{"id":12624,"date":"2021-10-04T07:00:52","date_gmt":"2021-10-04T05:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/?p=12624"},"modified":"2025-07-25T13:24:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T11:24:39","slug":"why-your-sales-planning-needs-to-be-nimble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/why-your-sales-planning-needs-to-be-nimble\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Your Sales Planning Needs To Be Nimble?"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"l-section wpb_row height_medium\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_3-1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-image align_center\"><div class=\"w-image-h\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"680\" height=\"451\" src=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/shutterstock_500635198-e1633084513738.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"DSM Digital School of Marketing - sales planning\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/shutterstock_500635198-e1633084513738.jpg 680w, https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/shutterstock_500635198-e1633084513738-600x398.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><p>Selling involves a countless of choices about how to engage with customers. Sales organisations and salespeople spend a huge amount of time planning which customers and prospects to spend time with as well as what messages to focus on. Usually, a high-level annual plan anchors more detailed quarterly plans that are broken down into even more granular periods. Salespeople utilise the plans in order to cascade tactics for specific customers into daily sales activities. But this paradigm is changing as a quicker customer engagement model of \u201cplanning while doing\u201d arises. This means that sales planning needs to remain nimble.<\/p>\n<p>Two trends are at the very heart of this shift:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>First, informed and self-sufficient buyers are taking far more control regarding how they purchase as well as from which channels (digital, virtual, in-person). As a result, sales plans made months in advance routinely become obsolete.<\/li>\n<li>Second, continuously expanding data and quickly advancing analytics can provide salespeople with real-time insights regarding customers as well as their needs, preferences, and propensity to purchase.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Sales Managers Need A Simple Plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Boil down company <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/what-are-the-different-types-of-digital-marketing-strategies\/\">strategies<\/a> as well as priorities into a simple which that can be internalised and acted on. Make sure that you have clear metrics for your sales planning. We know that successful front-line sales managers adopt this principle. They act as filters and not funnels. They ensure their teams are not overwhelmed with administrative trivia. These sales managers clarify strategic initiatives into actionable objectives. As one sales manager recently told us: \u201cThe more time my people can spend in front of customers with a clear sense of direction, the better our chances of exceeding our sales goals.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>From Discrete to Continuous Sales Support<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Traditionally, sales and support groups spent months and months putting together annual plans defining customer, product, and activity priorities for the sales organisation. These sales plans guided many yearly decisions, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sales force size and deployment,<\/li>\n<li>Sales <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/how-to-turn-marketing-goals-into-wins-for-your-business\/\">goals<\/a>, as well as<\/li>\n<li>Sales incentive plan design.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Sales support groups organised and enabled the entire planning process. For these types of groups, digital is disrupting the output, the operating rhythm as well as the types of specialists on the team.<\/p>\n<p>Consider a technology company which implemented an AI-powered system in order to give inside salespeople real-time suggestions regarding how to engage more significantly with customers. The suggestions reflect what\u2019s important to customers (e.g., which products as well as communication channels) and what\u2019s important to the company (e.g., customer potential and likelihood of purchase). Suggestions change as new information emerges. For instance, if a customer engages via a digital channel (e.g., downloads information from a company website), the salesperson gets a notification to follow up much earlier than previously recommended.<\/p>\n<p>The new approach to sales planning changes the sales support outputs. Rather than generating discrete plans for salespeople, sales support now puts together digital assets and resources (e.g., algorithms, decision rules, software tools) to assist salespeople \u2018plan on the go\u2019. In addition, the operating rhythm is disrupted. Sales support teams give up on the project mindset &#8211; where planning cycles end &#8211; with a finished plan<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-video align_none ratio_16x9 has_iframe\"><div class=\"w-video-h\"><iframe title=\"Vimeo video player\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/347513718?autoplay=0&loop=0&autopause=0&color=00adef&portrait=0&byline=1&title=1&controls=1&muted=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\" allowfullscreen loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/div><div class=\"w-video-icon\" style=\"font-size:1.5rem;background:rgba(0,0,0,0.5);color:#fff\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h2><strong>Sales Planning Becomes An Almost Non-Stop Process<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In this world, sales support encompasses creating &#8211; and continuously improving &#8211; the underlying assets as well as processes as the technologies themselves change. Activities include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Enhancing sales force adoption of the system,<\/li>\n<li>Upgrading the data,<\/li>\n<li>Improving the algorithms, as well as<\/li>\n<li>Perfecting implementation processes (e.g., change management, training as well as user feedback loops).