test. It could be the headline, image, or call-to-action button. For example, if you are running a Facebook ad, you might test two different pictures to see which one gets more likes and shares.
• Run the Test and Measure Results: Let the test run for a set period, like one or two weeks. Use data from your marketing tools to see which version got more engagement or sales .
• Apply What You Learn: Once you know which version works better, use that information to improve future campaigns. For example, if you see that emails with shorter subject lines have higher open rates, you can make your email subject lines shorter.

‍ 3. Focus on Content That Educates and Adds Value

Content marketing involves creating articles, videos, or other materials that help educate your audience about your product or industry.

It’s not about selling directly. Instead, it’s about providing a value proposition and building trust. When people find your content useful, they are more likely to trust your brand.

• Create Helpful Guides and Articles: Write articles that answer common questions or solve problems that your potential customers face. For example, if you sell fitness equipment, write a guide on “How to Choose the Right Exercise Bike for Your Home.”
• Use Multiple Marketing Channels: Share your content on social media, your website, and even in emails. This helps you reach more people.
• Engage Your Audience with Stories: Use storytelling to connect with your audience. Share success stories from customers or create content that highlights how your product can make life easier.
• Optimize for SEO: Use keywords naturally in your content so it shows up when people search for related topics online. Make sure your website content is clear and easy to read. This will improve your website traffic and help more potential customers find you.

4. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content (UGC) refers to photos, videos, reviews, or any content created by customers about your brand. Think of those Instagram posts where customers share pictures using your product.

• Encourage Customers to Share: Ask your customers to post pictures or reviews about your product on social media. Offer rewards like discounts or freebies for those who share. For example, a company like GoPro uses UGC by reposting exciting videos made by their customers.
• Showcase UGC on Your Channels: Highlight this content on your website, social media, and other marketing channels. When people see others enjoying your product, they are more likely to trust and buy it.
• Run Campaigns with Hashtags: Create a unique hashtag for your brand. This makes it easy to find and share UGC. For example, Coca-Cola’s “#ShareACoke” campaign invited people to share pictures of bottles with their names, creating a fun and engaging marketing effort.

5. Embrace Video Marketing

Video marketing involves using videos to promote your products, explain how they work, or share customer stories.

People love watching videos, and they are more likely to remember information from a video than from text alone.

• Create Short, Engaging Videos: Keep videos simple and clear. Show how your product solves a problem or makes life easier. For example, a quick video showing how to set up a new gadget can make customers more confident about buying it.
• Share on Multiple Channels: Post videos on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Also, consider adding them to your website.
• Try Live Videos: Streaming live is an effective way to engage with your audience instantly. You can use live streams to answer questions, showcase a new product, or share behind-the-scenes moments. This helps build trust and makes your brand feel more approachable.

6. Monitor and Adapt to Market Trends

Market trends are patterns that show what people want and how their needs change over time. Keeping up with these trends helps you stay relevant and adjust your own marketing plans and efforts.

• Keep an Eye on Industry Trends: Use tools like Google Trends or social media analytics to see what people are talking about. For example, if you notice more people are interested in eco-friendly products, you can create content that highlights how your products are environmentally friendly.
• Analyze Your Competitors: Check what marketing strategies your competitors are using. If they’re using a new technique and it’s working, think about how you can apply it to your own business. This way, you can stay competitive.
• Be Ready to Change: If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to adjust your strategy. Regularly reviewing and adapting your marketing efforts ensures you are always on the right track.

7. Create a Seamless Omnichannel Experience

An omnichannel experience means your customers can interact with your brand across different marketing channels like your website, social media, and in-store, all with a consistent experience.

• Keep Your Message Consistent: Make sure your marketing message is the same across all platforms. For example, if your website shows a sale, your social media should also talk about it.
• Use Tools to Connect Channels: Use marketing automation tools to connect your online and offline channels. This way, when a customer browses your products online, they might get an email reminding them of their cart.
• Focus on Customer Experience: Make it easy for your target audience to shop with you. Whether they start on your website or visit your store, the experience should feel the same.

8. Invest in Marketing Automation Tools

Marketing automation tools help you manage and run campaigns without doing everything manually. They can send emails, post on social media, and even show ads automatically based on customer behavior. This saves time and ensures you reach your audience at the right moment.

• Choose the Right Tool for Your Business: Look for tools that fit your marketing strategies. Platforms like HubSpot, Mailchimp, and Salesforce can automate different parts of your sales and marketing plan, from sending out newsletters to tracking website traffic.
• Automate Repetitive Tasks: If you always send a “welcome” email to new customers, set up your automation tool to send it automatically. This way, you don’t have to do it manually every time someone signs up.
• Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Use automation tools to monitor KPIs like website traffic, sales growth rate, and conversion rates. This helps you see what’s working and where to adjust.

9. Use Influencer Partnerships to Extend Reach

Influencer partnerships mean working with people who have a big following on social media or blogs to promote your products. People trust influencers, so when they talk about your product, it feels more authentic and trustworthy.

• Find the Right Influencers: Look for influencers who match your target market. If you sell sports gear, find fitness bloggers or athletes who can speak to your audience.
• Work on Authentic Content: Let the influencer create content that feels natural. It shouldn’t look like a forced ad. Instead, it should show how your product helps them or fits into their daily life. For example, a beauty influencer might create a video using your skincare product and show how it improved their skin.
• Measure Success and Adjust: Track how much traffic, website visits, or sales each influencer partnership brings. If one approach works better than another, focus on that style for future campaigns.

10. Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Regularly

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are numbers that show how well your marketing and sales plan is doing.

They tell you if your sales and marketing efforts are working or if you need to make changes. Common KPIs include website traffic, sales growth rate, and customer acquisition costs.

• Pick the Right KPIs: Focus on numbers that match your business goals. For example, if you want more new customers, track how many people visit your site and buy your product.
• Check Regularly: Don’t just look at KPIs once in a while. Check them often, like every week or month. This helps you see if things are getting better or if there’s a problem.
• Adjust Your Strategy: Use the data to make smart decisions. If website traffic is low, try new marketing tactics like content marketing or social media campaigns.

Combining effective marketing and sales in your business plan can drive success. Focus on clear goals, use data, and stay adaptable. Keep your strategies simple, track results, and adjust as needed. A solid marketing plan templates ensures your business grows and reaches more potential customers.

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Business plans for beginners: a step-by-step guide

Don’t worry; we’re here to help.

If you’re ready to start a small business, a business plan is the way to take your idea and put it into action. As you’ll see, it’s not just for the investors or the bank’s benefit. When it’s done well, a business plan can serve as your very own road map to a successful, sustainable new business.

The good news is, there’s no one right way to write a business plan, but there are some tips and tricks that can ensure you include all the important information any lender or investor will want to see before they go into business with you.

Today, we’ll share:

4 guiding principles for a successful business plan

8 common mistakes in writing a business plan.

• Choose your own adventure: which business plan is right for you?

Build your own traditional business plan in 8 steps

• Build your own lean business plan (sample plan included!)

BONUS: Add depth to any business plan with these sections

7 tips for a killer business plan pitch deck.

• Tools to help you build your business plan

More resources: helpful books for starting a small business

We have lots of in-depth advice ahead on how to craft a business plan that’s specific to your small business idea. But first, here are some broader guidelines that should help you get in the right headspace:

1.  Be objective

We know this idea is your baby, your pride and joy. It’s hard to stand back and evaluate it without the rose-colored glasses. But the better you are at seeing your idea’s strengths and weaknesses, the better you’ll be able to improve and see issues coming before they snowball into problems, both before you launch and as a business owner.

2. Be realistic

Some new small business owners think they need to pad the numbers and set lofty expectations for the first few years of a business. But when you overpromise, you’re bound to underdeliver, and that impresses nobody. You also should avoid sandbagging, or underpromising on purpose just to look extra successful.

Be honest as you build your plan. Investors and lenders understand the first five years of a small business can be tough with limited to modest profits.

3. Be specific

You might be a big-idea person who doesn’t love the details, but this is the time to take a deep breath and dive into the details. The more details you understand about your business, the better you can respond to the questions and concerns of lenders and investors.

4. Ask for help

While most of the pieces of your plan might come from your own heart, soul, and brain, there are sure to be sections that aren’t as easy to rattle off. A business plan takes a lot of different skills, and it’s uncommon that anyone is good at all of them: market analysis, financial projections, strategic thinking, supply chain… the list goes on.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to your community and find some experts to help make your plan sing. This could mean engaging a market research analyst or an accountant to help with financial projections, or even a fellow small business owner who’s been through the new-business wringer before and can help you navigate the red tape and share what investors appreciate most in a plan.

If you don’t know anyone who can help you yet, we’ve got you covered. The Small Business Administration offers  free, local counseling  for entrepreneurs that can point you in the right direction.

Pro-tip:  A business plan isn’t just for your investors or loan officers. It’s a guide for you and a great way to attract top talent to your business. A well-written and researched plan helps you best understand your own idea and its viability so you can sell that idea to all important stakeholders. Put in the time to make this document a reliable resource; we promise you won’t regret it.

Before we dive into the different ways to build a business plan, let’s start with some of the common traps that new business plans fall into:

1. Financial projections that don’t add up

Loan officers and most investors know money and the realities of new-business revenue and spending, and they can smell fishy numbers from a mile away. Your financials are not a place to fudge it. Make sure you get some expert advice and assistance to ensure your projects are as airtight as can be.

2. Unfounded claims

Three words to live by when building a business plan: do your research. The research you do into the markets, potential audience, and competitors will inform your projections and instill confidence in the assumptions you make. This is another area where it might help to have a professional assist you, if you’re new to the entrepreneurial game.

3. Unclear goals

Don’t leave your investors guessing about your key milestones and objectives. Use your research and financials to create realistic, specific goals. These will be especially important to investors, who are looking to make a return on their investment and want a trustworthy timeline on when that could happen.

4. Ignoring the competition

Unless you’ve invented something the world has never seen before, your business idea will have competitors. And even if your idea is completely novel, chances are you’re looking to better fill a need that other businesses or industries are currently serving. What we mean to say is: you’ve got competition, no matter your business idea. Investors know this, and they want to know that you can clearly see who your competitors are and how you’ll set yourself apart.

5. A blind spot for your business’s weaknesses and risks

You might think that you should avoid talking about the risks to your idea when you’re building your business plan. And while you don’t need to harp on them, you should fully understand what your weaknesses are and acknowledge them somewhere in the plan, along with potential solutions to compensate for them. If you don’t show your awareness of risks and weaknesses in the plan, investors might think you’re hiding something.

The better you know your own weaknesses, the better you can address lender and investor concerns about them.

6. Overhyped impact

Your little bookstore doesn’t have to change the world. We know you’re excited about your business idea, and you should be; that passion will take you far. But a common pitfall of new entrepreneurs is to overstate how their idea will impact the market or the community. Remember, you’ll have to live up to what you put down in your plan, so be sure you can make good on the statements therein.

7. Not enough outside insight

If you’re the only person looking at your business plan, you might be heading for a “no” from lenders or investors. It’s critical that you get other people’s eyes on your plan before you present or submit it.

Even if the people in your life have no experience in business, your plan should be easy enough for them to read, understand, and critique. And if you want expert feedback, there are several free resources available to hopeful small business owners, including the  Small Business Administration’s network of counselors .

8. Poor readability

Spelling and grammar matter. If your investors and lenders can’t get through your plan because of easy-to-fix mistakes, they might question your attention to detail. If grammar isn’t your thing, have a friend proofread your plan before you share. It can also help to read your plan aloud to catch these kinds of errors.

Choose your own adventure: Which business plan is right for you?

