Reviewing Plans, Activities and Results
Over the course of the year or sales cycle, effective managers review each sales representative’s sales plan on a regular basis. Reviews cover more than milestones and key performance indicators, although those are important to include. Reviews also examine the assumptions that underlie the plan. They look at market conditions – have they changed? – competitive threats, advancements in technology, and strategy effectiveness, to name just a few areas. Two to four times per year is a reasonable frequency for sales plan reviews. Some sales managers may elect to review their team’s sales plans more frequently if the sales cycle is short or the responsible sales representatives are not on target to achieve quota or goals.
The goals of regular territory reviews are:
- Assess where the sales rep and the company stand relative to performance against plan
- Learn about our customers, markets, products/services
- Adjust our plan assumptions to reflect current conditions
- Adjust our activities, targets (customers, markets, expectations), and products/service offerings to improve performance and drive revenue faster.
