Make a Plan to Win!

Credit: Tiffany Fox

Well, it’s January 2025. The page is mostly blank. You’re full of New Year’s resolutions and promises that this year is going to be better than 2024. You’re locked and loaded!

If you’re like most reps you’ve submitted a forecast to leadership. You looked at 2024 and suggested what you might book for 2025. If you’re like many of the reps I’ve known, you’ve guessed.

Let me suggest how to set yourself apart. Make a Plan to Win! Your boss will be blown away. You’ll learn more about your clients and you’ll sell more stuff.

Set aside a few hours and look at your client/prospect list. Who deserves to go with you into the new year. Who consumes more value than they deliver? We've all got em.

We've all got clients that demand $50,000 in time for $20,000 in revenue. Do these guys deserve to travel with you into 2024? Do they deserve your valuable time?

When my sales career started to catch on, I kept a list. It was simple. There were four columns (active clients, almost clients, prospects I've spoken to and prospects I hope to talk to).

I looked at that list daily. I made contact with the "almost clients" group weekly. I paid attention to each one and did what I could to move them into the active column. I did the same thing, less frequently, with the "prospects I've spoken to." I paid attention to buying signs and did what I could to move each along the road to being an active customer.

I also dumped those that didn't belong. I didn't call and say, "I quit." I simply let my price deliver the message. I decided my time was valuable and refused to lower price to earn purchase orders.

There were some funny moments. "But brand X will do it for $XYZ." My response, "what's wrong with giving them the order?" Flush em and move on.

I've written this before. In late December and early January the office supply stores fill up with reps that are "fixin to" get busy. They're buying computers or other gadgets that will help them sell more stuff in the new year. You can jump ahead of these guys and it’s easy.

Most of these guys are not doing the important stuff. The real answer is in front of you. Look at your list. Identify pockets of business within each name. Make a Plan for Winning share in each pocket or department. Do the same thing with your prospects.

Don’t shortcut this exercise. Years ago, I did business with a soft drink giant in Atlanta. I sat down and made a list of their products. Then I made a list of the places and ways you could buy their product.

I discovered that there were people with money to spend for each sku, each sales channel and each demographic segment. There weren’t dozens of prospects. There were hundreds. Targeting these opportunities allowed me to dump less profitable pursuits, sell more stuff and make more money.

Ask to meet with your employer and share your client profiles and plan. You'll impress them if you do. Tell them how you expect to hit your numbers. Share what you learn with respect to where business lives. Let them know what you need from the company to make numbers happen. This will set you apart from others on your team.

Here’s another example. Years ago, I did business with a company that makes motors. I printed catalogs. The work was marginal and unforgiving. Anyone could do it. I worked with a bid collector.

Across the hall was a department that served their retail partners. They did floor planning and a host of other activities. There were sales rep newsletters, point of purchase and "member updates." Their work was perfect for me.

I made the swap. Revenue went down but margins went up. The company P&L showed the same thing. So did my comp.

Your employer deserves a clear picture of the business opportunity each of your prospects offer. That picture can only come from you. Profile the names on your list. Suggest how much business is available and what it will take to earn it. Make a Plan to Win and force 2025 to deliver.

Photo? This guy had no plan. He only thought he knew where he was going. Now he’s stuck and “it isn’t his fault.” Dump that thinking and go get em.