Business plans aren’t one-size-fits-all. There are lots of ways to create the right plan for you, depending on what your financial backers and other stakeholders need to see in order to have confidence in your idea. But overall, most plans fall into one of two models:

Impress with a traditional business plan

A traditional business plan is the more in-depth of the two, full of fleshed-out financials, market analyses, risk assessment, and other nitty-gritty factors. This is the model to use if you’re looking for a small business loan from a bank and some investor situations.

The pros:  This comprehensive plan is extremely detailed and, if done properly, is sure to make your investors feel safe putting their funding into your new venture.

The cons:  These plans take a longer time to pull together, which could slow down your timeline. Plus, the traditional model is more granular and tends to leave out more high-level, strategic ideation that some investors might find important.

Inspire with a lean business plan, or business model canvas

If a traditional business plan is the trees, a lean plan is the forest. The one-page approach, also known as a business model canvas, is more about the concepts and big picture of your future business and is focused on relationships, key activities, and your overall value proposition. This type of plan is popular for startups or super-simple and small business ventures looking for independent investors.

The pros:  This version might get you out the door first, since it usually involves less upfront analysis. It can also be the more inspiring and visionary of the two models, since it focuses on the big ideas and broader impact than the nuts and bolts.

The cons:  Investors kind of love the nuts and bolts, most of the time. After you’ve sold them with your high-level concept, chances are you’ll have to dig in on the details, which might feel like you’ve doubled your work.

It’s time to get those facts and figures together and floor your potential investors!

Here are the main sections of a traditional business plan that you should include:

1. Executive summary

Whether it’s a bank loan officer or an investor reading your business plan, chances are they’re short on time and need the fast facts up front. The executive summary opens your plan, and it’s where you share your overall mission statement, along with important market analyses and financial projections.

A top-notch executive summary will give readers the most important details in the first few pages of your plan so they feel confident in your idea and interested in reading on.

Pro-tip:  Write your executive summary last. You’ll be able to see the full picture of your plan more clearly, and that means you can sum it up more effectively.

2. Company description

In this section, give all the specifics about your business, and don’t be afraid to brag. The more tangible and sure-footed you can make the company feel, the more confident your investors will be in the concept.

Here are some of the questions your company description should answer:

• Who are you? What’s your business’s name?
• What are you selling?
• Where and how do you plan to sell it?
• How does your business solve problems for customers?
• Who do you plan to serve? Individual customers, other businesses, or both?
• How is your business unique from its competitors?
• What makes this business a successful idea… or, why should someone give you money to pursue it?

3. Market research and competitive analysis

Here’s where the nitty-gritty details come into play. It’s time to do some research on your future market and analyze that data to make decisions on how to structure your business, and what you can reasonably charge for goods and services.

Not a huge fan of data? Don’t sweat it. You can hire market research analysts who will do the heavy lifting for you. We highly recommend finding a professional to help with the research if it’s not in your wheelhouse, since it’s really important to get the numbers right.

Here are some areas of analysis you’ll need to include in your business plan:

• Where does your business fit in the world?
• How large is the current market?
• How is the market currently structured?
• What does year-over-year growth look like in this market?
• Is the market trending in a positive direction? If not, how will a business like yours pick up the slack and reinvigorate the market?
• What are consumers clamoring for in this market today?
• How have businesses adjusted to customer demand? Where have they fallen short?
• Are businesses themselves setting trends that have taken off? What are they and how will your business respond?
• How does your business answer the call for these trends and themes?
• How does your business anticipate trends on the horizon?
• Who’s currently doing what your business plans to do?
• What are these other companies’ strengths and weaknesses?
• How will your business outdo competitor strengths and pick up the slack on their weaknesses?

Pro-tip : Be sure to include ways your business idea  disrupts  the status quo of the market you’re targeting, if it plans to do so. Disruption is the name of the game today, and investors who are looking for the Next Big Thing might be excited and impressed by this potential.

4. Company structure and operations

This section is where you detail the people and processes that will keep your business profitable.

In the company operations section, it’s a good idea to include:

• Your proposed business’s legal structure: LLC, nonprofit, sole proprietorship, etc.
• An organizational chart for easy reading and understanding
• A detailed breakdown of who is responsible for which aspects of the business
• Bios of your team members: showcase the expertise and experience your team has, especially in this market, since that can instill confidence in your idea
• Projected staffing needs and onboarding process, as well as the cost to compensate these team members
• Your approach to building relationships in the community and market to promote business growth
• Plans for growth: how will you scale up efficiently while offering the same level of service to your customers? What might need to be outsourced to third-party partners as you grow?
• Zoning permits, licensing, rent (if applicable): nail down the brass tacks of what it costs to keep your doors open in this section, so your investor knows you’ve thought of everything.

5. Your service and product line

You’ve mentioned what you plan to sell in your executive summary. Now it’s time to, you guessed it, dig into the details.

In your service and product line section, be sure to include:

• A list of the initial products and/or services you plan to sell
• The initial pricing for each of these items
• The product life cycle (if applicable): how are your products made, how long does it take, and what does it cost?
• Third-party services (if applicable): do you engage outside help for the development of your products? For example, if you sell perfumes, do you fill vials yourself or do you work with a bottling company?
• Intellectual property plans (if applicable): where are you in the patent process?
• Research and development details (if applicable): What is the R&D process for new products, who is involved, and what does it cost?

6. Sales and marketing plan

The data is all well and good, but how will you take action on it and move your products and services? Having even a tentative sales and marketing plan in place that discusses how you’ll position yourself in the market and attract customers can go a long way to proving you have a game plan beyond getting the doors open.

Here are some key elements to include in your sales and marketing plan:

• Sample messaging : How do you plan to talk about your company in the market to attract customers? What solution are you selling, and how will you convey that?
• Sample design work : How will you grab the market’s attention? Decide on the “look and feel” of your business: the website, packaging, and advertisements.
• Promotion strategy : How much do you plan to set aside for advertising and other promotions? Where will you advertise, and how will you measure success?
• Sales process : How will your team nurture a new lead until they become a customer? How will they upsell/cross sell to them? Where will they look for new leads and relationships?
• Customer service and retention : Marketing doesn’t stop when a customer buys from you for the first time. Keeping customers happy is a huge piece of growing a small business. Be sure to outline your plan for proactive, delightful customer experiences.

7. Your ask

Even if you have to close your eyes while you do it, you’re going to have to write down the exact amount of money you’re asking for from investors or the bank. If you’ve done the rest of this business plan with great attention to detail and objectivity, the number should be pretty clear and based on your projected overhead.

The Small Business Administration recommends asking for the amount you’ll need to keep the doors open for the first five years, so be sure to think ahead when calculating that number. And whether you’re working with a bank or an investor, clearly outline the terms you seek for repayment.

Be specific in this section about how you will spend this particular funding. If you’ve already nailed down a loan for business supplies, for example, be upfront with your investors about needing their support to compensate your team and keep the lights on. People are likely to feel more comfortable investing if they know exactly how their money will be used.

Pro-tip:  Don’t sell yourself short. When looking for investors, ask for what you need, not what you  think  someone will give. You never know what someone is willing to invest until you ask, so give them the opportunity to pleasantly surprise you!

8. Financial projections

You might see some investors skip right to this section of your proposal, after seeing the highlights in your executive summary. While everything else in your business plan is important, you can’t blame them for wanting to know how financially sound your idea is… and how much money they might stand to make as a result.

This piece is also crucial to you as the potential business owner. Numbers don’t lie, so make sure you listen; if the projections aren’t positive, you might need to rethink your plan.

Here’s what your financial projection section might include, depending on your position as you launch a new business:

• Projections for the first five years:  Provide detailed, quarterly financial outlooks for the first year or two, and annual projections after that. Total operating expenses:  Be explicit about what exactly it will cost to run your business for the next five years. This includes everything from office space to supplies to salaries. And be sure to account for inflation and business growth!
• Break-even analysis:  The amount of revenue you’ll need to cover costs and, well, break even. This should be pretty accurate for the first year, given your projected operating expenses, and should be adjusted for increased expenses in the next four years, depending on your projected growth.
• Forecasted income and expenses:  What can you reasonably expect to bring in over the next five years? What ongoing expenses can you plan for or predict?
• Projected balance sheets:  Balance sheets tell investors what financial resources you’ll have on hand after your expenses to re-invest into growing the business: basically, how healthy do you expect your business to be in five years’ time?
• Projected cash flow statements : This tells your investors how much cash will be coming into your business from sales and how that cash is being spent in a given year.
• Potential collateral:  If you’re looking to get a bank loan, be sure to include any additional collateral that you can put up against the loan.

Pro-tip:  Don’t skimp on the expert input. Find a great accountant you trust to help you develop the financial projections for the first five years of your business, so you know they’re sound enough to share with your investors or bank. If you want help calculating costs, try the Small Business Administration’s startup calculator  here .

Build your own lean business plan

It’s time to polish up your vision and inspire those potential backers to believe in your idea with a high-level, conceptual plan. Some startups are able to accomplish their lean plan in one page, but feel free to add the amount of detail that makes you (and your investors) most comfortable.

Here are the usual sections of a lean business plan that you might want to include or adjust as you see fit. We’ll lay it out in the traditional lean plan format, based on the Small Business Administration’s suggestions, to show you just how high-level it can be. But remember: a lean plan can be whatever you need it to be, so don’t be shy about adjusting the structure and content to suit your investors’ needs.

Here’s an idea of what you can include in your one-sheet lean business plan, using an online flower delivery service as an example:

Pro-tip:  An appendix can really come in handy if you’re doing a lean business plan. Attach some more concrete financial projections and any other background research you’ve done to bolster this more conceptual, strategic plan model.

Here are a few extra sections you can sprinkle in to either plan format to give your investors even more peace of mind:

Your story.  Paint a complete picture of your business’s journey up to this moment. Tell the story of how your idea was born, why it’s important to you and the world, and what your vision is for the future.

Product development and distribution plan.  If you’re selling products, this is a great piece to add within your product line section. A distribution plan shows exactly how your products go from concept to customer. Seeing that flow chart clearly is helpful for both you and your investors.

Risk assessment and mitigation.  Are you looking to break into a high-risk industry like construction, cannabis, or even owning your own restaurant? Chances are your investors want to see that you are aware of the risks and have plans in place to manage them.

Early wins.  Do you already have proof that your business is in demand? Maybe you’ve been selling your products informally to family and friends to gauge interest, or other investors have already ponied up because they love your idea. It’s a good idea to include these wins in your business plan. Seeing that others already believe in you will make it easier for new investors to make that leap of faith, so include these facts and figures to invigorate confidence.

As you do research for writing your business plan, you’ll probably hear about a  pitch deck.  This is a slide-show version of your plan that might come in handy. You’re likely to need a pitch deck if you’re looking for investors. Most banks’ small business loan officers just want the facts on paper and don’t expect to see a pitch deck.

Here are some pointers to help you create a dynamic, easy-to-follow pitch deck:

1. Include overview and conclusion slides

This is a classic teacher technique:  tell the audience what you’re going to show them, show them what you promised, and recap what you’ve shown . This gives your listeners an experience that has a beginning, middle, and end… and you’ll see in #2 that this might be more important than you thought.

Take a moment at the top of your presentation to tell your investors exactly what you’ll cover in your allotted time, so they know what’s coming. Then include a wrap-up slide at the end, with a few of the key points from the presentation, to tie it all together.

2. Tell a story

Since the beginning of humankind we’ve loved and gravitated toward storytelling, from cave paintings to binge-watching the latest season of our favorite show. And it’s not just for entertainment purposes; a classic Stanford study once showed that people retain information when delivered in the form of a story six to seven times better than they do when the same information is given as dry lists or statistics.

