Introduction
Significance of the Study
The study is going to talk about the underlying importance of sales planning. At times, people do not realize the extent to which the effort goes into sales planning and what factors need to be considered when opting for sales planning (Bolander et al. 2015, p.44). The study will discuss some of the important aspects of sales planning as well as how important it is to ensure that sales planning is carried out (Bolander et al. 2015, p.44).
Aim of the Study
The study is going to explore some of the rationales around which sales planning is carried out (Bolander et al. 2015, p.44). At times, not enough time and thought are given to how sales planning is supposedly carried out. Instead, when it comes to the research, it is somewhat considered an afterthought (Bolander et al. 2015, p.44). In this research, a critical analysis will be carried out in terms of sales planning. The research will also discuss how sales planning can be improved to get the desired result (Bolander et al. 2015, p.44).
Research Objectives
Following are some of the research objectives that are going to be talked about during this research.
- How it can be made sure that the same planning is carried out in the right manner
- What are some of the techniques that need to be taken into consideration when opting for sales planning (Bolander et al. 2015, p.44)
- How can sales planning be carried out correctly, and what are some of the factors that should be kept in mind when opting for sales planning, to say the least (Bolander et al. 2015, p.44)?
Research Questions
The following are some of the research questions.
- What is the importance of sales planning in the overall sales process, and how are organizations different from each other in terms of the way they plan their sales (Bolander et al. 2015, p.44)
- How it can be made sure that the entity is planning their sales optimally and what are some of the reasons that allow sales to be carried out in the right manner (Bolander et al. 2015, p.44).
Delimitations of the Study
The delimitations of the study are some of the important factors when discussing how sales planning is supposedly carried out. At times, when research of any magnitude is carried out, there is a tendency for all the organizations that opt for any type of sales to be discussed in the same context (Chen et al. 2016, p.7). However, this is not the case, as each sector has its own skills that are important when they opt for sales planning (Bolander et al. 2015, p.44).
Literature Review
One of the most common problems that are faced by the sales person is the fact that they are not able to construct a sales plan (Chen et al. 2016, p.7). When there is a lack of a sales plan, most of the time, the salesperson is unlikely to achieve their sales goals (Chen et al. 2016, p.7). So, the important thing for the salesperson is to make sure that they have a deliberate plan through which they opt for the sales plan (Chen et al. 2016, p.7).
Concept and Definition
The basic underlying concept of the sales plan is that it is a strategy that is used when the deliberation of the sales target is being formulated. Also, the strategy that will be pursued by the business during the sales objectives and the steps that need to be taken to ensure that these sales targets are being met (Chen et al. 2016, p.7). When there is a proper sales plan, it goes a long way in ensuring that the defined set of sales targets is set up in terms of how the business will work out. One of the commonly used methods to make sure that the sales strategy and sales plan are developed is to make sure that all the underlying risks and the obstacles that are coming in the way need to be evaluated, and effort is needed to be made to make sure that how these things are going to be evaluated in a much better manner. Organizations need to take short-term and long-term actions as well. When these actions are carried out correctly, they will go a long way in deterring the sales plan that will serve a considerable purpose in the near future (Chen et al. 2016, p.7). As far as the execution of the strategy is concerned, it is important to make sure that the plan of action is determined and then reviewed so that the margin of error during the whole process is on the lower side (Chen et al. 2016, p.7).
Theoretical Reflection
The important thing for the salesperson is to ensure they have a certain sales plan they would follow in the long run. It includes the high-level as well as the low-level tactics that are important when the definition of the target audience is carried out. It is also important to work out the potential obstacles and deliberate strategy is worked around that plan (Chen et al. 2016, p.7). In terms of the theory, the marketing and the business models also need to be kept in mind to ensure that a clear and precise sales management plan is developed that considers all the variables that go into sales management (Chen et al. 2016, p.7). The key thing that needs to be taken into consideration is how the sales management will liaise with the sales planning (Chen et al. 2016, p.7). To make sure that it happens, the ideal thing that must be done is to make sure that the evaluation and the review of the sales planning process are done appropriately. The other factor that must be taken into account is how the planning is going to be done at each of the respective points of time and the direction is determined in which the business will be heading (Chen et al. 2016, p.7).
Literature Gaps Pertaining to Sales Planning
One of the biggest problems that one can see as far as sales planning is concerned is how, in the long run, it would be made sure that the perspective regarding sales planning can be developed (Fleischmann et al. 2015, p.32). Many industries sell their product one way or the other, and due to that, at times, there is not much evidence developed regarding how sales management will be carried out (Fleischmann et al. 2015, p.32). Another thing that is needed to be kept in mind that how in the long, the industry variances are going to be managed and what are some of the factors that should be taken into consideration when sales planning is carried out for the businesses that of varied nature (Fleischmann et al. 2015, p.32). Thus, it becomes a challenge to find such literature that takes into account the various differences in sales planning that are going to vary from one industry to another. The key aspect of sales planning is to make sure that the tactics and the deliverables are needed to be designed in the right manner, and due to that, it is imperative that the dynamics of the industry are kept in mind to make sure that these objectives are met one way or the (Fleischmann et al. 2015, p.32).
