Your business plan must include some description of your plan to sell your product or service. Selling is the final step in the marketing process and includes closing transactions with interested customers and up selling them to additional products and services. Even in retail locations where sales is part of the work the counter staff or waiter, some attention should be paid to how they will encourage customers to buy more.

Sales Team and Commissions

For products and services sold to businesses, as well as professional services, salespeople must be designated who will work on specific clients or accounts. As sales efforts takes up more and more of an individual’s time, it makes more sense for you to tie their compensation to their success through commissions. Whether salespeople do their work in person or on the phone, commission systems can be effective. You must carefully consider the sales “territories” of your individual salespeople to make sure they are incentivized to help each other and build a team culture rather than compete between each other for the same customers.

Sales Tactics

If extensive direct sales will be a primary marketing tactic, the business plan should describe what tools and tactics salespeople will be directed to use. For example, will they have a pre-set demonstration or presentation to give? Will they use specific brochures or other marketing material? Will they have the leeway to negotiate prices or volume discounts with clients?

Sales by Operations Staff

When sales are made by operations staff, such as at a restaurant or store, you may not be able to work with a high level of commissions as their additional responsibilities may fall by the wayside. However, you can create policies and checklists which staff must conform to in order to make sure they are doing their best to generate sales, give good customer service, and manage other responsibilities.

Eric Powers is associated with Growthink, a business plan consulting firm. Since 1999, Growthink has developed more than 2,000 professional business plans for entrepreneurs and business owners. Call 800-506-5728 today for a free consultation with a Growthink business plan consultant. Growthink also offers a proven business plan template.

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