This doesn’t mean you need to open your presentation with “Once upon a time.” Just focus on the story of you and what brought you to this big idea: what roadblocks were you running into when you saw the solution? What product did you need that didn’t exist? Share the cold, hard financial facts, of course, but don’t leave out the  you  of this journey. Use storytelling to build trust in your vision and inspire passion in this new business venture.

3. Hit the high-level points of your business plan

A pitch deck should stick to the most important pieces of information that investors need, in order to hold their attention from beginning to end.

Here’s where you should spend your time in a pitch deck:

• Who you are and why you’re the one to run this business
• What problem the business solves
• How you’ll spend the investment money
• When investors will see an ROI, or return on investment

4. Make your data more digestible

In both your business plan and your pitch deck, make sure your market research and financial projections are easy to read and understand. Use the tools at your disposal to make the numbers sing: charts, graphs, statistics spelled out big and bold.

5. Keep it simple

The more uniform and clean your pitch deck is, the easier it will be to read and retain. Stick to one font, one color scheme, throughout the deck. Make sure the graphics you decide to use—images, charts, graphs, other designed pieces—are high quality and sprinkled in. Do your best not to clutter slides with multiple graphics, as this can make your presentation harder to follow.

6. Brevity is your friend

Speaking of holding your audience’s attention: pare down the text on your slides to the most essential points. A good pitch deck is usually 10 to 15 slides, with around a minute spent on each slide. Be sure you’re only tackling one topic per slide to keep things focused.

Your pitch deck is for the investors’ engagement, so if you need more detailed reminders about what to cover, create separate notes for yourself instead of crowding the slides with text. If you need to provide your audience with more context, you can always add an Appendix at the end of the deck, which investors can review on their own time. (And don’t forget your business plan! It should answer most of the more detailed questions your investors have.)

7. EXTRA: Present your deck

The way you present your pitch deck is as important as its contents. Here are some

• Be clear on your time frame, and stick to it.  If someone has money to invest in your business, odds are good that they’re a busy person. Show that you respect their schedule by ensuring your pitch fits into the timeframe they’ve carved out for you.
• Practice, practice, practice.  The smoother your presentation can go, the better. Give your potential investors added confidence by knowing your facts, figures, and slides backward and forward. Set a timer while you practice, so you know if you need to pick up the pace or speak more slowly.
• Stay on your toes.  No matter how well you prepare, live presentations can always surprise you. As you prepare and practice, remember to expect the unexpected and not get tunnel vision on your pitch. Handle whatever is within your control with grace and a sense of humor.
• Watch the clock.  Pace yourself, and make sure to stop at your given time. Depending on the number of questions you’ve taken during the pitch, you might be behind when time’s up. It’s better to stop and ask if the investors have time for your final slides than to potentially make them late for their next appointment.
• Wrap up with earnest thanks.  Don’t forget to say thank you! Your conclusion is also a good time to remind your investors why you’re the one who should run this new business. Leave them with the memory of your passion for the venture.
• Save sharing your presentation until the end.  Whether it’s via email or hard copies, you’ll retain people’s focus better if they don’t have something to flip through while you’re talking. Pass around or send out your presentation once you’ve concluded, so folks can peruse on their own time.

Tools to help you build a business plan

If you need some help organizing your ideas and building your first business plan, here are some tools that can assist:

• The Small Business Administration’s startup calculator.  Not sure what to project as your initial costs?  Download this editable worksheet , plug in your categories and numbers, and you’ll get a better idea of what funding you need to ask for.
• LivePlan.  This online business-planning tool helps you write your plan (either in-depth or lean) and comes with industry benchmark data that can help with your market research. You can also track your funding progress right in the app. Multiple review sites have named LivePlan the best software for help writing a business plan.
• RocketLawyer.  Get legal assistance on your documents without having an attorney on retainer. RocketLawyer has an entire section of their website dedicated to helping folks launch businesses, and you can breathe easy knowing the legal side will be handled.
• SCORE free business resources.  SCORE is a resource partner of the Small Business Administration and offers free business counseling to entrepreneurs.  Visit SCORE  to find a mentor, download business plan templates, and explore their library of resources.

Starting a business is a big undertaking. If you want to do some more research before you start making your plan, here are some helpful reads:

• Mind Your Business: A Workbook to Grow Your Creative Passion Into a Full-time Gig  (Ilana Griffo, 2019). In addition to covering all the basics of starting a business, including the legal and tax hurdles, this workbook-style guide has checklists and other writing activities to help you put the theory of starting a business into practice.
• Starting a Business QuickStart Guide: The Simplified Beginner’s Guide to Launching a Successful Small Business, Turning Your Vision into Reality, and Achieving Your Entrepreneurial Dream  (Ken Colwell, 2019). This book comes backed with the author’s 20 years of experience working with entrepreneurs and will help you sort out how viable your business idea is and how to get it off the ground.
• Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days  (Chris Guillebeau, 2017). This book takes a more entertaining, conversational approach to launching a new business, and it’s backed up by hundreds of case studies and written by a  New York Times  bestselling author in the entrepreneurial world.
• Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business  (Fred S. Steingold, 2017). This book is in its fifteenth edition, and we can see why. It breaks down the legal intricacies of starting a business that most new entrepreneurs aren’t familiar with: taxes for small businesses, structuring partnership agreements, creating an LLC, and more.
• Small Business For Dummies  (Schell & Tyson, 2018). From the classic how-to series comes the fifth edition of their popular book on starting a small business. You’ll get all the basics you need in the no-nonsense approach the  Dummies  series always provides, from authors with decades of experience in launching businesses. And if you’re specifically looking to start an online business, try  Starting an Online Business for Dummies .

Your business plan: the hard work will pay off

Creating a business plan can feel overwhelming at first if you’ve never made one before. And we won’t lie; it does take a little bit of elbow grease to put one together.

But a business plan done well, be it traditional or lean, will either reinforce how great your idea is or help you find ways to make it even better. Take the time to do it well, and you’ll have a much easier time securing funding for your new small business venture.

Got your plan in hand? Learn more about how a business communications system can help you thrive.

Originally published Oct 02, 2024, updated Oct 19, 2024

Small business, Startups

4 ways to know when to start a business

Starting a business is an exciting venture, but it can also be daunting, especially when the economic landscape seems uncertain. You have a brilliant idea burning inside you, but you might be wondering if now is the right time to take the plunge. After all, the path to entrepreneurship can sometimes feel like stepping off ...

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How To Create an Organizational Structure? (A Complete Guide)

Ultimate Guide On Writing A Business Plan

• Vinay Kevadia
• October 21, 2024

Think of your organizational structure as the game plan for your business team. Without it, it’s like sending your best players onto the field with no clue who’s passing, who’s shooting, or who’s even holding the ball!

A well-thought-out structure lays out how goals are set, decisions are made, and tasks are delegated—kind of like deciding who plays defense and who’s the star forward.

Ready to draft your winning lineup?

This guide will coach you through how to create an organizational structure for your business, the importance of having one, and the different types of structure there are.

What is an organizational structure?

An organizational structure is the way your company or organization is set up such as the hierarchy and levels of management. It explains in detail your company’s workflow, policies,  and team responsibilities to direct specific processes that achieve company goals.

As a result, it works as a:

• Day-to-day guide overseeing employee tasks, interactions, and reporting.
• Simple means for employees to understand where or to whom they need to go to report or ask for help.

Here’s a simple organizational structure:

The importance of having a clear organizational structure

But do you really need an organizational structure? The following points will answer your question:

1. Clear communication

When everyone is clear about each other’s positions and the line of command, communication is made simple and clear.

Everyone knows who:

• Their teammates are
• To go to, to ask for help
• To report to
• To expect work from
• To assign tasks to (for managers and leaders)

2. Clear responsibilities and hierarchy

“Hold yourselves accountable before you are held accountable.” – Umar ibn al–Khattab. A clear organizational structure helps prevent exactly that as it offers:

• A clear visual of reporting relationships
• And responsibilities in an organization.

As a result, if a deadline zooms by or a task is left incomplete, managers can quickly check the organizational structure and go “Aha!” once they find the accountable party.

Organizational structures also clearly state the hierarchy as to who reports to whom, and the scope of authority. This prevents confusion over authority as well as “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenarios.

3. Company’s growth support

Growing companies often fall prey to understaffing and overworked employee situations because of too many moving parts. But this can be avoided with an organizational structure as they can evolve with the growing company.

Managers and leads can look at the structural chart to assess areas that need more human resources or specialized experts. They can also assess if adding a middle management or reorganizing departments can help balance the workload.

4. Better planning

A clear organizational structure makes the planning of projects effective. How?

• Teams can better distribute workload thanks to a clear view availability of human resources as well as their defined roles, responsibilities, and reporting lines.
• The chain of command makes it easy to assign and oversee tasks and activities.
• By visualizing the volume of human resources available for each activity, project managers can create a calculated, accurate project schedule.

How to create an organizational structure for your business?

Ready to get organized? Here’s a simple quick guide to creating an effective organizational structure.

Step 1: Departmentalize

What kinds of departments does your company intend to have or has? Marketing? Sales? Finance? IT? List them out and organize the roles and positions within your business under each of these departments.

Step 2: Develop a chain of command

With departments set, decide who will report to whom and how under each of them. Basically, a game of hierarchy. This ensures that the instructions and decisions flow properly and outlines the expectations for staff, management, and executives.

Step 3: Choose your organizational structure type

Choosing the right organizational structure depends on your business’s size, goals, and culture.

( More on the different structure types later )

Start by assessing your business size : Smaller companies often thrive with a simple, flat structure, fostering open communication and fast decision-making.

Whereas larger businesses work well in a hierarchical structure, where it might provide the necessary clarity in roles and responsibilities.

Then consider your goals and strategy .

Do you need flexibility and innovation? A matrix structure may work well.

Is your industry highly regulated? A functional or divisional structure can bring stability.

Lastly, think about your company culture since what works for one company might not work for yours. If you’re all about collaboration and creativity, a more fluid structure would do wonders. But if you like tight ropes and clear leadership, a more rigid structure might be best.

Balancing these factors will help you choose the most effective structure for your business.

Step 4: Determine the span of control and delegate work

Decide which leader, manager, or team member will be responsible for how many members or departments.

Then decide what expertise each department will work on so work expectations for employees are clear. This ensures that all employees are responsible and sure of their specific duties based on their level of experience and skills.

Step 5: Visualize your structure

Lastly, create a flowchart to illustrate the organizational structure you’ve planned. The visuals will ensure easy and quick understanding for all employees as to what’s expected of them to further your business’ growth and development.

Benefits of an effective organization structure for business

Here are three major benefits you’ll reap with an organizational structure in place:

1. Conflicts between individuals over authority are low

Since everyone knows their authority and place in the hierarchy, there’s a sense of responsibility instilled. As a result, no one is busy figuring out authority or reporting procedures, instead, they’re busy accomplishing assigned tasks. In fact, the work interdependency of that particular task is diminished.

2. Eliminates work duplication

When responsibilities and duties are clear as day, it reduces the risk of multiple people unknowingly working on the same thing.

3. Decreases runarounds

When teams don’t know who’s responsible for what and are sent to the wrong people for help or reporting, runarounds happen. But with a structured organization, clarity of responsibility prevents it.

4 types of organizational structures

There are four key types of organizational structures:

1. Functional structure

The most common organizational structure there is: A functional structure, which starts with positions with the highest levels of responsibility at the top and goes down from there.

It also departmentalized the organization based on employees’ job roles. For instance, there will be departments like marketing, social media, sales, finance, HR, and customer service.

2. Divisional structure

This structure consists of several smaller divisions or functional structures that perform a specific set of business operations. These divisions are based on geographic area, process, and market, where each unit works as a semi-autonomous entity.

