Companies cannot afford to be complacent in a downturn and must figure out a plan to survive, and part of that strategy involves setting clear sales targets.
Look at the numbers to decide what you have to do. If you need X amount of revenue, then look at what your average sale is, and out of that ask how many sales you need to make each year, how many prospects do you need to talk to for sales and ask how many people you need to contact.
A lot of people rely on websites and such, which is nice, but they in themselves do not make you a sale. They keep your brand out there, but you have to proactively put yourself out in the market.
You need to look at details. Know what markets you need to be targetting.
Who do you need to be in front of, and how often do you need to do that?
Sue Barrett, head of sales consulting group Barrett
James was the editor and publisher of SmartCompany and LeadingCompany for five years. He is now the Australian Financial Review‘s companies & markets editor, and a former BRW editor.
