Your attention as a Sales Manager should have shifted from 2016 to 2017 this week. The 2017 revenue budget is set.  It may be time to kick back for holidays, but your sales reps also need to ready themselves for 2017.  How do you coach them to get out of the gate strong?  A planning process helps.  Have a conversation with your team before the holidays about planning the start of the new budget year. 

1. Understand which of their customers is on a calendar year budgeting program.  If they are not on a calendar year-get in synch with them, their projects will have a different priority than other customers’-understand who these customers are and prioritize appropriately.
2. Emphasize that most of their great customers will come out of the gate strong too.   Remember your holiday niceties but set up your January meetings in December.  I like to have as many meetings in January as I can. It’s hard to recover from a tough 1Q.   It may sound counter intuitive, but start with the Purchasing Managers at major accounts.   They typically are involved in multiple projects so will prioritize them in terms of corporate impact-follow their lead.  Have fast following meetings with the project teams once you meet with the Purchasing Managers.  You will then be able to prioritize new opportunities as well as the hangover projects from 2016.  Circle back with the Purchasing group once the projects have moved through the funnel.
3. Encourage them to break down total revenue targets into likely projects that will help you meet your sales plan.  Break them down into A/B/C projects and into quarterly achievement chunks.
   1. Start measuring progress during 1Q to ensure you are on track.
   2. Don’t backload your projects to 2H or 4Q because they will invariably be delayed and you will leave your self very little recovery room in the back half of the year.  Try to manage outcomes early 1H.
4. Encourage them to go a bit deeper by breaking down their projects into two areas-ones with existing customers (higher likelihood for success) and ones with new customers (lower likelihood for success.)  Historically, new customers will generate more unforeseen obstacles and take much more time to bring across the finish line. 
5. Ask them how they will get their 2017 big projects moving forward in Q1.  Big projects are time and energy vampires, but pay longer term dividends.   They will appear as new products, distribution channels or markets with shorter term imp[act.  They also have the greatest long term benefits.
6. Help them set their leading indicators needed to achieve to get the lagging indicator (revenue achievement) they want.  Good leading indicators e.g. sample fulfillment, beta tests etc.  Keep them simple-2-3 measures.  http://www.jimthomasintl.com/blog/archives/07-2016
7. Share your calendar and ask them how they will plan their annual calendar, set aside time for:
   1. Professional seminars-reserve a time when you will not be prone to cancellation.
   2. Vacation-recharging is necessary-do it off season if possible.
8. Reserve a separate time in January to review their plan.  Provide input and counsel for potential outside influences that could affect their plan. Allocate resources for your reps to achieve their plan.  Your success is mutual-we win together or not at all.

Do you want to have a free fifteen minute discussion on getting off to a strong start to 2017?  Sign up on my web site http://www.jimthomasintl.com/ or contact me directly by phone.

Good selling and enjoy your break!

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is hectic with travel, next year’s final budget tweaking and new program development.  As you sit down December 19 to look at next year, map it out. You have this period of time-between 12/19 and 1/13 to focus and think big thoughts (something quite unnatural for me).

1. Finalize your 2016 scorecard-it’s history now.  Update your annual scorecard for your boss.  Set your personal development plan.  Get each of your direct reports to do the same.
   
2. Provide your direct reports feedback.  What do you see as their challenges for 2017.  Give them the BIG Goals.Point out 1-2 productivity improvements.  Suggest a personal development plan and a date to follow up verbally to make it real.
3. Conduct a compensation audit for your entire team.  Analyze what they were paid for 2016 and how they compare.  Are they properly motivated for 2017 to meet your sales plan?
4. Review your headcount and channel partner plan for 2017.  Do you have a recruiting plan with your key partners in place?  Make sure you describe what you need in detail with a timeline. Once the merry go round starts in January you will want recruiters and staff working on your behalf to get the right candidates in front of you.  The quicker they start the easier it will be to reach your goals.  Don't hold them back-be first!
5. Update you onboarding process for new hires and internal cross training purposes.  What organization changes, product updates and new strategies are new that require updates to your training templates?
6. Set your 2017 kick off meeting with your team.  Set details with goals, 2016 variances, KPI’s and leading indicators.  Have you planned the event in detail?
7. Review the group training needs for your team and set that time on their calendars.  Areas of improvement have been identified and now formal resolution must be addressed.  Think about what the desired state you want following the training so you stay on track.
8. Set a tentative travel schedule for 2017.  Plan your time in the field with each major account and rep so you can get as many quality touches as possible.  See http://www.jimthomasintl.com/blog/a-sample-sales-leadership-calendar-for-2016.
9. Take stock of your key learnings.  What books did you read for 2016? Now talk to your colleagues.  Have you developed your reading list for 2017?  Start adding new reading recommendations from friends and colleagues.  For me some of the better 2016 books I have read were:
   1. The Rise and Fall of Nations. Sharma
   2. When America First Met China Dolin
   3. Disrupted Lyon
   4. Clouds of Glory Korda
   5. Magnetic Calloway
   6. Traction Wickman
10. Celebrate 2016.  Send each team member a personal handwritten letter of thanks for 2016.  Not an e-mail.  Wish them well and look forward to 2017.
     
     
    Do you want to have a free fifteen minute discussion on kicking off 2017?  Sign up on my web site http://www.jimthomasintl.com/ or contact me directly by phone.
    
    
    Good selling