3. Matrix structure

This one is a nontraditional organizational structure. Meaning it doesn’t follow a typical reporting hierarchy that a functional or divisional structure does.

Instead, employees report to multiple managers: typically, one for their functional area (like marketing or finance) and another for specific projects or product lines.

As a result, this structure promotes collaboration across departments, allowing for more flexible resource allocation and improved communication.

4. Flat organizational structures

Flat or organic, organizational structures can limit the level of formal management within an organization.

That’s because it has few or no levels of middle manage ment between employees and leadership. It encourages open communication, faster decision-making, and greater employee autonomy, as team members have more direct access to top executives.

I hope this blog was helpful in ways you expected it to be and start creating your organizational structure today.

But there’s no pressure if you still have some reservations about the process. Just rely on Upmetrics . It can create engaging business plans that consist of clear organizational structures.

All you need to do is enter some details regarding your business including your team members and their designations to start building a suitable organizational structure and business plan!

What’s the wait? Start structuring today!

Build your Business Plan Faster

with step-by-step Guidance & AI Assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main types of organizational structures.

The main types of organizational structures include:

• Functional structure: It departmentalizes an organization based on common job roles.
• Divisional structure: It consists of several smaller functional structures that work together to perform essential business operations.
• Matrix structure: A nontraditional organizational structure all teams and staff members have multiple reporting relationships.
• Flat or organic structure: It limits the level of formal management allowing all employees to perform in leadership roles.

What is an example of a simple organizational structure?

A simple organizational structure is the most basic setup of a company, typically flat, with few levels of hierarchy. You’ll find it in small businesses or startups. Here’s an example:

Owner/CEO > Department heads > Managers > Associates

What is the difference between a flat and a hierarchical structure?

A flat structure has a shorter chain of command. For example, CEO/founder > team leads or department heads > employees.

On the flip side, a hierarchical structure has many layers, creating a longer chain of command. For example, CEO > senior executives (C-Suite: CFO, COO, CMO, etc.) > department heads (e.g., VP of marketing, VP of sales) > managers > team leads > employees.

Can a small business benefit from having a formal organizational structure?

Yes, a small business can benefit from having a formal organizational structure as it improves:

• Efficiency: Separating employees and functions into different departments helps a business perform multiple operations simultaneously.
• Clarity: Help employees understand their roles and responsibilities as well as a chain of command, leading to faster and more efficient work.
• Accountability: It can increase transparency and, as a result, accountability among employees.
• Communication: Improves communication and collaboration between team members.
• Decision-making: Improves decision-making processes.
• Growth: A clear structure may increase the chance of a company growing.

How to create an organizational structure for a small business?

Here’s a simple game plan to create an organizational structure for a small business:

• Identify key functions: Positions and job roles your business needs—sales, marketing, operations, customer service.
• Assign roles and responsibilities: Decide who will handle what function.
• Create a chain of command: Determine who’s in charge of what and who reports to whom.

That’s about it. Share it with your company members and regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the formal organizational structure and make necessary adjustments based on company and market changes.

About the Author

Vinay Kevadiya

Vinay Kevadiya is the founder and CEO of Upmetrics, the #1 business planning software. His ultimate goal with Upmetrics is to revolutionize how entrepreneurs create, manage, and execute their business plans. He enjoys sharing his insights on business planning and other relevant topics through his articles and blog posts. Read more

Reach Your Goals with Accurate Planning

Social media marketing: Strategy template and tips for 2025

This complete guide will help you build a successful social media marketing strategy and follow the right best practices from day one.

Table of Contents

A social media marketing strategy is a summary of everything you plan to do and hope to achieve on social media. It guides your actions and lets you know whether you’re succeeding or failing.

The more specific your plan is, the more effective it will be. Keep it concise. Don’t make it so lofty and broad that it’s unattainable or impossible to measure.

In this post, we’ll walk you through a nine-step plan to create a winning strategy for social media marketing. We’ve even got expert insights from Amanda Wood, Hootsuite’s Senior Manager of Social Marketing.

TL;DR? If you’re a social media or marketing manager looking for help with your strategy, you’re in the right place.

Key takeaways

• A social media marketing strategy outlines your goals, the tactics to achieve them, and the metrics you’ll use to track success. It serves as a roadmap for all your social media efforts and aligns them with your broader business objectives.
• Unlike traditional marketing and advertising, social marketing fosters two-way communication between brands and social media users. It’s about engaging with customers on a personal level, building trust, and cultivating a sense of community to nurture long-term loyalty — not just driving immediate sales.
• Social media is always changing! Social media strategies should be dynamic and adapt to new trends and audience behaviors.

What is social media marketing?

Social media marketing is the practice of using social media platforms and tools to promote your business and connect with your audience.

Businesses use it to:

• showcase their products or services
• (perhaps more importantly) engage with their customers on a personal level

The intended outcomes can range from the somewhat abstract (like brand building ) to the very specific (like selling products through social commerce ). Driving web traffic, increasing e-commerce sales, and nurturing customer loyalty are all common goals of social media marketing.

Social media marketing ia marketing is about building relationships with your audience in the places they already spend their time online. This might look like promoting your latest product drop, or simply jumping in on a trend that your audience is interested in.

Unlike traditional advertising, like TV spots and billboards, social media marketing allows for two-way communication between individuals and brands. There’s also potential for building a sense of community, which creates brand loyalty .

This, plus the ability to accurately track, analyze, and optimize on your results, is what makes social media marketing a truly unique marketing space.

What is a social media marketing strategy?

A social media strategy is a document outlining your social media goals, the tactics you will use to achieve them and the metrics you will track to measure your progress.

Your social media marketing strategy should also list all of your existing and planned social media accounts along with goals specific to each platform you’re active on. These goals should align with your business’s larger digital marketing strategy.

Finally, a good social media plan should define the roles and responsibilities within your team and outline your reporting cadence.

Creating your own marketing strategy for social media (video guide)

No time to read the whole article? Let Amanda, Hootsuite’s own Senior Manager of Social Media Marketing, guide you through our free strategy template in less than 10 minutes:

How to create a social media marketing strategy: A step-by-step guide

Step 1. align goals with business objectives.

The first step to creating a winning social media strategy is to establish clear objectives and goals. Without goals, you have no way to measure success and return on investment (ROI) .

Each of your social media marketing goals should be SMART : s pecific, m easurable, a ttainable, r elevant and t ime-bound.

Psst: Need help getting started? We’ve got social strategy guides for small businesses , financial services , government , higher education , healthcare , real estate , law firms , and non-profits .

Oh, and if you need examples of smart social media goals , we’ve got you covered there too.

Once you’ve decided on your social goals, track them in a strategy doc — grab our free social media strategy template if you don’t have one already.

Track meaningful metrics

Vanity metrics like number of followers and likes are easy to track, but it’s hard to prove their real value. Instead, focus on things like engagement, click-through, and conversion rates.

Not sure where to start? If you need inspiration, take a look at these essential social media metrics .

You may want to track different goals for different social media networks, or even different uses for each network.

For example, if you use LinkedIn to drive website traffic, you would measure click-throughs. If Instagram is for increasing brand awareness, you might track the number of Instagram Story views. And if you advertise products or services on Facebook, cost-per-click (CPC) is a common success metric.

Social media goals should align with your overall marketing objectives. This makes it easier to show the value of your work and secure buy-in from your boss.

Start developing a successful social media marketing plan by writing down at least three goals for social media.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by deciding what to post and which metrics to track, but you need to focus on what you want to get out of social media to begin with. Don’t just start posting and tracking everything: match your goals to your business, and your metrics to your goals. Amanda Wood Senior Manager, Social Marketing at Hootsuite

Step 2. Understand your audience inside and out

Get to know your fans, followers, and potential customers as real people with real wants and needs, and you will know how to target and engage them on social media.

When it comes to your ideal customer, you should know things like:

• Average income
• Typical job title or industry

Here’s a simple guide and template for creating audience/buyer personas .

Don’t forget to document this information in your strategy doc!

Social media analytics tools can also provide a ton of valuable information about who your followers are, where they live, and how they interact with your brand on social media. These insights allow you to refine your strategy and better target your audience.

Jugnoo, an Uber-like service for auto-rickshaws in India, used Facebook Analytics to learn that 90% of their users who referred other customers were between 18- and 34-years-old, and 65% of that group was using Android. They used that information to target their social media advertising, resulting in a 40% lower cost per referral.

Check out our guide to using social media analytics and the tools you need to track them .

Step 3. Analyze your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses

Odds are your competitors are already using social media, and that means you can learn from what they’re doing.

Conduct a competitive analysis

A competitive analysis allows you to understand who the competition is and what they’re doing well (and not so well). You’ll get a good sense of what’s expected in your industry, which will help you set social media targets of your own.

It will also help you spot opportunities and weaknesses you can document in your social strategy doc.

Maybe one of your competitors is dominant on Facebook, for example, but has put little effort into X (Twitter) or Instagram. You might want to focus on the social media platforms where your audience is underserved, rather than trying to win fans away from a dominant player.

Use social media listening

Social listening is another way to keep an eye on your competitors.

Do searches of the competition’s company name, account handles, and other relevant keywords on social media. Find out what they’re sharing and what other people are saying about them. If they’re using influencer marketing, how much engagement do those campaigns earn them?

Pro tip : Use Hootsuite Listening to monitor relevant keywords, hashtags and accounts in real-time.

As you track, you may notice shifts in how your competitors and industry leaders are using social media. You may come across new, exciting trends. You might even spot specific social content or a campaign that really hits the mark—or totally bombs.

Use this kind of intel to optimize and inform your own social media marketing strategy.

Just don’t go overboard on the spy tactics, Amanda advises. “ Make sure you aren’t ALWAYS comparing yourself to the competition — it can be a distraction. I’d say checking in on a monthly basis is healthy. Otherwise, focus on your own strategy and results.”

Step 4. Conduct a social media audit

If you’re already using social media, take stock of your efforts so far. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What’s working, and what’s not?
• Who is engaging with you?
• What are your most valuable partnerships?
• Which networks does your target audience use?
• How does your social media presence compare to the competition?

Once you collect that information, you’ll be ready to start thinking about ways to improve.

We’ve created an easy-to-follow social media audit guide and template to walk you through each step of this process.

Your audit should give you a clear picture of what purpose each of your social accounts serves. If the purpose of an account isn’t clear, think about whether it’s worth keeping.

To help you decide, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is my audience here?
• If so, how are they using this platform?
• Can I use this account to help achieve my goals?

Asking these tough questions will keep your social media strategy focused.

Look for impostor accounts

During the audit, you may discover fake accounts using your business name or the names of your products.

These imposters can be harmful to your brand—never mind that they’re capturing followers that should be yours.

You may want to get your accounts verified too to ensure your fans know they are dealing with the real you.

Here’s how to get verified on:

• X (Twitter)

Step 5. Set up and optimize your accounts

Decide which networks to use.

As you decide which social networks to use, you will also need to define your strategy for each.

Hootsuite’s own social team designates different purposes for formats within networks. On Instagram, for example, they use the feed to post high-quality educational infographics, tutorials, and product announcements, while Stories and Reels are used to cover live events or quick social media updates.

Pro tip : Write out a mission statement for each network. A one-sentence declaration to keep you focused on a specific goal.

Example: “We will use X for customer support to keep email and call volumes down.”

Or: “We will use LinkedIn for promoting and sharing our company culture to help with recruitment and employee advocacy.”

One more: “We will use Instagram to highlight new products and repost quality content from influencers.”

If you can’t create a solid mission statement for a particular social media channel, you may want to ask yourself if it’s worth it.

