The Basics Of Sales And Operations Planning

By Anthony Rogers


Sales is one of the elements of business that require meticulous planning. Selling is a resource intensive engagement that defines the success of any commercial venture. This calls for exemplary sales and operations planning based on your operation environment and target client base. Here are pillars that should inform all the plans you make.

The urge to plan must be anchored on understanding of the benefits you stand to get. If you wish to grow your profit margins, plan how you are going to sell the product. By planning, you have a better grip of all activities that lead to actualization of your business goals, resources required and how much to expect in returns. Your inventory excesses will also reduce because you will understand the market better. Stock-out incidences are reduced since you know what each customer wants. Meticulously done plans will help you meet customer expectations.

Business activities should be based on progressive growth. Set aside resources based on your present day activities. Have thresholds at the beginning and then collect data to determine areas that can be scaled. You avoid wastage of resources that could have been directed elsewhere and provided better returns.

Provide resources to important people and departments in your organization. This only happens when you understand the pillars that are driving your operations. Know who is selling and what they require to sell. If these people or entities are not facilitated well, they will not sell and your targets will not be met.

Technology should form part of you operations. It is aimed at simplifying communication and sharing of information between people in the field and those in the office. Your agents can also contact the business easily. Technology helps you to monitor progress, reduce the time taken to make a decision and consequently lead to better returns.

The plans made must be unique to your operation environment and goods you are selling. Consider the needs of your customers and what they would consider as satisfying. Plans made should be in line with changes in demand and supply through the week, month or year. Revenue should be allocated to cater for high and low seasons through your operation year.

Cloud based document management system will add great value to your operations. It facilitates seamless and efficient communication between client and the office or sellers in the field and managers in different work stations. You also have a repository for your documents that is inexhaustible.

All plans made should be supported by executives in the business. The decision makers are usually in charge of resources. Their vote of confidence is important to the team since they are assured of any support they may require. Without support from executives, you cannot do much.

The best plans must include a monitoring and evaluation to determine whether the steps taken and resources provided are delivering expected results. Short term measures must be audited to avoid continued spending yet the business is just hemorrhaging. The results of this monitoring will help you to develop new strategies that are more effective. After all, these plans are evaluated and changed on regular basis, based on market response and situation.




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