Substantiating Evidence from the Literature
In this section, it is also important to make sure that some sustaining evidence is developed in terms of the way evidence from the literature is carried out as far as the way sales planning is supposed to be done (Fleischmann et al. 2015, p.32). The key thing that needs to be kept in mind is that the world market at the moment is evolving at a rapid pace, and due to that, it is important that the sales planning that is done at the level of the organization needs to be amended. The ideal thing to do is to ensure that some of the things carried out as per the sales plan are correct (Fleischmann et al. 2015, p.32). When that clarity of the concept is developed, it is also important to make sure that relevant adjustments are carried out to the sales plan. It has to be made clear that rigidity is not a very good trait in how sales planning should be carried out. Instead, effort is needed to make sure that the scorecard and the measure of the organization’s performance are being carried out in the right manner (Fleischmann et al. 2015, p.32). The other important variable is how the scorecard is developed (Fleischmann et al. 2015, p.32). What needs to be done is to make sure that the measurement and benchmarking at the organizational level are carried out in the right manner (Trehan and Trehan, 2015, p.8). When that benchmarking is done correctly, it is going to go a long way in making sure that the sales planning is done correctly at each and every level (Fleischmann et al. 2015, p.32)
Critical Analysis of the Literature
Looking at all the relevant literature, it can be figured out that the identification of the ideal customer profile is one of the most important determinants as far as the way sales planning is supposedly carried out (Fleischmann et al. 2015, p.32). When developing the customer or the organizational profile where the sales are being carried out, there are a couple of very important determinants (Trehan and Trehan, 2015, p.8). The first one is how sales will be managed at the level of the company and the individual (Fleischmann et al. 2015, p.32). The second factor is the way the decision-making process is being carried out in that organization (Fleischmann et al. 2015, p.32). When that is completed, the next phase is to ensure that the list of prospects is identified (Trehan and Trehan, 2015, p.8). The list of prospects that need to be carried out goes a long way in making sure that people are going after the company (Fleischmann et al. 2015, p.32). The other thing that needs to be done is to make sure that the identification of the organization’s sales cycle is needed to be carried out (Trehan and Trehan, 2015, p.8). When the sales cycle of the business is evaluated in the right manner, it means that the sales planning is going to reflect well on those highs and low seasons in the right manner (Fleischmann et al. 2015, p.32).
Conceptual Framework
Proposed Research Methodology
Sample Selection
The sample selection is going to be carried out in a manner that would make sure that the representation of all the sectors is being done (Pedroso et al. 2016, p.32). Thus, 50 employees from sectors such as IT, FMCG, and other relevant sectors are going to be carried out (Hulthén et al. 2016, p.3).
Population Frame
The population frame is the source material from which the information will be derived (Hulthén et al. 2016, p.3). The key determinant of the framework is to ensure that the relevant sample is drawn, taking into consideration all the elements of the business (Hulthén et al. 2016, p.3). In this case, the literature and secondary sources would act as a population frame (Hulthén et al. 2016, p.3).
Units of Analysis
In this case, the unit of analysis will be the number of sales personnel that will be interviewed during the process (Hulthén et al. 2016, p.3). The sales personnel are in the best position to make the decision in terms of the way sales management is going to be carried out (Pedroso et al. 2016, p.32). At the same time, sales personnel are the ones who are well-informed in terms of the way instrument development and question development are supposed to be carried out (Johnston and Marshall, 2016, p.4). So, it is one of the key determinants that have to be taken into consideration, in the long run, to make sure that the data analysis is being done in the right manner, to say the least (Johnston and Marshall, 2016, p.4).
Type of Study
The study is going to predominantly comprise qualitative analysis in which it will be seen what sort of role sales planning has in the long-term target management of the organization (Johnston and Marshall, 2016, p.4). The timelines are going to be managed with the Gantt chart, and a proper schedule is going to be followed during the course of this research (Johnston and Marshall, 2016, p.4).
Time Horizon
The research is going to take one full year (Pedroso et al. 2016, p.32)
Researcher’s Strength
Well-rounded usage of both primary and secondary sources is one of the researcher’s biggest strengths (Pedroso et al. 2016, p.32).
Instrument Development
The online survey would be conducted via e-mail to ensure that the timelines set for the completion time are met in the right manner (Pedroso et al. 2016, p.32).
Data Collection Procedures
The data collection will be comprised of the answers gained from the different questions and the relevant analysis techniques used during the organizational analysis (Pedroso et al. 2016, p.32).
References
Bolander, W., Satornino, C.B., Hughes, D.E. and Ferris, G.R., 2015. Social networks within sales organizations: Their development and importance for salesperson performance. Journal of Marketing, 79(6), pp.1-16.
Chen, Y. C., Rivas, A. A., & Wu, W. Y. (2016). Salesperson Market Orientation Behavior: Its Antecedents and the Mediating Role of Working Smart Behaviors in Sales Performance. In Celebrating America’s Pastimes: Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Marketing? (pp. 647-647). Springer, Cham.
Fleischmann, B., Meyr, H. and Wagner, M., 2015. Advanced planning. In Supply chain management and advanced planning (pp. 71-95). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Hulthén, H., Näslund, D. and Norrman, A., 2016. Framework for measuring performance of the sales and operations planning process. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 46(9), pp.809-835.
Johnston, M.W. and Marshall, G.W., 2016. Sales force management: Leadership, innovation, technology. Routledge.
Pedroso, C.B., da Silva, A.L. and Tate, W.L., 2016. Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP): insights from a multi-case study of Brazilian organizations. International Journal of Production Economics, 182, pp.213-229.
Trehan, M. and Trehan, R., 2015. Advertising and sales management. FK Publications.