Note : While larger businesses can and do tackle every platform, small businesses may not be able to — and that’s ok! Prioritize social platforms that will have the most impact on your business and make sure your marketing team has the resources to handle content for those networks. If you need help focusing your efforts, check out our 18-minute social media plan .

Set up your profiles

Once you’ve decided which networks to focus on, it’s time to create your profiles. Or improve existing ones so they align with your strategy.

• Make sure you fill out all profile fields
• Include keywords people would use to search for your business
• Use consistent branding (logos, images, etc.) across different platforms so your profiles are easily recognizable

Pro tip : Use high-quality images that follow the recommended dimensions for each network. Check out our always-up-to-date social media image size cheat sheet for quick reference.

We’ve also got step-by-step guides for each network to walk you through the process:

• Create a Facebook business page
• Create an Instagram business account
• Create a TikTok account
• Create a X (Twitter) business account
• Create a Snapchat account
• Create a LinkedIn Company Page
• Create a Pinterest business account
• Create a YouTube channel

Don’t let this list overwhelm you. Remember, it’s better to use fewer channels well than to stretch yourself thin trying to maintain a presence on every network.

Optimize your profiles (and content) for search

Never heard of social SEO ? It’s time to learn.

44% of Gen Z consumers use social platforms to research their purchase decisions, which means it’s extra critical that your channels are optimized for social search.

That means making sure your profile names are clear and descriptive, you’re including relevant hashtags and keywords in your bio and on every post, and you’re using features like alt text and captions to include your target keywords as naturally as possible.

Step 6. Find inspiration for content creation

While it’s important that your brand be unique, you can still draw inspiration from other businesses that are great on social.

“ I consider it my job to stay active on social: to know what’s trending, which social media marketing campaigns are winning, what’s new with the platforms, who’s going above and beyond,” says Amanda. “This might be the most fun step for you, or the hardest one, but it’s just as crucial as the rest of them.”

Social media success stories

You can usually find these on the business section of the social network’s website. ( Here’s Facebook’s , for example.)

Case studies can offer valuable insights that you can apply to your own social media plan.

Award-winning accounts and campaigns

You could also check out the winners of The Facebook Awards or The Shorty Awards for examples of brands that are at the top of their social media game.

For learning and a laugh, check out Fridge-Worthy, Hootsuite’s bi-weekly awards show highlighting brands doing smart and clever things on social media.

Your favorite brands on social media

Who do you enjoy following on social media? What do they do that compels people to engage and share their content?

National Geographic, for example, is one of the best on Instagram, combining stunning visuals with compelling captions.

Source: National Geographic on Instagram

Nike is a great example of superior customer service on X. They use their 280 characters to share new product releases and celebrate sports victories, but they’re also available to answer customer questions and solve problems.

Source: Nike on X

Notice that these accounts have a consistent voice, tone, and style. That’s key to letting people know what to expect from your feed. That is, why should they follow you? What’s in it for them?

Consistency also helps keep your content on-brand even if you have multiple people on your social media team .

For more on this, read our guide on establishing a compelling brand voice on social media .

Ask your followers

Consumers can also offer social media inspiration.

What are your target customers talking about online? What can you learn about their wants and needs?

If you have existing social channels, you could also ask your followers what they want from you. Just make sure that you follow through and deliver what they ask for.

Step 7. Create a strategic social media content calendar

Marketing via social media is all about timing. Sharing great content is essential, of course, but it’s equally important to have a plan in place for when you’ll share content to get the maximum impact.

Your social media content calendar also needs to account for the time you spend interacting with the audience (although you should also allow for some spontaneous engagement).

Set your posting schedule

Your content calendar lists the dates and times at which you will publish types of content on each channel.

It’s the perfect place to plan all of your social media activities—from images, link sharing, and re-shares of user-generated content to blog posts and videos. It includes both your day-to-day posting and content for social media campaigns.

Your calendar also ensures your posts are spaced out appropriately and published at the best times to post .

Pro tip: You can plan your whole content calendar and get recommended best times to post on every network based on your past engagement rate, impressions, or link click data in Hootsuite, our all-in-one social media marketing platform.

Determine an engaging content mix

Make sure your content strategy and calendar reflect the mission statement you’ve assigned to each social profile. Strategic social media marketing means everything you post should support your business goals.

(We know, it’s tempting to jump on every meme, but there should always be a strategy behind your social media marketing efforts!)

You might decide that:

• 50% of content will drive traffic back to your website
• 25% of content will be curated from other sources
• 20% of content will support lead-generation goals (newsletter sign-ups, ebook downloads, etc.)
• 5% of content will be about your company culture

Placing these different post types in your content calendar will ensure you maintain the right mix.

If you’re starting from scratch and you’re not sure what types of content to post, try the 80-20 rule :

• 80% of your posts should inform, educate, or entertain your audience
• 20% can directly promote your brand.

You could also try the social media content marketing rule of thirds :

• One-third of your content promotes your business, converts readers, and generates profit (e.g. through increased sales or by growing your mailing list).
• One-third of your content shares ideas and stories from thought leaders in your industry or like-minded businesses.
• One-third of your content is personal interactions with your audience

Whatever you decide on, be sure to document it in your strategy doc.

Don’t post too much or too little

If you’re starting a social media marketing strategy from scratch, you may not have figured out how often to post to each network for maximum engagement yet.

Post too frequently and you risk annoying your audience. But, if you post too little, you risk looking like you’re not worth following.

Start with these posting frequency recommendations:

• Instagram (feed): 3-7 times per week
• TikTok: 3-5 times per week
• Facebook: 1-2 times per day
• X (Twitter): 1-5 times per day
• LinkedIn: 1-5 times per day

Pro tip : Once you have your social media content calendar planned out, use a scheduling tool to prepare messages in advance rather than updating constantly throughout the day.

We might be biased, but we think Hootsuite is the best social media management tool. You can schedule social media posts to every network and the intuitive calendar view gives you a full picture of all your social activity each week.

Step 8. Craft compelling and high-quality content

Remember those mission statements you created for each channel in Step 5? Well, it’s time to go a bit deeper, a.k.a. provide some examples of the type of content you’ll post to fulfill your mission on each network.

If you’re not sure what to post, here’s a long list of social media marketing ideas to get you started. Or (to make it even easier) you can use an AI tool like OwlyWriter to generate on-brand content in a flash.

The idea here is to:

• Keep your content aligned with the purpose of each network;
• Show other stakeholders (if applicable) what kind of content they can expect to see on each network.

This last point especially will help you avoid any tension when your colleagues want to know why you haven’t posted their case study/whitepaper/blog post to TikTok yet. It’s not in the strategy, Linda!

Ideally, you will generate content types that are both suited to the network and the purpose you’ve set out for that network. Your social media promotion strategy will not be the same for every network.

For example, you wouldn’t want to waste time posting brand awareness tweets if you’ve designated X/Twitter for primarily customer support. And you wouldn’t want to post super slick corporate video ads to TikTok, as users (and the platform’s algorithm) expect to see unpolished short-form video content on that platform.

It might take some testing over time to figure out which type of content works best on which type of network, so prepare to update this section frequently.

We won’t lie: content creation isn’t as easy as everyone not on the social team seems to think. But if you’re struggling, Amanda suggests going back to basics.

The first question to ask is: is there cohesion between your content types? Is your content providing value? Do you have a good mix of entertaining, or educational content? What does it offer that makes a person stop and spend time? Creating a few different content pillars or categories that encompass different aspects of storytelling for your brand, and what you can offer your audience is a good start. Amanda Wood Senior Manager, Social Marketing at Hootsuite

This brings us to Step 9.

Step 9. Track performance and make adjustments

Your social media marketing strategy is a hugely important document for your business, and you can’t assume you’ll get it exactly right on the first try.

As you start to implement your plan and track your results, you may find that some strategies don’t work as well as you’d anticipated, while others are working even better than expected.

That’s why it’s important to document your progress along the way.

Look at performance metrics

In addition to the analytics within each social network (see Step 2), you can use UTM parameters to track social visitors as they move through your website, so you can see exactly which social posts drive the most traffic to your website.

Benchmark your results

You’ve got your numbers, but how do they stack up to the competition in your industry? Industry benchmarks are a great way to evaluate your performance against other businesses in your category.

If you’ve got Hootsuite Analytics , you can use our built-in social media benchmarking tool to compare the performance of your social accounts against the average of brands in your industry with just a couple of clicks.

You can set up custom timeframes, switch between networks — Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and TikTok — and look up benchmarks for metrics like followers, audience growth rate, engagement rate, clicks, shares, and much more.

You’ll also find resources to improve your performance  right in the summary section:

Re-evaluate, test, and do it all again

Once this data starts coming in, use it to re-evaluate your social media marketing techniques regularly.

You can also use this information to test different posts, social marketing campaigns, and strategies against one another. Constant testing allows you to understand what works and what doesn’t, so you can refine your social media marketing strategy in real time.

Remember, effective social media marketing isn’t static. Your strategy should change over time.

You should check the performance of all your channels at least once a week. Once you learn the basics of social media reporting , you can track your growth over time.

Pro tip: If you use Hootsuite, you can review the performance of all your posts on every network in one place. Once you get the hang of checking your analytics, you may even want to customize different reports to show specific metrics over a variety of different time periods.

Surveys can also be a great way to find out how well your social media strategy is working. Ask your followers, email list, and website visitors whether you’re meeting their needs and expectations and what they’d like to see more of. Just make sure to deliver on what they tell you.

Finalizing your social media strategy

Spoiler alert: nothing is final.

Social media moves fast. New networks emerge, others go through demographic shifts.

Your business will go through periods of change as well.

All of this means that your social media marketing strategy should be a living document that you review and adjust as needed. Refer to it often to stay on track, but don’t be afraid to make changes so that it better reflects new goals, marketing tools, or plans.

When you update your social strategy, make sure to watch our 5-step video on how to updating your social media strategy for 2024:

Free social media strategy template

Ready to start documenting? Grab your free social marketing strategy template below!

What’s next? When you’re ready to put your plan into action, we’re here to help…

Save time managing your social media marketing strategy with Hootsuite. From a single dashboard, you can easily:

• Plan, create, and schedule posts to every network
• Track relevant keywords, topics, and accounts
• Stay on top of engagement with a universal inbox
• Get easy-to-understand performance reports and improve your strategy as needed

Do it better with Hootsuite , the all-in-one social media tool. Stay on top of things, grow, and beat the competition.

Become a better social marketer.

Get expert social media advice delivered straight to your inbox.

Christina Newberry is an award-winning writer and editor whose greatest passions include food, travel, urban gardening, and the Oxford comma—not necessarily in that order.

Amanda Wood is a senior social marketing professional who combines analytical and creative thinking to build brands.

As head of social at Hootsuite, Amanda oversees the global social strategy encompassing organic and paid social on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn, a social engagement and listening strategy, and an employee advocacy program.

As the leader of a high-performing social team, she has extensive experience collaborating with creatives to bring campaigns to life on social and drive business results.

Create. Schedule. Publish. Engage. Measure. Win.

• How to create an app without coding

17 top organization apps for staying productive

Table of Contents

The benefits of organization apps for professionals

Tips for choosing the best organization app, 1. jotform apps, 5. superlist, 6. microsoft to do, 8. evernote, 9. google keep, 10. clickup, 12. omnifocus, 14. workflowy, 15. milanote, jotform: a powerful way to build a custom organization solution.

In today’s busy world, the number of responsibilities, projects, and tasks both at work and in our personal lives can be overwhelming. Doing what we can to stay organized is more important than ever. Whether you’re managing a team, running a small business, or just trying to keep your tasks in order, organization apps can help.