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With digital assets playing a pivotal role in the new sales planning world, sales support teams are required to include more specialists such as data scientists, software engineers, and agile process experts to augment business and process\/operations expertise. A boundary spanning team leader who understands both sales and technology is also critical for connecting the specialists\u2019 efforts to broader business needs.<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/contact-us\/\">Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>If you want to become a sales manager then you need to do our Sales Management Course. Follow this <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/courses\/sales-management-course\/\">link<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-759 size-shop_single\" src=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSM_Footer04-600x96.jpg\" alt=\"DSM Digital School of Marketing Digital Marketing course registration\" width=\"600\" height=\"96\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-btn-wrapper align_justify\"><a class=\"w-btn us-btn-style_2\" href=\"#enquiry\"><span class=\"w-btn-label\">Enquire Today<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h3 class=\"w-text us_custom_6caa4608 has_text_color\"><span class=\"w-text-h\"><span class=\"w-text-value\">Blog Categories<\/span><\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_5cd26a65\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><ul>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-1\"><a href=\"\/blog\/content-marketing\/\">Content Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/blog\/digital-marketing\/\">Digital Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/blog\/cyber-security-blog\/\">Cyber Security<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/blog\/graphic-design-blog\/\">Graphic Design<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-3\"><a href=\"\/blog\/public-relations\/\">Public Relations<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-4\"><a href=\"\/blog\/seo\/\">SEO<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-5\"><a href=\"\/blog\/social-media-marketing\/\">Social Media Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-5\"><a href=\"\/blog\/web-design-blog\/\">Web Design<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h3 class=\"w-text us_custom_6caa4608 has_text_color\"><span class=\"w-text-h\"><span class=\"w-text-value\">You might also like<\/span><\/span><\/h3><div class=\"w-html\"><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/social-media-marketing-blog\/zero-moment-of-truth-benefit-social-media-marketing\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Use the Zero Moment of Truth to Benefit your Social Media Marketing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/digital-marketing-blog\/your-complete-guide-to-ppc-marketing-basic\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Your Complete Guide to PPC Marketing Basics. Find out more.<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/you-can-convey-a-lot-of-meaning-with-just-one-graphic\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">You Can Convey a Lot Of Meaning With Just One Graphic<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/digital-marketing-blog\/would-you-make-a-great-marketing-manager\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Would you make a great marketing manager?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/in-the-press\/win-with-bona-magazine-and-the-digital-school-of-marketing\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Win with Bona Magazine and the Digital School of Marketing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/in-the-press\/win-a-digital-marketing-course-valued-at-r12-000\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Win a Digital Marketing Course Valued at  R12 000<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h3 class=\"w-text us_custom_6caa4608 has_text_color\"><span class=\"w-text-h\"><span class=\"w-text-value\">Top Selling COurses<\/span><\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_5cd26a65\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><ul>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-1\"><a href=\"\/courses\/digital-marketing-course\/\">Intermediate Digital Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/courses\/advanced-digital-marketing-course\/\">Advanced Digital Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-3\"><a href=\"\/courses\/social-media-marketing-course\/\">Intermediate Social media marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-4\"><a href=\"\/courses\/digital-brand-management-course\/\">Brand Management<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-5\"><a href=\"\/courses\/graphic-design-course\/\">Basic Graphic Design<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-6\"><a href=\"\/courses\/advanced-graphic-design-course\/\">Advanced Graphic design<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-7\"><a href=\"\/courses\/national-certificate-of-advertising\/\">National Certificate of Advertising<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-8\"><a href=\"\/courses\/national-diploma-of-copywriting-course\/\">National Diploma of Copyrighting<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"l-section wpb_row height_medium\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-video align_none ratio_16x9 has_iframe\"><div class=\"w-video-h\"><iframe title=\"Youtube video player\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IgOW6pgHcJ8?autoplay=0&controls=1&origin=https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za&loop=0&mute=0\" allowfullscreen=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/div><div class=\"w-video-icon\" style=\"font-size:1.5rem;background:rgba(0,0,0,0.5);color:#fff\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":950,"featured_media":12625,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,398],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-sales-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/950"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12624"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23908,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12624\/revisions\/23908"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}