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buying. They may be buying prestige, status or
■■ How is our pricing structure? Should we
key influencing factors that drive most of your
When a man buys a Ferrari, he’s buying more
■■ How will we attract, hire and retain strong
dialogue around those factors.
even peace of mind.
raise prices or lower them?
than just a car. He’s buying image and how
sales talent?
expects to be treated differently because
months, etc.
he feels about himself when he drives it. He
■■ What are our goals? 60 days, 90 days, six
he’s in it.
■■ What needs to be measured? How often?
Why Most Businesses Fail Businesses fail because of two key factors: 1) They fail to create a REAL and well-thoughtout written plan. You must create a wise and actionable plan that you and your team can follow to reach your goals.
2) They fail to measure results to see if those planned actions are working. Are we taking
action daily? What works? What doesn’t? The old adage says, “What gets measured, gets
results.” Measure the most important things. Traditional business plans are only good for
going to the bank for a loan. I’m talking about a strategic battle plan designed to take your
sales to the next level. If you don’t have a wise
plan, you have no real strategy. And remember, strategy beats tactics every time. What’s In a Sales Plan? A winning sales plan will include answers to the following questions: ■■ Who are you? ■■ What do you sell? ■■ How are you different and better than the competition?
■■ Who is your ideal target client? ■■ What are your ideal clients’ shopping patterns?
■■ What are their greatest concerns,
frustrations and unmet needs with it comes to buying your products or services?
■■ Who is your competition? ■■ What are their strengths? Weaknesses? ■■ What are you clients REALLY buying? ■■ Where are the most profitable untapped niches in your market?
■■ Where are the greatest opportunities to take market share?
■■ What new products or services should we sell?
These are just some of the questions your sales plan should address. A Few Extras Here are a few extras that should also go into the plan:
■■ How will your sales staff create rapport with potential clients?
■■ Where do most of them live? ■■ What’s the best way to reach them? (Radio, T.V., Internet, mailers, etc.)
■■ What is the best message to engage prospects and make them want to do
target audience’s buying decisions? Develop a The third thing is excellence in delivering on
the promise of your product or service. Nothing can cripple a great sales plan faster than poor delivery or fulfillment. It will kill your referrals and worse, it deflates and discourages your
sales staff, even when that sales staff is you, the business owner.
Know thy Client When we launched our countertop sales
business, we went so far as to draw little
cartoons of the type of client we wanted to
serve. We created our plan and that business
went from a mere $60,000 its first year to being
in the top 5 percent of all businesses in America in five short years.
The better you know your clients, the more you
can communicate with them in ways that matter to them.
business with us?
Crafting the Perfect Sales Message
■■ Who can we ally with that also serves the
Here’s the final key to sales success. If you
same type client?
■■ What statements will clearly differentiate us in ways that our clients value? The BIG 3 If you want to win in sales, you must become
expert in three things. If you develop excellence in these three areas, you’ll do well.
master this one, everything works. If not,
everything fails. You must be able to articulate a clear and compelling sales message — one
that rings true to the potential client. I’ve seen
companies miss this one that have had to close their doors after 30 years in business.
If you don’t take the time to develop a message that causes buyers to stop, step back and
The first is rapport. People buy from whom they
consider new information, then to lean toward
immediate rapport.
sales. The process of crafting your winning sales
Most people are not good at this naturally. Build
success and failure. These are the things most
like, trust and respect. Learn how to develop
this into your sales plan. I know it’s an invisible
element, but it matters. It probably matters more
than your product or service. Write down exactly
buying from you, you will struggle to make
message can mean the difference between businesses fail to do. And as a result, most businesses fail.
how you will get better at creating rapport, being
Choose to be in the top tier of businesses that
this all happens in a matter of seconds, it’s a
In doing this, you will all but guarantee your
likable, trustable and deserving of respect. While
do the right things, not just the easy things.
bigger task than you may think.
success in sales.
Second, differentiate wildly in ways that matter
About the Author
to the customer, not to you. Your plan should
clearly outline the key reasons you are a better choice than your competition, and it needs to
ring your clients’ bell. Know the biggest, most compelling reasons they buy. What are the
Kirk Heiner is an author, speaker, and sales and communication coach that helps companies create their Perfect Sales Message. He’s the founder of KBExpo.com and has worked in the countertop industry for more than 20 years. He can be contacted at kheiner007@gmail.com. International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 5 / Issue 2 • 23