For example, a common cause of stress is out-of-control to-do lists. Organization apps help you track your tasks and deadlines, manage your schedule, and access important information easily. With this support, you can better tackle your workload and prioritize your work.

In this article, we’ll explore the best organization apps available, highlighting their key features and benefits.

Whatever your role, you probably have too much work to do and not enough time to do it. While organization apps aren’t capable of miracles, they do provide some key advantages for people with too much on their plate:

• Increased productivity: Integrating tasks, calendars, and reminders in one place can help you focus on priorities and reduce the amount of time spent switching between platforms.
• Better time management: Features like time tracking, scheduling, and reminders can help you allocate your time more effectively and meet deadlines.
• Enhanced collaboration: Shared calendars, task assignments, and collaborative spaces make it easier for teams to work together and stay aligned.
• Reduced stress: Organization apps provide structure to your workday, helping you break down tasks into manageable bites so your workload feels less overwhelming.
• Accessibility: With cloud-based organization apps, you can access your information from any device, no matter where you are, ensuring you’re always in the loop.
• Customization: Organization apps can be customized to fit your unique needs, providing a more personalized and efficient experience.
• Progress tracking: Analytics and reporting features help you track progress over time, identify areas for improvement, and celebrate achievements.

With so many organization apps available, selecting the right one might feel like another drain on your time. Here are some things to consider that can make your selection process easier.

• Your needs: Start by identifying what you need the app to do and the features you need. Are you looking for a simple to-do list, a comprehensive project management tool, or something in between?
• Usability: The app should have an intuitive interface that makes it easy to use. A steep learning curve can hinder productivity.
• Compatibility: Ensure the app is compatible with the devices and platforms you use. Cross-platform availability can be crucial if you work on multiple devices.
• Integrations: Check if the app integrates with other software platforms and services you already use.
• User reviews: Reading reviews from other users can provide insight into the app’s performance and reliability.

The 17 best organization apps

• Key features: 700-plus customizable app templates , drag-and-drop app builder, integrations with popular tools and services, integration with Jotform suite of products
• Pros: highly customizable and user-friendly, extensive template library, no need for coding knowledge, use it in concert with other Jotform tools
• Cons: you have to build an organization app from scratch or customize a template — it’s not a purpose-built organization tool
• Pricing: free plan; three paid, single-user plans: Bronze ($39 per month or $408 per year), Silver ($49 per month or $468 per year), Gold ($129 per month or $1,188 per year); Enterprise (contact sales for pricing)
• Platforms: iOS, Android, web, desktop
• Ratings: 4.7 on G2

Jotform Apps is an easy-to-use, no-code app-building platform that allows you to create the perfect organization tool for your needs.

With a simple drag-and-drop interface, Jotform Apps is highly customizable. Just drag the app elements you want in the App Builder — easily add images, text, headers, forms, tables, and more; integrate useful widgets; and download the app to any device when you’re done.

You can build an app from scratch or customize an existing template — Jotform Apps offers useful planning and organization app templates, for example.

• Key features: task management with deadlines, priorities, and recurring tasks; project templates; software integrations
• Pros: intuitive interface and robust feature set for both personal and professional use
• Cons: limited customization for the free version, advanced features with paid plans only
• Pricing: Beginner (free), Pro ($5 per month or $48 per year), Business ($8 per month or $96 per year)
• Platforms: iOS, Android, web, desktop, Apple Watch, Wear OS
• Ratings: 4.8 on Apple’s App Store , 4.4 on Google Play

With Todoist, you can create to-do lists to organize your workload and set deadlines. The platform offers paid team plans, allowing for shared projects and task assignments.

The app brings simplicity to task management, with a minimalist design that helps you focus on what matters most by organizing your tasks, setting priorities, and nudging you with reminders when deadlines are looming.

• Key features: kanban boards for task and project management; drag-and-drop interface; team assignments; software integrations with tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Jira
• Pros: highly visual and user-friendly tool, robust free tier, strong community support, customizable workflows
• Cons: limited reporting and analytics features
• Pricing: free plan, Standard ($6 per user, per month or $60 per user, per year), Premium ($12.50 per user, per month or $120 per user, per year), Enterprise (cost depends on number of users; minimum of 50 users starts at $210 per user, per year)
• User ratings: 4.4 on Apple’s App Store , 4.2 on Google Play

Trello is a board-based project and task organization tool. With its drag-and-drop simplicity, it transforms the chaos of scattered tasks and projects into neatly organized boards, lists, and cards. Perfect for solo and team projects, Trello’s interactive interface lets you see your progress at a glance and assign tasks to teammates, keeping collaboration fun, organized, and visually satisfying.

• Key features: tasks and to-dos; collaborative documents; an all-in-one workspace for notes, tasks, databases, and calendars
• Pros: AI assistance for editing, drafting, and translating; prebuilt content blocks; custom views, including calendars and boards
• Cons: limited page history, team blocks, and upload size on free plan
• Pricing: single-user free plan, Plus ($12 per user, per month or $120 per user, per year), Business ($18 per user, per month or $180 per user, per year), Enterprise (contact sales for pricing)
• Ratings: 4.8 on Apple’s App Store , 4.7 on Google Play

Notion is the all-in-one workspace that allows creativity and organization to thrive side by side. Whether you’re managing tasks, creating databases, or jotting down notes, Notion’s extensive customization options make it a unique and powerful tool for managing projects, organizing calendars, and building documentation systems.

• Key features: task management, collaborative project planning, real-time notifications, offline mode
• Pros: intuitive and modern interface, software integrations, email-to-task conversion, unlimited tasks and private lists on free plan
• Cons: fewer features than some competitors
• Pricing: free individual and team plans, Pro ($10 per month or $96 per year), Pro Team ($12 per user, per month or $120 per user, per year)
• Ratings: 4.2 on Apple’s App Store , 4.0 on Google Play

Superlist is an app built around task lists and notes. Create to-do lists and organize them by project. It’s lightweight and user-friendly, but it offers the depth necessary for handling projects of different sizes. Superlist ensures everyone knows what to do, when to do it, and why it matters, keeping your workflow moving effortlessly.

• Key features: task management, shared lists for collaboration, to-do lists with due dates, subtasks
• Pros: integration with Outlook Tasks, user-friendly interface, free tool
• Cons: a very limited tool focused specifically on to-do lists
• Pricing: the app is free to use by itself; it’s part of the Microsoft 365 suite of products, with various paid plans available
• Ratings: 4.7 on Apple’s App Store , 4.7 on Google Play

Microsoft To Do is a simple to-do list app. Users can create daily and weekly to-do lists and access them on mobile or desktop. You can also share to-do lists with others for collaborative task management. Add subtasks and due dates to stay organized, and enable reminders and notifications.

• Key features: comprehensive project management platform, flexible views, team collaboration tools, software integrations
• Pros: free plan allows for teams of up to 10 users; advanced project management features, including workflow building; task assignments
• Cons: advanced features only available on paid plans, which are somewhat expensive
• Pricing: free plan, Starter ($13.49 per user, per month or $131.88 per user, per year), Advanced ($30.49 per user, per month or $299.88 per user, per year), Enterprise and Enterprise+ plans (contact sales for pricing)
• Ratings: 4.7 on Apple’s App Store , 4.4 on Google Play

Asana is your command center for managing complex projects with ease. Designed with teams in mind, it breaks down large projects into manageable tasks while ensuring everyone is aligned and progressing.

Asana’s intuitive interface and project-tracking features let you maintain a clear overview, fostering accountability and collaboration in a way that keeps momentum high. Use multiple project views, including calendar and board views, and access both personal and team task lists.

• Key features: note-taking, task lists, note attachments, calendars, searchable notes, task assignments
• Pros: versatile note-taking and organization tool, robust search and tagging features, progress tracking, integrations with Microsoft and Google calendars
• Cons: limited notes and uploads on free plan
• Pricing: free plan, Personal ($14.99 per month or $129.99 per year), Professional ($17.99 per month or $169.99 per year), Teams ($24.99 per user, per month or $249.99 per user, per year)
• Ratings: 4.4 on Apple’s App Store , 3.2 on Google Play

Evernote is a digital notebook that lets users create and assign tasks. It’s designed to capture ideas, information, and inspiration in one place. From typed notes to scanned documents, Evernote helps you organize it all so you can retrieve anything, anytime. It includes search and tagging features that help you organize notes and tasks.

• Key features: quick, versatile note-taking; labeling and color-coded notes; location-based reminders; audio notes
• Pros: simple and free tool, seamless integration with Google ecosystem, shareable lists
• Cons: designed for personal note-taking and task management, not meant for team project management
• Pricing: free
• Platforms: iOS, Android, web
• Ratings: 3.5 on Apple’s App Store, 4.1 on Google Play

Google Keep is another note-taking app, designed to make organizing your thoughts simple and fast. Its clean, color-coded interface is perfect for quick note-taking, and its seamless integration with Google services ensures you can access your reminders and ideas wherever you go. With its simplicity and ease of use, Google Keep is perfect for those who need quick, reliable access to personal notes.

• Key features: team project management, customizable views (list, board, calendar, etc.), time tracking, goal setting, collaborative documents
• Pros: comprehensive task and project management, task links and dependencies, task colors and statuses
• Cons: multitude of features might be too complex for simpler use cases
• Pricing: free plan, Unlimited ($10 per user, per month or $84 per user, per year), Business ($19 per user, per month or $144 per user, per year), Enterprise (contact sales for pricing)
• Ratings: 4.6 on Apple’s App Store , 4.1 on Google Play

ClickUp is a comprehensive work management platform, with customizable project and task tools for both individuals and teams. Whether you’re tracking tasks, setting goals, or collaborating on projects, ClickUp adapts to your needs with its highly flexible views and features. Its versatility ensures that you can organize your work exactly how you want while keeping your team aligned and productive.

• Key features: to-do list management, reminders and recurring tasks, voice entry, daily planner, subtasks
• Pros: clean and intuitive interface, AI support, multiple views, WhatsApp integration, workflow templates
• Cons: recurring tasks and color tags available only on paid plans
• Pricing: free plan, Premium ($7.99 per month or $59.88 per year), Family ($9.99 per month or $99.96 per year with 4 users), Teams ($7.99 per user, per month or $59.88 per user, per year)
• Ratings: 4.6 on Apple’s App Store , 4.4 on Google Play

Any.do is another to-do list app with a diversity of features for more complex task management, including multiple project views and workflow templates. It offers a sleek interface that feels natural and intuitive. It combines to-do lists, reminders, and calendar events in one place, ensuring that nothing slips through the cracks. With Any.do, you’ll feel more in control of your schedule, one task at a time.

• Key features: project and task management, powerful organization, filtering options, notifications, weekly reviews
• Pros: integration with Apple devices, group similar actions, forecasts for upcoming tasks, prioritization
• Cons: no app for PC or Android
• Pricing: monthly subscription for $9.99 per month; one-time payment of $74.99 for a standard license or $149.99 for a pro license, web companion access available for $4.99 per month
• Platforms: iOS, Mac, web
• Ratings: 4.4 on Apple’s App Store

OmniFocus lets Apple-based users organize tasks and projects. Set task priority, tag tasks to organize them, create recurring tasks, enable notifications, and more. Add notes to your items for more context. Use project reviews and forecasts to get a higher-level overview of your assignments.

• Key features: to-do list management, daily event and task lists, calendar events, reminders and deadlines
• Pros: project organization, task checklists, task and project search
• Cons: available only on Apple devices; no free version
• Pricing: $9.99 for iPhone and Watch, $19.99 for iPad, $29.99 for Vision Pro, $49.99 for Mac
• Platforms: iOS, Apple Watch, Vision Pro, Mac
• Ratings: 4.8 on Apple’s App Store

Things (found on the App Store as Things 3) is another to-do list app. It offers a simple, pleasing design that makes organizing tasks feel simple. Its clean and minimalist interface lets you focus on what’s important without getting bogged down in details. Whether you’re planning your day, week, or year, Things helps you break down your tasks into manageable steps and keeps you motivated with its simple, intuitive flow.

