Each week, I bring you battle tests, sales plays, and learning lessons from my experience as a 3X Sales Leader and 4X Founder.

Ten Tactical Tips for Founders to Build Their Sales Plan

In the journey of being a B2B Founder, crafting a sales plan is essential for driving business growth and is often overlooked as founders either stay in their zone of genius or are just too busy working in the business. Today I’m going to give B2B Founders ten tactical tips to make the task of building a sales plan not so overwhelming.

1. Define Your Ideal Customers

Understanding your target audience is one of the most crucial pieces of a successful sales plan. Take the time to identify and profile your ideal customers based on demographics, psychographics, technographics, and pain points. Founders often go too broad here as they assume having a huge total addressable market is better and it’s not. Master serving each segment of your ideal customer profile one or two at a time before adding in another segment. Now is a good time to map out what that looks like for the next twelve months but break it down into quarterly, monthly, and even weekly chunks.

Tactical Tip:   Develop buyer personas to paint a picture of your target audience, guiding your sales and marketing efforts with precision.

2. Define Your Sales Objectives

Clarity will enable you and your team to see success. Set clear and measurable sales objectives that align with your business goals. All too often young startups and first-time founders struggle with this especially because things change so quickly sometimes. Whether it's revenue targets, customer acquisition goals, or market share objectives, establish SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals to provide direction for your entire team. This needs to be communicated clearly to everyone and updated in real-time with your team as things change.

Tactical Tip:  Break down your overarching sales goals into smaller, actionable milestones, allowing you to measure progress and celebrate achievements along the way.

3. Understand Your Unique Value Proposition

What sets your product or service apart from the competition? Define your unique value proposition and articulate it in your sales plan. Ask your team for feedback and ensure you answer questions. Everyone must be rowing in the same direction on this Highlight the key features, benefits, and advantages that differentiate your offering. Communicate your value proposition effectively to prospects, compelling them to choose your solution over alternatives.

Tactical Tip: Conduct a competitive analysis to identify gaps in the market and leverage them to strengthen your value proposition.

4. Map Out Your Entires Sales Process

A well-defined sales process acts as a roadmap for guiding prospects from initial contact to conversion. Map out each stage of the customer journey, from lead generation and qualification to closing the deal and post-sale support. Define clear criteria and actions for advancing prospects through the sales process. This will help make sure you have a good quality pipeline to measure and don’t end up wasting time on deals that are not qualified. Be sure you don’t skip mapping out your post-sales or CS flow and milestones as many tend to skip this and end up with a huge churn problem.

Tactical Tip: Regularly review and make updates to your sales process based on performance data and feedback from your sales team.

5.  Recruit and Train Your Sales Professionals

As your business grows, who is on your team can make or break your business. Many founders have never been responsible for recruiting and training new members for the team and even if they have it’s a skill that can almost always use improvements. Recruit individuals who believe in your company’s values and have mastered the necessary skills and experience to drive success. Make sure you have a documented sales process that can be flowed. Provide detailed training and ongoing development opportunities to empower your sales professionals with the knowledge and tools they need to excel.

Tactical Tip:Foster a culture of collaboration and continuous learning within your sales team, encouraging knowledge sharing and skill enhancement.

6. Leverage Technology

Technology plays a pivotal role in streamlining sales processes and enhancing productivity. Invest in sales tools and technologies that automate repetitive tasks, streamline communication, and facilitate data-driven decision-making. From CRM systems and sales enablement platforms to prospecting tools and analytics software, leverage technology to gain a competitive edge in the market. New technologies are coming out all of the time so try not to have tool overload and be sure you see value and good user adoption before investing in any new tools.  

Tactical Tip: Do research and pilot different sales tools before investing in solutions that best align with your business needs and objectives.

7. Prioritize Customer Success

Customer relationships are the lifeblood of your business. Prioritize customer success by delivering a world-class experience for your customers. Build rapport and trust with prospects and customers. Listen attentively to their needs and concerns. Provide proactive support and personalized solutions that exceed expectations, fostering long-term loyalty and advocacy. Making them feel heard and understood as customers will drive your business forward.

Tactical Tip: Implement a customer feedback loop to gather insights and look for areas of improvement.

8. Track Key Performance Indicators

Data is your map in the world of sales. Monitor and measure key performance indicators (KPIs) to gauge the effectiveness of your sales plan and track progress toward your goals. From sales revenue and conversion rates to lead velocity and customer retention metrics, leverage data analytics to identify trends, uncover insights, and make informed decisions to drive business growth.

Tactical Tip: Develop customized dashboards and reports to visualize and communicate sales performance metrics.

9. Embrace Continuous Improvement

The only constant in business is change, especially in startups. Embrace a mindset of continuous improvement and agility in your sales approach. Stay attuned to market trends, customer feedback, and competitive landscape, adapting your sales plan accordingly. Iterate on your strategies, experiment with new tactics, and learn from both successes and failures to stay ahead of the curve.

Tactical Tip: Encourage a culture of innovation and experimentation within your sales team.

10. Stay Resilient and Persistent

Building a successful sales plan requires resilience and persistence. Stay focused on your goals, even when you face setbacks and obstacles. Maintain a positive attitude and a growth mindset, viewing challenges as opportunities for learning and growth. Celebrate successes, learn from failures, and keep moving ahead.

Tactical Tip: Cultivate a supportive network of mentors, peers, and advisors who can provide guidance.

Final Thoughts

Armed with these 10 tactical tips, you're well-equipped to build a sales plan that drives business growth and success as a founder. Remember, strategic planning, clear execution, and continuous refinement are the keys to unlocking your sales potential. Now, go forth and conquer the marketplace with confidence and conviction!

See you again next week!
-Collin Mitchell