• Key features: infinite nested lists, note zooms, powerful search and organization, drag and drop note bullets, checklists
• Pros: tag tasks, add files and images, bookmark tasks, share tasks, kanban boards
• Cons: lacks advanced project management features, limited customization
• Pricing: free plan, Pro ($8.99 per month or $83.88 per year)
• Ratings: 4.8 on Apple’s App Store , 4.6 on Google Play

Workflowy is designed to help users manage tasks, notes, and projects. It offers a simple interface based around infinitely nested lists, allowing you to break down projects and tasks as deeply as you need. Its no-frills design lets you focus on organizing and structuring your thoughts without distraction. Workflowy is perfect for those who love lists and crave flexibility in mapping their work and ideas.

• Key features: visual note-taking and organization, image and file uploads, mood boards, storyboarding
• Pros: drag-and-drop interface, digital whiteboarding, board templates
• Cons: low ratings for Android app
• Pricing: free plan; multiuser plan for $12.50 per user, per month or $119.88 per user, per year; team plan starting at $588 per year for 10 users
• Ratings: 4.5 on Apple’s App Store , 2.7 on Google Play

Milanote is designed to help users organize creative projects visually. Its flexible drag-and-drop interface allows you to create mood boards, storyboards, and project plans that blend creativity and organization. Perfect for brainstorming and visual project organization, Milanote helps you bring your projects to life while keeping everything in one neat and collaborative space.

• Key features: visual project management, collaborative whiteboard, software integrations, process mapping
• Pros: highly visual collaboration, workspace templates for various use cases, AI-generated diagrams and summaries, intelligent widgets, online drawing
• Cons: custom templates and project folders available only on paid plans
• Pricing: free plan, Starter ($10 per user, per month or $96 per user, per year), Business ($20 per user, per month or $192 per user, per year), Enterprise (contact sales for pricing)
• Ratings: 4.7 on Apple’s App Store , 4.6 on Google Play

Miro is designed to be a visual workspace that can turn remote collaboration into an interactive experience with its online whiteboard (called the “Intelligent Canvas”). It’s perfect for teams that need to brainstorm, plan, and execute together, no matter where they are. Miro offers AI-powered features to save you time, with AI-generated diagrams and summaries.

• Key features: notes appear in project timelines, project categories, drag-and-drop note organization, due dates, tags and saved searches
• Pros: iCloud and Dropbox integrations, note sharing, note attachments, notes can be linked to calendar events
• Cons: app is available only on Apple devices
• Pricing: free with paid premium version available in-app
• Platforms: iOS, Mac
• Ratings: 4.6 on Apple’s App Store

Agenda is a date-focused note-taking app that organizes notes into timelines. You can create projects and project groupings and organize your notes within them, tying them to specific dates. Its elegant design helps professionals keep their ideas and to-do lists neatly organized while remaining mindful of deadlines and milestones.

If you’re searching for a customizable, easy-to-use organization app, look no further than Jotform Apps . Jotform Apps is a drag-and-drop app builder that lets users create custom apps to fit their needs, regardless of their level of expertise. Without coding, you can design an app from scratch or from a template to help you organize your work and responsibilities and plan your time.

Here are a few ways you can use Jotform Apps:

• Need to plan your day efficiently? Try the day planner app template to map your daily tasks and activities.
• Use the scheduling app template for quick and friendly appointment scheduling.
• Managing stress is crucial for staying organized. The mood tracker app allows you to check in with yourself regularly.
• Breaking your day into manageable chunks can enhance your productivity, and the time-blocking app template can help you do just that.

This is just a taste of how Jotform Apps can help you get organized. The platform offers a versatile and user-friendly way to streamline tasks and manage time effectively. Why not try it for free today?

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

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• {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BlogPosting","name":"Maximizing Print on Demand Sales for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday","image":["https://6595369.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/6595369/AdobeStock_171195766.jpeg"],"description":"Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday are massive opportunities for POD sellers to drive sales and grow their customer base.","articleBody":" Đọc bản tiếng Việt của bài viết tại đây . \n As the holiday season approaches, three major sales events—Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday—offer the best opportunities for print-on-demand (POD) sellers to boost their revenue. These events attract millions of shoppers looking for great deals, unique gifts, and personalized products. If you’re a POD seller, now is the time to craft an effective marketing strategy to stand out from the competition. \n In this blog post, we’ll explore essential marketing tips for each day and show you how to maximize your success this November. \n Why Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday Are Key \n According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), in 2023, the average holiday shopper planned to spend $875 on gifts, decorations, food, and more. This figure reflects the massive purchasing power of consumers during the holiday season, making it the perfect time for POD sellers to capitalize on growing demand. \n \n 59% of holiday shoppers start shopping by early November.

22 hours ago

Maximizing Print on Demand Sales for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday are massive opportunities for POD sellers to drive sales and grow their customer base.

Đọc bản tiếng Việt của bài viết tại đây .

As the holiday season approaches, three major sales events—Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday—offer the best opportunities for print-on-demand (POD) sellers to boost their revenue. These events attract millions of shoppers looking for great deals, unique gifts, and personalized products. If you’re a POD seller, now is the time to craft an effective marketing strategy to stand out from the competition.

In this blog post, we’ll explore essential marketing tips for each day and show you how to maximize your success this November.

Why Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday Are Key

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), in 2023, the average holiday shopper planned to spend $875 on gifts, decorations, food, and more. This figure reflects the massive purchasing power of consumers during the holiday season, making it the perfect time for POD sellers to capitalize on growing demand.

• 59% of holiday shoppers start shopping by early November.
• The top spending categories are clothing and accessories (49%) , followed by toys, gift cards, and personal care items.
• Shoppers spent an average of $321.41 during Thanksgiving weekend alone.

By targeting these key shopping days, you can tap into a massive wave of consumer interest and maximize your POD sales.

Black Friday: Door-Busting Discounts & Limited-Edition Products

Black Friday is the day when customers are laser-focused on finding the best deals, making it ideal for high-volume sales. Here’s how to attract them:

• Offer Tiered Discounts

Create a “spend more, save more” strategy to increase average order value. For example, offer:

• 15% off orders over $50
• 25% off orders over $100
• 35% off orders over $150

This encourages customers to add more items to their cart to unlock better savings.

• Create Limited-Edition Products

Exclusivity drives urgency. Consider launching a limited-edition collection for Black Friday, featuring seasonal designs or collaborations that are available only for a short time.

• Use Scarcity Marketing

Implement countdown timers and highlight the stock availability of your best-selling products with messages like “Only 5 left!” This builds urgency and encourages customers to act quickly.

• Leverage Cart Abandonment Emails

Many shoppers will add items to their cart but leave before completing the purchase. Automate cart abandonment emails offering an extra discount to nudge them toward completing the transaction.

Small Business Saturday: Build a Connection with Your Audience

Small Business Saturday celebrates local and independent businesses, making it a great time for POD sellers to highlight their unique story and products.

• Share Your Story

Small Business Saturday shoppers are more likely to buy from businesses they feel connected to. Share your story—how you started, what makes your products unique, and why supporting small businesses matters.

• Offer Personalized Products

Use your POD advantage to offer customized designs , like adding the customer’s name to a product or creating unique, holiday-themed gifts. This personal touch sets you apart from big-box retailers.

• Partner with Local Influencers

Collaborating with local influencers or community groups can amplify your message. Offer influencers a special discount code to share with their followers, driving traffic and engagement.

• Create Bundles or Gift Sets

Put together curated gift sets, like “Holiday Gifts Under $50” or “Personalized Stocking Stuffers,” to make it easier for customers to shop for loved ones.

Cyber Monday: Digital-First Sales for Online Shoppers

As an online seller, Cyber Monday is tailor-made for you. With consumers seeking exclusive online deals, here’s how you can make the most of it:

• Flash Sales Throughout the Day

Keep your customers engaged all day long with hourly flash sales or rotating deals. Announce these flash sales on your social media channels and through email marketing to drive real-time traffic.

• Free Shipping with a Twist

Offering free shipping is a common strategy, but you can take it up a notch. For instance, offer free shipping on orders over $75 to encourage higher spending.

• Upsell with Discounts on Add-Ons

Use upselling techniques like offering a discount on matching items or add-ons when customers purchase specific products.

• Post-Purchase Promotions

After a customer makes a purchase, send them an email offering a discount on a future order . This can keep customers returning throughout the holiday season.

Bonus Tips: Start Marketing NOW!

It’s not enough to wait for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, or Cyber Monday to roll around— build anticipation by teasing your upcoming deals.

• Send out early-bird promotions through email, social media, and banners on your website.
• Offer VIP early access to your best customers, allowing them to shop your deals before anyone else.

These early marketing efforts can help build excitement and ensure your customers are ready to shop when your promotions go live.

See other potential Print on Demand niches in November

Make November Your Most Profitable Month Yet

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday are massive opportunities for POD sellers to drive sales and grow their customer base. By offering tiered discounts, limited-edition products, personalized gifts, and leveraging local partnerships, you can stand out from the competition and make the most of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Don’t miss out on maximizing your November sales—start planning your marketing strategy now, and watch your revenue soar!

For personalized guidance or support, visit our Facebook group  and  subscribe to our newsletter .

Happy selling!

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Print on Demand Niches in November: Thanksgiving, Diwali, and More Key Events for POD Sellers

From the Thanksgiving shopping rush to Singles’ Day and Veterans Day, print-on-demand sellers can capitalize on the seasonal buzz with tailored promotions and relevant products.

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How to Create a Sales Plan: A Complete Guide (Tips + Examples)

Write a sales plan that can adjust to change, and zero in on the actions that will hit your goals.

Scott Leese

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There is a world where sales planning happens once a year. You draw it up in January — “Whew, I’m glad that’s done!” — and everything goes as you planned. You hit your goals.

Meanwhile, on Earth, you create a plan, start to act on it, and everything hits the fan. A competitor launches a new product, an analyst switches up their report, and your best sales rep quits.

Below we share tips for how to create a sales plan that can bend, not break. You’ll learn why a plan is so important, see examples of the different types, and discover how to create one that brings you closer to your big, hairy revenue goals while also driving down costs.

What you’ll learn:

What is a sales plan, why is a sales plan important, sales plan process, sales plan types, how to create a sales plan, 5 tips for optimising your sales plan, attain quota faster and speed up sales ops .

Learn how Sales Performance Management helps you connect customer data to sales planning and execution. 

Put simply, a sales plan is a blueprint for hitting revenue targets. It begins when sales leaders define long-term company goals. Next, they set the stage for achieving those goals by establishing hiring plans, sales quotas, and a sales budget. Sales managers use these high-level plans to create strategies for their teams that will help them achieve long-term company goals, adjusting as market conditions change. They make decisions around compensation, territories, and customer segments. Finally, sellers translate the annual plan into account plans to close individual deals.

Sales planning provides clear goals and a way to achieve them. Without it, a business likely doesn’t what their revenue targets are or how they’re going to grow. But these are only some of the advantages of an effective sales plan. Here are a few other key ones:

Determines actions required to achieve goals

Sales planning lets you test and measure how different actions will affect your numbers, so you can choose the right path forward to hit your goal. You begin by adding up the numbers you know — how much your team will likely sell (based on past performance) and how much it will cost (based on your current resources). You’ll arrive at a prediction of the numbers you’ll hit.

If the prediction falls short of your targets, a plan helps you test different scenarios, so you can find the action that allows you to hit your target number in the most cost-effective way.

What if you hire more people? Increase your quotas? Level up your enablement program to increase win rates (the number of deals that close)? Sales planning gives you the framework to crunch the numbers until you find the reality that matches your dream.

Increases engagement

With a plan, your sales team has the support needed to meet both their personal goals and the company’s goals. When a new representative joins the team, for example, the plan tells them the daily activities they need to complete to help meet their sales goals. If an established sales representative begins struggling to hit their goals, the plan provides the resources to grow their customer base.

This level of support creates a more engaged sales team, which often means a higher-performing team. When the sales team has the support they need, the company has a better retention rate because the sales team is successful. The business also earns a reputation for having clear goals that help lead to success, making it easier to hire new sales representatives.

Increases revenue and reduces expenses

Simply put, a plan helps the business allocate resources correctly, which saves money. For example, leaders aren’t hiring too many sales representatives for one territory while hiring too few reps in others, which means money burned and opportunities wasted.

At the same time, a clear plan makes it easier for sales representatives to achieve their goals, which means more revenue for the company. Because the sales team is hitting their goals, they are less likely to leave, which saves money on hiring, training, and lost revenue due to open positions.

Many organisations think of sales planning as happening in the fall in preparation for the upcoming calendar year. While this may work for an established company, it’s not a realistic or sound approach for most companies.

Businesses should conduct a formal sales planning process annually, and then regularly review that plan throughout the year to make sure it still makes sense. Otherwise, the organisation may miss out on new opportunities to grow revenue and make changes that can reduce losses.

The frequency with which companies should review their plan depends on the stability of the business, market changes, and the complexity of the plans. Startups and new companies should review their plan at least every quarter. Established companies launching new products should review the plans for the new product lines at least every quarter, and perhaps monthly in the early days after launch.

The different types of plans are meant to bring together your company’s long-term vision, short-term tactics, and everything in between. Leaders set a five-year vision for where the company is heading. Then, sales managers step into a new time frame — the year ahead — and build sales forecasts and territory plans that help sellers hit their numbers. They come up with capacity plans to make sure teams are running lean and mean. Finally, sellers create account plans for every deal.

Let’s take a closer look at these different types of plans with the examples below.

Long -range plan

This is where leadership — the CEO, chief revenue officer, CFO, and VP of sales — comes together and sets the long-term path for the company. They’re thinking about where the opportunities are and how to seize them. For example, they might decide to grow annual contract value (ACV) by $30 million in the next five years while also slowing the rate of hiring — because they want to make existing sellers more productive instead.

Annual plan

The sales manager creates an annual plan to set more immediate targets that will help the company get closer to the goals established in the long-range plan. This plan begins with an understanding of the team’s capacity, or how much revenue they’re likely to produce. From there, territories, quotas, and compensation plans are set to ensure that sellers hit their numbers.

Let’s say the long-range plan is to achieve $30 million in ACV over the next five years while also making sellers more productive. In that case, a sales manager might set targets of $4 million in ACV in the first year and increase the quotas that sellers carry to achieve that goal rather than hire more people.

Territory plan

A territory plan focuses on a specific type of target customer. However, you shouldn’t just segment customers based on geography. Also segment them based on categories meaningful to the business. For example, if you want to sell to more enterprises, you might want to segment customers by organisation size and match sellers with enterprise expertise to enterprise companies . Territory planning makes it easier to assign sales representatives to the best territory for their expertise. For example, a salesperson who used to work as a registered nurse may be assigned to healthcare customers.

Account plan

Now that sellers know their targets and their territories, they take on planning of their own — customer by customer — with account plans. They strategise how to bring more value to every conversation and close individual deals . They research the needs of the customer, identify obstacles that stand in the way of selling, and list action items for how to build relationships to move each deal forward. Then, they work with different people within their company to execute their account plans. They might connect with business development representatives (BDRs) to get a foot in the door with new leads, or with solution engineers to create demos for presentations.

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To create your annual plan for the year and make sure it can adapt to change, gather all your sales data into one place. Then, study how much your people can sell (based on historical data) and set targets (and incentives) that will make your goal a reality. Use technology that can update all your plan data in real-time, so you can measure the impact of change and adjust to stay on track.

Ready to create your plan? Here’s how to take it one step at a time.

1. Connect plan data with your CRM

It’s important to build your plan in customer relationship management (CRM) software . When you have all your sales data in one place, updated in real-time, you have visibility into changes that put your targets at risk.

It’s also a time-saver. Without this single source of truth, you’d be spending weeks manually pulling in data from different systems to understand what went wrong. With every passing day, the gap between your plan and your reality would widen.

Imagine that you begin an enterprise sales push with 50 sellers in January, but two quit in March. A CRM can send you an alert that you’re under target. That real-time data is critical if you want to adjust your plan quickly to stay on track.

If your organisation does not currently have a CRM, look for one that uses AI , pulls in data from any source, integrates with your other systems, and helps automate repeatable business functions. If you already use a CRM, take a comprehensive look at your sales efforts by ensuring all sales and customer data is connected.

2. Understand your team’s capacity (how much they can sell)

Using your CRM data, take a look at capacity — or much revenue you predict your team can sell during the coming year. To calculate capacity, look at all metrics that affect sales output — including hiring data, a review of quotas and targets, and historical sales rep performance data — to predict future sales.

Using the example above, you might determine that based on the previous year’s performance, each seller, on average, can bring in $120,000 worth of revenue. However, now that you’re down two sellers, you’re short $240,000 in your capacity.

3. Work with stakeholders across the organisation

A sales plan drives the direction of the entire organisation, so it should represent the goals and input of all stakeholders. In addition to sales and finance, customer success, product teams, finance, and marketing should also be included in the process. If only the sales department is included in crafting the draft, then you run the risk of the CFO showing up with a half-billion-dollar plan, the CEO a billion-dollar plan, and the head of sales with a quarter-billion-dollar plan.

4. Measure the gap between your reality and your dream

Now that you understand the reality of who’s under your roof — and how much you think your team can sell — determine the gap between your revenue predictions and your revenue targets.

For example, imagine your target from the long-range plan is to hit $6 million in ACV this year. With a $240,000 drop in your capacity, as we showed above, you’ll need to figure out how you can still meet the goal.

5. Find the actions to fill the gap and reach your goal

It’s time to write your plan to achieve your targets. Begin with the backbone — your team — and outline what’s expected (quotas), what the rewards are (compensation), how to organise customers (segments), and how to assign the reps (territories).

Then, to close the gap and hit your targets, create “what if” scenarios to test the impact of different possible actions. The guideposts here should be cost savings and efficiency — how to hit your target by making the most of what you have. What if you hire two more people? (Straightforward, sure, but hardly cost-effective.) What if you assign your highest performers to more lucrative territories? What if you create an enablement program that trains your sellers in a strategic industry?

In the example above, you’re trying to find a way to add $240,000 to your capacity without adding cost. One of the scenarios you tested shows that a new enablement program might do the trick because training your sellers to sell more effectively can help you close more and bigger deals. This can be your Plan A. But since it will require investing in a new enablement program, you might want to come up with a Plan B as well that doesn’t require additional budget. For example, you might propose increasing each seller’s quota.

6. Present your proposed actions to leadership and execute

Make your case to leadership to gain approval on your proposed best action. Show them the data in your plan to demonstrate why your proposed solution will hit your targets and be cost-effective at the same time.

You might make the case for Plan A: investing in a new enablement program. If leadership balks because of cost, then it’s time to roll out Plan B: increase each seller’s quota instead. Sales reps might protest at first, but you can reframe it as an opportunity to make more money.

You’re in sales, remember? Finding the positive spin is what you do.

7. Keep adjusting and stay on target even as market conditions change

Change will come — whether from outside forces (a disruption in your customer base) or inside forces (a pivot in your product roadmap). The mindset shift is to take your plan down from the shelf, dust it off, and reimagine it as a living, breathing thing. It’s something you adjust continually throughout the year — with your sights pinned to your goal.

Sales plan examples

While plans can be exceptionally detailed, the following examples show the basic structure of two types of plans.

Basic annual plan

Goal: Increase sales by 15% to reach 10.5 million in 2025

Sales cycle: January 2025 to December 2025 Target average contract value: $100,000 Target close rate: 20%

Metrics to track:

• Conversations

Resources required to implement plan:

• 1 new entry-level sales representative
• 1 part-time admin support role
• Training for all representatives on new product launching in late 2024

Territory plan:

Territory: In 2025, The Widget Co is adding a healthcare vertical. While they currently have some healthcare customers, this new territory will be an area of growth.

Goal: Healthcare clients accounted for $100,000 in sales in 2024 Q1. Goal is 300K in sales in 2025 Q2.

Resources required:

• Shift 1 sales representative from government vertical (phasing out) to healthcare
• Dedicate part-time admin support to healthcare
• Allocate $50,000 in marketing budget for healthcare sponsorship

Sales planning only delivers the desired success if companies come up with the right plan for their specific business and goals. Without a plan that works for your specific organisation, you are not likely to see the expected results. Organisations that take the time to optimise their plan are more likely to enjoy better results.

Here are five tips for optimising your plan:

1. Collaborate early and often across the organisation

The most accurate plans are created when all departments work together. To ensure a cohesive plan, the needs of the entire organisation should be included in the very first draft — and as revisions are made. This ensures that the sales team has the right products to sell, and all leaders have skin in the game.

2. Include relevant details to help achieve the goals

While it’s tempting to include only the desired results, the most useful and accurate plans provide a roadmap for how to get to the destination.

The specific metrics you monitor should relate to goals that align with your specific sales plan. For example, if headcount is a current issue in your sales department, then tracking employee retention rates is important.

At the minimum, it’s recommended you track the following metrics to ensure sales efficiency:

• Average contract value
• Sales cycle

As noted above, consider adding other metrics that align with top-level goals. Think first about what the linchpin of the goal is (e.g. employees for retention goals) then identify all metrics related to it you should keep an eye on.

3. Consider the seasonality of your business

For sales, not all months are equal. Many businesses have seasonal sales cycles , such as slowdowns during the summer. By building this seasonality into the sales expectations, your plan will be more accurate than it would be if you set the same goals for every month.

For example, December has 15 to 17 effective selling days compared to 23 in other months due to the holidays and many customers taking time off the last week of the year. For that reason, most sales representatives are not going to close as many deals in December as they would in May.

4. Make goals based on the experience level of the team

While looking at the historical performance of the sales team is a good starting point, be sure to consider your current team, too. It takes a new sales representative time to build up their customer base and hit sales goals . Even with significant experience at other organisations, a new sales representative is not going to perform like a veteran in their first month. Create lower quotas for newer representatives as they ramp up and your plan will be easier to execute.

5. Use AI insights to build your plan

Historical data gives you a starting point for understanding what your team is capable of. AI tools can factor in additional variables, however, such as new sales representatives, new products, and even new competitors. By using technology such as sales planning software, you can keep sellers on track, configure plans easily, optimise in real-time, and improve operational flexibility.

Ready to turn your plan into a reality?

Complete the steps above, and you’re ready to roll. Study the real-time plan data in your CRM, measure the impact of the change on your goals, test different approaches, and go with the most promising one. This is agile sales planning. It says, “Bring it on!” to change.

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Scott Leese is the founder of Scott Leese Consulting. Armed with years of industry experience — and a proven track record of success — he focuses on a scalable approach to sales strategies, processes, people, and infrastructure. Scott is also a co-founder of Surf and Sales, a sales summit held ... Read More in Costa Rica. He an author and a 3X American Association of Inside Sales Professionals Top 25 Award Winner.

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